Ahab was named by his insane, widowed mother, who died when he was twelve months old. The etymology of the name Ahab derives from … See more

According to Melville biographer Leon Howard, "Ahab is a Shakespearean tragic hero, created according to the Coleridgean formula." The creation of Ahab, who apparently does not derive from any captain Melville sailed under, was heavily influenced by the … See more

Critical
When the book was first published, reviewers mostly focused on Ahab and the whale. According to … See more

• Barbour, James. (1986). "Melville Biography: A Life and the Lives." A Companion to Melville Studies. Ed. John Bryant. New York, … See more

Ahab's character is shaped by mythic and literary patterns that overlap and reinforce each other in such a complementary way that "the apparent … See more

Films, television and video
The first two film adaptations show "the radical surgery that Hollywood performed on Herman Melville's masterpiece." The first was a 1926 … See more