# Starbuck — Moby-Dick character guide > Starbuck in Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. **Role:** supporting **Also known as:** Mr. Starbuck, the staid Starbuck, humane Starbuck **First appearance:** 0026-xxiii-the-lee-shore ## Snapshot The Pequod's first mate, a Nantucket Quaker whose prudence and faith recoil from the captain's hunt even as his will submits to it. ## Who they are Starbuck runs the ship by conscience and weather-eye, and Ahab knows his chief mate abhors the quest in his soul while obeying it in his body. That split is the voyage's central moral fault line: duty against conviction, livelihood against damnation. He murmurs about loveliness unfathomable over a golden sea, then must turn back to the bloody work at hand, and his resistance, however stifled, keeps the reader asking what loyalty is worth. ## Relationships ### [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab) _rivalry_ Starbuck, the first mate, is the moral and pragmatic counterpoint to Ahab's monomaniacal quest, creating a tense and adversarial dynamic. ### [Stubb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/stubb) _professional_ Starbuck is the first mate and Stubb is the second mate, serving as colleagues with contrasting personalities and approaches to duty. ### [Ishmael](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/ishmael) _professional_ Ishmael is a sailor and Starbuck is the first mate, his superior officer on the Pequod. ### [Stubb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/stubb) _professional_ Starbuck is the first mate and Stubb is the second mate, serving as colleagues with contrasting personalities and approaches to duty. ### [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab) _rivalry_ Starbuck, the first mate, is the moral and pragmatic counterpoint to Ahab's monomaniacal quest, creating a tense and adversarial dynamic. ### [Captain Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/captain_ahab) _rivalry_ Starbuck, the first mate, is the moral and pragmatic counterpoint to Ahab's monomaniacal quest, creating a tense and adversarial dynamic. ### [Stubb](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/stubb) _professional_ Starbuck is the first mate and Stubb is the second mate, serving as colleagues with contrasting personalities and approaches to duty. ### [Ishmael](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/ishmael) _professional_ Ishmael is a sailor and Starbuck is the first mate, his superior officer on the Pequod. ## In the story ### [Going Aboard](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxi-going-aboard) Mentioned by the rigger as being 'astir' on deck; described as a good, pious, and lively chief mate. ### [Merry Christmas](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxii-merry-christmas) The chief mate, receiving final orders from the departing owners regarding supplies and conduct. ### [Knights and Squires](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxvi-knights-and-squires) Profiled as the chief mate: a long, earnest, conscientious Quaker from Nantucket. His courage is practical and cautious, rooted in an estimation of peril, but undermined by superstition and haunting memories of his father and brother lost to whaling. ### [Knights and Squires](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxvii-knights-and-squires) Mentioned as the chief mate who selected Queequeg, completing the trio of 'momentous' mates who command the whaleboats. ### [Ahab](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxviii-ahab) Implied among the mates who show uneasy consciousness of being under Ahab's 'troubled master-eye' and who command vicariously in his absence. ### [XXXIII: The Specksnyder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-specksnyder) As a mate, implied to have his quarters with the captain, part of the aft officer structure contrasted with the crew forward. ### [The Cabin-Table](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-cabin-table) The first mate, who waits for Ahab to be seated before announcing dinner to Stubb, and receives his food from Ahab 'as though receiving alms,' eating with solemn care. ### [The Quarterdeck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxvi-the-quarterdeck) Voices the sole moral opposition, calling the quest 'madness' and 'blasphemous,' arguing they hunt for oil, not vengeance. He is ultimately psychologically overpowered by Ahab. ### [Sunset](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxvii-sunset) Mentioned by Ahab as one who thinks him mad, highlighting the first mate's perception of Ahab's dangerous obsession. ### [Dusk](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxviii-dusk) In a solitary soliloquy, he confesses his moral and psychological torment, feeling bound to obey Ahab's mad quest despite seeing its blasphemy and doomed end. ### [First Night-Watch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xxxix-first-night-watch) Mentioned by Stubb as having been visibly affected by Ahab, and calls out to Stubb at the chapter's end. ### [XLVI: Surmises](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlvi-surmises) Ahab acknowledges that while he controls Starbuck's actions through force of will, he cannot conquer the first mate's soul, which abhors the quest, making him a potential source of rebellion. ### [XLVIII: The First Lowering](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlviii-the-first-lowering) Commands his boat with intense, whispered focus; coolly balances on the stern platform; his calm authority contrasts with the chaos. ### [XLIX: The Hyena](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xlix-the-hyena) Mentioned in absentia. Ishmael imputes their boat's disaster to Starbuck's uncharacteristic recklessness in driving onto a whale 'almost in the teeth of a squall.' ### [LI: The Spirit-Spout](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/li-the-spirit-spout) Witnesses Ahab's terrifying aspect as he sleeps in his chair during the gale, steadfastly eyeing his purpose, highlighting Starbuck's perception of Ahab's monomania. ### [LIX: Squid](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lix-squid) Expresses profound dread upon seeing the squid, declaring he would rather have faced Moby Dick. ### [LXIV: Stubb’s Supper](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxiv-stubb-s-supper) His staid demeanor contrasts with Stubb's excitement; he quietly resigns the management of affairs to Stubb for the time. ### [LXVII: Cutting In](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxvii-cutting-in) One of the mates