Dead Poets Society: Final Script
original screenplay by Tom Schulman, film directed by Peter Weir
This is the final script of the theatrical release of Dead Poets Society.
It was obtained from Simply
Scripts and initially contained only the dialog from the film. (No descriptions,
actions, locations, anything...) I went through the script
and added in descriptive text. As I have not had a chance to double check everything, I am
sure there are a few errors, typos, or bits of incorrect dialog still. I'll try to verify it all
shortly.
INT. WELTON ACADEMY HALLWAY - DAY
A young boy, dressed in a school uniform and cap, fidgets as his mother
adjusts his tie.
MOTHER
Now remember, keep your shoulders back.
A student opens up a case and removes a set of bagpipes. The young
boy and his brother line up for a photograph
PHOTOGRAPHER
Okay, put your arm around your brother.
That's it. And breathe in.
The young boy blinks as the flash goes off.
PHOTOGRAPHR
Okay, one more.
An old man lights a single candle. A teacher goes over the old
man's duties.
TEACHER
Now just to review, you're going to
follow along the procession until you
get to the headmaster. At that point
he will indicate to you to light the
candles of the boys.
MAN
All right boys, let's settle down.
The various boys, including NEIL, KNOX, and CAMERON, line up holding
banners. Ahead of them is the old man, followed by the boy with the
bagpipes with the two youngest boys at the front.
MAN
Banners up.
The boys hoist the banners and the bagpipes begin to play loudly. The
small group marches out of the room and down a set of stairs into a
church. The pews are filled with students and parents while the
teachers, all dressed in robes, are seated at the front of the church
behind the headmaster.
The boys break off to either side at the front of the church. The
bagpipes cease and the headmaster, MR. NOLAN, walks over to the old
man carrying the candle.
MR NOLAN
Ladies and gentlemen, boys, the light
of knowledge.
An organ begins to play as the old man goes forward with shaking hands
to the young boys in the front pew. Each boy is holding a candle and
he bends over to light the first one. Each boy in turn lights the
candle of the boy next to him.
MR NOLAN
One hundred years ago, in 1859, 41 boys sat in this
room and were asked the same question that greets
you at the start of each semester. Gentlemen, what
are the four pillars?
All throughout the pews, uniformed boys rise to their feet. TODD, who
is not wearing a uniform, is urged by his father to stand with them.
BOYS
Tradition, honor, discipline, excellence.
The boys quickly return to their seats.
MR NOLAN
In her first year, Welton Academy graduated five
students. Last year we graduated fifty-one. And
more than seventy-five percent of those went on to
the Ivy League. This, this kind of accomplishment is
the result of fervent dedication to the principles taught
here. This is why you parents have been sending us
your sons. This is why we are the best preparatory
school in the United States.
Mr. Nolan soaks up the applause from the audience.
MR NOLAN
As you know, our beloved Mr. Portius of the English
department retired last term. You will have the
opportunity later to meet his replacement, Mr. John
Keating, himself a graduate of this school. And who,
for the past several years, has been teaching at the
highly regarded Chester School in London.
The crowd applauds once again.
EXT. SCHOOL GROUNDS - DAY
The school lawn is a filled with luggage, students, and parents mulling
about in every direction.
INT CHURCH ENTRANCE - DAY
Mr Nolan stands by the entrance, speaking with each family as they leave.
MR NOLAN
Glad you could come by.
MR ANDERSON
Thrilling ceremony as usual Dr. Nolan.
MR NOLAN
You've been away too long.
MRS ANDERSON
Hello Dr. Nolan.
MR NOLAN
Good to have you back.
MRS ANDERSON
This is our youngest, Todd.
MR NOLAN
Mr. Anderson.You have some big shoes to fill,
young man. Your brother was one of our finest.
TODD
Thank you.
Todd and his parents leave while others file past Mr. Nolan.
WOMAN
Lovely ceremony.
MR NOLAN
Thank you. So glad you liked it.
MR PERRY approaches with his son Neil. He shakes Mr. Nolan's hand.
