Master and Commander

Stephen Maturin is the second protagonist of Master and Commander, serving as a parallel to Aubrey and representing the customs of shore. He is an Irish Catalan doctor and natural philosopher, meaning that he has been trained as both a physician and as a naturalist. He is particularly interested in birds, eagerly observing different species throughout his travels. While he grew up in Spain, he spent his adult years studying at Trinity College in Ireland, where he fell in love with a woman and then lost her. Physically, Maturin is described as “a small, dark, white-faced creature in a rusty black coat—a civilian […] wearing a wig, a grizzled wig, apparently made of wire, and quite devoid of powder: he might have been anything between twenty and sixty” (8). Maturin’s small stature and pale complexion align with his scholarly personality. His rusty coat and powderless wig suggest his poverty, as he has fallen on hard times after his patient, Mr. Brown, died without the resources to pay him for treatment. Like Aubrey, Maturin loves music; he plays the cello, and often performs with Aubrey.

Maturin joins the Sophie as a surgeon because of his interest in observing the natural world from the sea and his need for employment. He is particularly interested in dissections, often preserving animal specimens for study. In his diary, he analyzes human behavior in the same way that he observes the animal world. Maturin’s observations add depth and context to the motivations and actions of other characters. His classical education also makes him interested in the Mediterranean because of its connections to Greek and Latin literature. He speaks many languages, although he has difficulty remembering proper naval terminology. Though Maturin is an outsider aboard the ship, unaccustomed to sea life and unfamiliar with Navy culture, the crew of the Sophie helps him understand their ways, and in turn, he fills an invaluable role on the ship, saving lives and using his intellect to help them dodge conflict.

Maturin was previously a political advocate for the reform of Ireland in the Society of United Irishmen. He became disenchanted by the violence of the 1789 rebellion, and he refuses to take part in any fighting aboard the ship. This unsuccessful political cause weighs upon Maturin’s mind. When he encounters Dillon, a fellow Irishman who worked with the Society of United Irishmen, he is initially cautious: “Stephen Maturin was not afraid of any vulgar betrayal, […] but he had so suffered from the incalculable tensions, rancour and hatred that arise from the failure of rebellion that he could not bear any further disappointment, any fresh example of a friend grown cold, or worse” (95). Because of this shared background, Dillon speaks openly to Maturin about his struggles. In turn, Maturin serves as a peacekeeper between Aubrey and Dillon, trying to prevent them from dueling one another. He tries to persuade Dillon to be less sensitive to Aubrey’s anti-Irish sentiments, while Dillon questions if he does not still have patriotic fervor for the cause. Maturin informs him that “[his] loyalties, such as they may be, are to private persons alone” (173), a stance that allows him to see the conflict between Dillon and Aubrey more clearly than Dillon and Aubrey themselves.

Maturin’s distrust of nations extends to a general dislike of authority. He considers many senior officers and aristocrats to be fools, making him a difficult guest at social events. However, Aubrey earns his affection because of his open and friendly nature. Their Friendship Between Equals extends toward the end of the book, with Maturin comforting Aubrey before his court-martial.

James Dillon is an antagonist and foil to Aubrey. He is the Sophie’s lieutenant, the second highest ranking officer aboard. Maturin records Dillon’s appearance, emphasizing his commanding presence:

[He had] the same small head, held high; the same dark-red hair, of course, and green eyes; the same fine skin and bad teeth—more were decaying now; the same very well-bred air; and although he was slim and of no more than the average height, he seemed to take up as much room as the fourteen-stone Jack Aubrey (109).

Dillon is an Irish Catholic from a wealthy background. He has a strict sense of aristocratic propriety and values honor and glory over financial gain, often criticizing Aubrey for pursuing merchant vessels as prizes instead of other warships.

The scene of Dillon’s arrival as the Sophie’s new lieutenant sets up the major conflict he faces in Master and Commander: his religious background versus his career in the British Navy. O’Brian introduces Dillon shaving his mustache while praying: “‘Christe eleison. Kyrie…’ This was less piety in James Dillon than a way of hoping he should not cut himself; for like so many Papists he was somewhat given to blasphemy” (54). O’Brian suggests that Dillon is not deeply religious, valuing his genteel appearance more than his spiritual beliefs, but that he does take pride in his heritage. At times, he appears politically radical, such as when he grows angry at Aubrey’s casually offensive remarks about Catholics. He clarifies that he is not as extreme as those who fought in the 1798 revolution, telling Maturin, “I want no republic—I stand by settled, established institutions, and by authority so long as it is not tyranny” (178). However, Maturin fears that he will become increasingly radicalized due to the disappointments that he has suffered in being passed over for a promotion after a heroic battle aboard his previous ship.

Dillon’s personality is similar to Aubrey’s, as both of them crave action and bravery. However, they strongly dislike one another. This conflict primarily stems from Dillon, who criticizes Aubrey as a captain until he sees proof of Aubrey’s bravery. As a foil to Aubrey, Dillon displays the same desire for success and good reputation, but contrasts Aubrey in his background and upbringing. This makes it difficult for the two to connect over anything beyond battle prowess.

Dillon is particularly upset by an encounter that tests his conflicting loyalties. After going out of his way to avoid catching the American ship the John B. Christopher, which harbors Irish rebels, Dillon is forced to allow a priest named Father Mangan to escape. However, Father Mangan attempts to extort him during this encounter, deeply disturbing his sense of honor: “[H]e was a proud man; Father Mangan’s satisfied leer wounded him beyond anything he had yet experienced, and with the pain of the wound there came a cloud of intolerable doubts” (243). This doubt haunts Dillon, driving him to take his frustrations out on Aubrey and provoke him toward a duel. Ultimately, Dillon dies in the battle with the Cacafuego, and O’Brian symbolizes his inner pain with a fatal wound to his heart.

While Dillon is an antagonistic force to Aubrey and poses a danger to the stability of the ship, he is ultimately a tragic character. His heroic death in battle causes even Aubrey to mourn his passing. Maturin speculates that Dillon could never be happy because he felt loyalty toward two different ideologies, tormenting him with a persistent sense of dishonor.