‘Ahab’s fate, our fate, and yours are all of a piece.’

What is hell? Tony D’Souza takes in a nineteenth-century whaling tale to find out

‘What is hell? Why, his rage was hell.’ | Photo: iStock.com/whitemay.

What is hell? I will tell thee friend. And where is hell? I will tell you that also, but first I will give you the answer the demon Mephistopheles gave to Faustus: ‘Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed in one self-place; but where we are is hell, and where hell is, there must we ever be.’ I, Ishmael, sailor and the sole survivor of the voyage of Moby Dick’s Pequod, the ship which hunted the great white whale, will tell you all.

You need to login to read subscriber-only content and/or comment on articles.