MR PERRY
Gale
MR NOLAN
Tom
MR PERRY
Good to see you again.
NEIL
Hello Mr. Nolan.
MR NOLAN
Neil. We expect great things from you this year.
NEIL
Thank you, sir.
MR PERRY
Well he won't disappoint us. Right Neil?
NEIL
I'll do my best sir.
EXT SCHOOL GROUNDS - DAY
A bell tolls. Parents begin wishing their boys farewell.
FATHER
Hey, come on son.
MOTHER
Chin up.
FATHER
No tears now.
BOY
Okay.
MOTHER
Chin up.
Another boy hugs his mother.
BOY
I don't want to go here.
MOTHER
You be a good boy and do your lessons.
EXT SCHOOL GROUNDS - DAY
Neil emerges from a building and sees Todd.
NEIL
Hey, I hear we're gonna be roommates.
He shakes Todd's hand.
NEIL
I'm Neil Perry.
TODD
Todd Anderson.
NEIL
Why'd you leave Balincrest?
TODD
My brother went here.
NEIL
Oh, so you're that Anderson.
INT DORMATORY - DAY
DR. HAGER is standing in his room doorway while SPAZ and his father are
going over some last minute precautions over the boy's allergies. Spaz's
father hands Hager various bottles.
FATHER
This is for sinuses. Oh, and if he can't swallow you
give him one of these. And if he had trouble breathing
you can give him some of those.
HAGER
All right fine.
Dr. Hager takes the bottles and quickly backs into his room, shutting
the door.
FATHER
(to son)
Did you remember your vaporizer?
SPAZ
Yes, I put it in my room.
Spaz's father tries to say something else to Dr. Hager but realizes he
has already gone.
INT HALLWAY - DAY
Neil pushes his way through a crowd of boys, carrying two suitcases. As
he enters his room, Knox quickly passes by.
KNOX
Hey, how's it going Neil?
NEIL
Hey Knox.
Cameron comes by and leans against the doorway.
CAMERON
Neil, study group tonight?
NEIL
Yeah, sure.
CAMERON
Business as usual, huh? Hey, I hear you got the new
kid. Looks like a stiff!
He begins laughing when he notices Todd coming into the room.
CAMERON
Oops!
Cameron quickly leaves. Neil tries to keep from laughing as Todd enters
the room and sets his luggage down on his bed.
NEIL
Listen, don't mind Cameron. He was born with his
foot in his mouth. You know what I mean?
He pulls some papers from his blazer pocket and playfully whacks Todd
across the back with it.
CHARLIE comes to the door with a smug expression on his face. Knox and
MEEKS are close behind him. He points at Neil
CHARLIE
Rumor has it, you did summer school.
NEIL
Yep. Chemistry. My father thought I should get ahead.
How was your summer Slick?
CHARLIE
Keen.
The boys enter the room. Charlie turns around and looks at Meeks who is
just entering.
CHARLIE
Meeks. Door. Closed.
MEEKS
Yes sir.
NEIL
Gentlemen, what are the four pillars?
BOYS
Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement.
Charlie makes himself comfortable on Neil's bed and lights up a cigarette.
Meanwhile, Todd is by his bed unpacking his luggage.
CHARLIE
Okay, study group. Meeks aced Latin. I didn't quite
flunk English. So, if you want, we've got our study
group.
NEIL
Sure. Cameron asked me too. Anyone mind
including him?
CHARLIE
Hmm, what's his specialty, boot-licking?
NEIL
Come on, he's your roommate.
CHARLIE
That's not my fault.
Meeks seems to notice Todd for the first time.
MEEKS
Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Steven Meeks.
Neil quickly gets up from his spot by the window.
NEIL
Oh, this is Todd Anderson.
Todd turns around and shakes hands with Meeks.
MEEKS
Nice to meet you.
TODD
Nice to meet you.
CHARLIE
Charlie Dalton.
Charlie continues to lay on the bed, looking smug. Knox extends a hand.
KNOX
Knox Overstreet.
