Monomaniacal sea captain of literature

AHAB

["Here’s a helpful hint for the clue:\n\n*\"Obsessed with a white whale, this fictional captain met a tragic end.\"*\n\nThis hint:\n- Narrows the focus to a well-known literary captain.\n- References his defining obsession (the white whale) and fate.\n- Avoids repeating the original clue while making the answer more accessible."]

The clue **"Monomaniacal sea captain of literature"** leads to the answer **"AHAB"** through the following connections: 1. **Literary Reference**: The answer refers to **Captain Ahab**, the obsessive and vengeful sea captain from Herman Melville's classic novel *Moby-Dick*. 2. **Monomaniacal**: Ahab is famously consumed by a single, all-consuming obsession—to hunt and kill the white whale, Moby Dick. His monomania (an excessive focus on one thing) is a defining trait. 3. **Sea Captain**: Ahab is explicitly the captain of the whaling ship *Pequod*, making this a direct reference to his role in the story. The clue cleverly combines Ahab’s defining characteristics (his obsession and profession) with his literary origin, leading solvers to the answer. No wordplay or puns are involved—just a straightforward but well-constructed reference to a well-known character.