Moby-Dick Moby-Dick Moby-Dick; or, The Whale is an 1851 novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is sailor Ishmael's narrative of the obsessive quest of Ahab, captain of the whaling ship "Pequod", for revenge on Moby Dick, the white whale that on the ship's previous voyage bit off Ahab's leg at the knee. A contribution to the literature of the American Renaissance, the work's genre classifications range from late Romantic to early Symbolist. "Moby-Dick" was published to mixed reviews, was a commercial failure, and was out of print at the time of the author's death in 1891. Its reputation as
Moby Dick—Rehearsed members generally fool around and complain about their boss and their forthcoming production of "King Lear". Then, making a big dramatic entrance and smoking a cigar, the actor manager of the time comes on stage and tells them they are going to rehearse a version of "Moby Dick" that he has been adapting for the stage. The cast grudgingly performs the play, improvising scenery from items lying around, and gradually get more into character as the play develops. Directed by Orson Welles, the original production of "Moby Dick—Rehearsed" ran June 16–July 9, 1955, at the Duke of York's Theatre, London.