NEIL
Todd's brother was Jeffrey Anderson.
CHARLIE
Oh yeah, sure. Valedictorian. National merit scholar.
MEEKS
Oh well, welcome to Hell-ton.
CHARLIE
It's every bit as tough as they say, unless you're a
genius like Meeks.
MEEKS
He flatters me. That's why I help him with Latin.
CHARLIE
And English, and Trig.
Charlie begins coughing. There is a knock at the door. Charlie quickly
stamps out his cigarette on the floor and Neil tries to wave the smoke
from the air.
NEIL
It's open.
The door opens and Mr. Perry walks into the room. Neil quickly rises from
the window.
NEIL
Father, I thought you'd gone.
The other boys stand up when he enters.
BOYS
Mr. Perry.
MR PERRY
Keep your seats fellows, keep your seats. Neil, I've
just spoken to Mr. Nolan. I think that you're taking
too many extra curricular activities this semester, and
I've decided that you should drop the school annual.
NEIL
But I'm the assistant editor this year.
MR PERRY
Well I'm sorry Neil.
NEIL
But Father, I can't. It wouldn't be fair.
MR PERRY
Fellas, would you excuse us for a moment?
Mr. Perry walks towards the door and Neil hesitantly follows. Mr. Perry
pauses by the door and smiles to the other boys.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
The smile has gone from Mr. Perry's face. He grabs a hold of Neil's arm.
MR PERRY
Don't you ever dispute me in public. Do you
understand?
NEIL
Father, I wasn't disputing-
MR PERRY
After you've finished medical school and you're on your own, then you
can do as you damn well please. But until then, you do as I tell you.
Is that clear?
NEIL
Yes sir. I'm sorry.
MR PERRY
You know how much this means to your mother,
don't you?
NEIL
Yes sir. You know me, always taking on too much.
MR PERRY
Well, that's my boy. Now listen, you need anything,
you let us know, huh?
NEIL
Yes sir.
Mr. Perry slaps his son on the shoulder and leaves. Neil leans his head
back against the wall as the other boys emerge from the room.
CHARLIE
Why doesn't he let you do what you want?
KNOX
Yeah Neil, tell him off. It couldn't get any worse.
NEIL
Oh, that's rich. Like you guys tell your parents off, Mr.
Future Lawyer and Mr. Future Banker.
CHARLIE
Okay, so I don't like it any more than you do.
NEIL
Well just don't tell me how to talk to my father. You
guys are the same way.
KNOX
All right, all right, Jesus. So what are you going to do?
NEIL
What I have to do. Drop the annual.
CHARLIE
Well I wouldn't lose much sleep over it. It's just a
bunch of jerks trying to impress Nolan.
NEIL
I don't care. I don't give a damn about any of it.
MEEKS
Well, uh, Latin, eight o' clock in my room?
NEIL
Yes.
MEEKS
Todd, you're welcome to join us.
KNOX
Yeah, come along pal.
Todd looks up from his desk where he is setting his alarm clock.
TODD
Thanks.
EXT. FIELDS - DAY
A clock bell chimes five o'clock. Enormous flocks of birds, apparently
disturbed by the noise, take to the sky.
INT. STAIRCASE - DAY
The sound of squawking birds merges into the sound of noisy boys as they
descend the stairs in a long spiralling line.
MR. MCALLISTER tries to make it upstairs against the steady stream.
MCALLISTER
Slow down boys, slow down you horrible
phalanx of pubescense.
INT CHEMISTRY LAB - DAY
A teacher walks up and down the aisles, handing out books.
TEACHER
Pick three laboratory experiments from
the project list and report on them every
five weeks. The first twenty questions at
the end of chapter one are due tomorrow.
The students let out a collective groan.
INT. LATIN CLASSROOM - DAY
Mr. McAllister paces back and forth in front of the blackboard and gets
the students to repeat everything he says.
MCALLISTER
(students repeat after each word.)
Agricolam. Agricola. Agricolae.
Agricolarum. Agricolis. Agricolas.
Agrilcolis.
Again, please.