using a spade to cut the 'scarf' line in the whale's blubber. ### [LXXI: The Jeroboam’s Story](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxi-the-jeroboam-s-story) Follows Ahab's orders to retrieve the letter bag and ingeniously uses a pole to pass the letter to the Jeroboam's boat while maintaining quarantine. ### [LXXII: The Monkey-Rope](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxii-the-monkey-rope) Briefly involved in the dispute over the ginger-water; agrees the offering is 'poor stuff' and allows Stubb to get spirits, citing Ahab's orders. ### [LXXXI: The Pequod Meets the Virgin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxi-the-pequod-meets-the-virgin) Observes the German captain's approach and leads the whale chase. ### [LXXXVII: The Grand Armada](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/lxxxvii-the-grand-armada) Stands in the bows, using his lance to ward off whales and observes the natural line connecting mother and calf. ### [The Pequod Meets the Rose-Bud](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xci-the-pequod-meets-the-rose-bud) Not explicitly mentioned in the provided excerpts. ### [XCIX: The Doubloon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/xcix-the-doubloon) Leans against the bulwarks, watching Ahab and murmuring that the coin seems touched by 'devil's claws.' He likens Ahab's study of it to reading 'Belshazzar's awful writing,' seeing it as an ominous, blasphemous sign. ### [The Fossil Whale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/civ-the-fossil-whale) Not present in this chapter's excerpts. ### [CVI: Ahab’s Leg](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cvi-ahab-s-leg) Implied as one of the mates directed to supply the carpenter with materials. ### [CVIII: Ahab and the Carpenter](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cviii-ahab-and-the-carpenter) Mentioned indirectly as the recipient of Stubb's constant observations about Ahab's queerness. ### [CIX: Ahab and Starbuck in the Cabin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cix-ahab-and-starbuck-in-the-cabin) Confronts Ahab on practical and financial grounds regarding the oil leak. Shows remarkable, cautious bravery, warning Ahab of self-destruction ('beware of Ahab'). Ultimately obeys but leaves having challenged Ahab's authority more directly than ever. ### [Queequeg in His Coffin](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cx-queequeg-in-his-coffin) Observes Pip's lunacy, interpreting his words as a mysterious, heavenly testimony from a forgotten childhood. ### [CXIV: The Gilder](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxiv-the-gilder) Gazing into the 'golden sea,' he murmurs a plea to see only loveliness and faith, asking to let 'fancy oust memory' and consciously choosing to believe in beauty over the ocean's savage reality. ### [CXV: The Pequod Meets the Bachelor](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxv-the-pequod-meets-the-bachelor) Implied to be among the crew witnessing the celebration, his presence underscoring the normative whaling success and homecoming the Pequod has forsaken. ### [CXVI: The Dying Whale](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxvi-the-dying-whale) Implied to be present among the crew during the successful hunt and the aftermath, serving as a contrast to Ahab's manic philosophical rapture. ### [CXVIII: The Quadrant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxviii-the-quadrant) Watches Ahab's tumultuous path and the ship's way, comparing Ahab's fiery life to a coal fire that will eventually turn to 'dumbest dust,' foreseeing his doom. ### [The Candles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxix-the-candles) Interprets the electrical fire as a divine sign against Ahab's quest. He confronts Ahab directly, pleading with him to turn home, and briefly rallies the terrified crew towards mutiny. ### [The Deck Towards the End of the First Night Watch](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxx-the-deck-towards-the-end-of-the-first-night-watch) The dutiful first mate, concerned for the ship's safety, attempts to follow standard procedure to secure the vessel during the rising storm. ### [CXXIII: The Musket](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxiii-the-musket) Experiences a profound internal conflict, contemplating assassinating the sleeping Ahab to save the crew but ultimately cannot commit the act. ### [CXXIV: The Needle](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxiv-the-needle) Watches Ahab's actions with silent dread and gloom, quietly issues orders but is deeply troubled by the omen. ### [CXXVI: The Life-Buoy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxvi-the-life-buoy) Reluctantly orders the carpenter to convert Queequeg's coffin into a life-buoy after the original is lost. ### [The Deck](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxvii-the-deck) Mentioned as having given the orders to convert the coffin into a life-buoy, a practical but grim act of preparation. ### [CXXVIII: The Pequod Meets the Rachel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxviii-the-pequod-meets-the-rachel) Silently follows Ahab's order to time the departure and warn off the Rachel, acting as the instrument of Ahab's cold refusal. ### [The Hat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxx-the-hat) Chosen by Ahab to secure the rope holding him aloft, a sign of complex trust despite Ahab's earlier suspicions of the mates' fidelity. ### [The Symphony](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxxii-the-symphony) Witnesses Ahab's vulnerability and passionately pleads with him to abandon the hunt and return safely to Nantucket and their families. ### [CXXXIII: The Chase—First Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxxiii-the-chase-first-day) Ordered by Ahab to stay aboard the Pequod and keep the ship during the boat chase. ### [CXXXIV: The Chase—Second Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxxiv-the-chase-second-day) Given command of the Pequod as Ahab lowers; instructed to keep the ship near but away from the boats. ### [CXXXV: The Chase—Third Day](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/chapters/cxxxv-the-chase-third-day) Watches the chase with dread and profound foreboding. He delivers a soliloquy filled with existential terror and thoughts of his family, sensing his impending doom. His final plea is to God as the whale turns to attack the ship. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters/starbuck - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/moby_dick_se/characters