In Herman Melville’s epic tale, Moby Dick; Or, The Whale, Ishmael, a sailor seeking escape from the ordinary, sets sail on the whaling ship Pequod. Ahab, the ship’s crazed captain, is obsessed with revenge against Moby Dick, a monstrous white whale that severed his leg on a previous voyage. Ahab’s monomania drives the crew towards a dangerous, all-encompassing pursuit of the elusive whale, blurring the lines between whaling adventure and a perilous quest for vengeance.