Agricola.
INT. MATH CLASSROOM - DAY
Dr. Hager walks up the classroom aisles with his arms behind his back.
HAGER
Your study of trigonometry requires absolute precision.
Anyone failing to turn in any homework assignment will
be penalized one point off their final grade. Let me urge
you now not to test me on this point.
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
Students enter Keating's classroom, talking and acting up. Keating
glances out from his room off to one side.
KNOX
Hey Spaz, Spaz.
Spaz turns around in time to be hit by a ball of crumpled up paper
while Cameron smacks him on the shoulder.
CAMERON
Brain damage.
The students quickly quiet down as Keating emerges from the other room,
whistling the 1812 Overture. He walks up the length of the classroom and
out the door without a word. The students look around at one another,
uncertain of what to do. Keating pokes his head back in the doorway.
KEATING
Well come on.
He gestures them to follow and the students, after some hesitation, grab
their books and follow Keating out into the main entranceway.
INT. ENTRANCEWAY - DAY
Keating stands before the school's trophy cabinets and waits until all
the boys arrive.
KEATING
"Oh Captain, My Captain" who knows where
that comes from?
Todd looks up as if he knows the answer, but says nothing. Spaz blows his
nose a little too close to Meeks for his liking.
KEATING
Not a clue? It's from a poem by Walt
Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now in
this class you can call me Mr. Keating. Or,
if you're slightly more daring, Oh Captain,
My Captain.
The students laugh slightly.
KEATING
Now let me dispel a few rumors so they
don't fester into facts. Yes, I too
attended Hell-ton and survived. And no,
at that time I was not the mental giant
you see before you. I was the intellectual
equivalent of a ninety-eight pound
weakling. I would go to the beach and
people would kick copies of Byron in my
face.
The boys laugh once again, while Cameron, obviously trying to write all
this down, looks around confusedly. Keating looks down at papers in his
hand.
KEATING
Now, Mr… Pitts. That's a rather
unfortunate name. Mr. Pitts, where are
you?
Pitts raises his hand while everyone around him snickers.
KEATING
Mr. Pitts, would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first
stanza of the poem you find there?
PITTS
"To the virgins, to make much of time"?
KEATING
Yes, that's the one. Somewhat appropriate,
isn't it.
PITTS
"Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, old
time is still a flying, and this same
flower that smiles today, tomorrow will
be dying."
KEATING
Thank you Mr. Pitts. "Gather ye rosebuds
while ye may." The Latin term for that
sentiment is Carpe Diem. Now who knows
what that means?
Meeks immediately puts his hand up.
MEEKS
Carpe Diem. That's "seize the day."
KEATING
Very good, Mr.-
MEEKS
Meeks.
KEATING
Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the
day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.
Why does the writer use these lines?
CHARLIE
Because he's in a hurry.
KEATING
No, ding!
Keating slams his hand down on an imaginary buzzer.
KEATING
Thank you for playing anyway. Because we
are food for worms lads. Because, believe
it or not, each and every one of us in
this room is one day going to stop
breathing, turn cold, and die.
Keating turns towards the trophy cases, filled with trophies, footballs,
and team pictures.
KEATING
Now I would like you to step forward over
here and peruse some of the faces from
the past. You've walked past them many
times. I don't think you've really looked
at them.
The students slowly gather round the cases and Keating moves behind them.
KEATING
They're not that different from you, are
they? Same haircuts. Full of hormones,
just like you. Invincible, just like you
feel. The world is their oyster. They
believe they're destined for great things,
just like many of you. Their eyes are full
of hope, just like you. Did they wait until
it was too late to make from their lives
even one iota of what they were capable?
Because you see gentlmen, these boys are
now fertilizing daffodils. But if you listen
real close, you can hear them whisper their
legacy to you. Go on, lean in.
The boys lean in and Keating hovers over Cameron's shoulder.
KEATING
(whispering in a gruff voice)
Carpe.
Cameron looks over his shoulder with an aggravated expression on his face.
KEATING
Hear it?
