Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

Babo, the Slave Trade

Just as Captain Delano isn't the world's most straightforward protagonist, Babo isn't necessarily a moustache-twisting, evil-laugh cackling villain. Although we might suspect his motives when he has his "Oops!" moment during Benito Cereno's shave, it's only when he tries to stab Cereno that he cements his role as the antagonist.

But c'mon—he's trying to escape a life of slavery. We might get a little stabby ourselves if it meant freeing a whole shipful of innocent men from servitude and chains. Really, the Big Bad here is the slave trade itself: if Cereno hadn't been captaining a slave ship, he would have been a-okay, and Babo would have been just another dude (although we hope he wouldn't choose being a barber as his occupation).