(whispering again)
Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys,
make your lives extraordinary.
The boys stare at the faces in the cabinet in silence.
EXT. SCHOOL STEPS - DAY
The boys emerge from the school, loaded down with numerous books.
PITTS
That was weird.
NEIL
But different.
KNOX
Spooky if you ask me.
CAMERON
Think he'll test us on that stuff?
CHARLIE
Come on Cameron, don't you get anything?
CAMERON
What? What?
INT. LOCKER ROOM - EVENING
A coach sticks his head around the corner into the room.
COACH
Let's go boys, hustle up in here. That
means you Dalton.
Meeks emerges from the showers, drying himself off.
MEEKS
Okay, who's up for a trig study group
tonight guys?
PITTS
Me.
NEIL
Me.
CHARLIE
(still annoyed by what the coach said)
What?
KNOX
I can't make it guys. I have to have
dinner at the Danburry's house.
PITTS
The Danburry's? Who are the Danburry's?
CAMERON
Big alumns. How'd you swing that?
KNOX
Friends of my Dad's. They're probably in
their nineties or something.
CHARLIE
Ooh!
NEIL
Anything's better than Hell-ton hash.
CHARLIE
I'll second that.
KNOX
Yeah we'll see.
Neil approaches Todd, who's been sitting by the window staring down at the
floor. Neil snaps his fingers to get Todd's attention.
NEIL
Hey, you coming to the study group tonight?
TODD
Uh, no, no I, uh, I've got some history I
wanna do.
NEIL
Suit yourself.
INT. TODD'S ROOM - EVENING
Todd is seated at his desk. He scrawls "CARPE DIEM" across a blank page
of his notebook. He looks at it for a few moments before crumpling it up
and opening up his Chemistry book.
INT. ENTRANCEWAY - NIGHT
Hager comes down the stairs. Knox is looking at one of the old class photos
on the walls.
HAGER
Ready Overstreet?
Knox reluctantly follows after Dr. Hager.
KNOX
Ready to go sir.
EXT. ROAD - NIGHT
The car leaves Welton and drives towards the Danburry's house.
INT / EXT DANBURRY'S HOUSE - NIGHT
The doorbell rings.
MRS DANBURRY (O.S.)
Chet, can you get that?
CHET (O.S.)
I can't, Mom.
CHRIS (O.S.)
I'll get it.
The door opens and Knox is awe-struck by the beautiful girl (CHRIS) who
has answered the door.
CHRIS
Can I help you?
Knox manages to break out of his daze.
KNOX
Hi. Knox Overstreet. Uh, Dr. Hager.
CHRIS
Hi.
KNOX
This is the Danburry's, right?
CHRIS
Are you here to see Chet?
KNOX
Mrs. Danburry?
Chris begins to laugh as Mrs. Danburry arrives behind her.
CHRIS
No.
MRS DANBURRY
Sorry. Thank you Chris. I'm Mrs. Danburry.
You must be Knox.
KNOX
Yes.
MRS DANBURRY
(to Dr. Hager)
Back by nine.
(to Knox)
Please come in.
CHET (O.S.)
Chris, come on, what are you doing?
CHRIS
Chet, I'm coming.
Knox enters the house, his mind still hung up on Chris as MR DANBURRY
comes out of the living room to meet him.
MR DANBURRY
Knox. How are you? Joe Danburry.
KNOX
Nice to meet you sir.
MR DANBURRY
Well he's the spitting image of his father,
isn't he. How is he? Come on in.
CHET (O.S.)
Chris!
KNOX
He's great. He just did a big case for GM.
CHRIS (O.S.)
I'm coming.
MR DANBURRY
I know where you're headed, like father
like son, huh?
INT. STUDENT LOUNGE - NIGHT
Several students are throwing darts at a small rubber skeleton hanging
from the bulletin board. Various students are studying and playing games.
Meeks and Pitts are sitting at one table working on their "hi-fi system".
Meeks is waving an antenna around with no luck. Pitts points out to him
that he forgot to plug it in. Neil, Cameron, and Charlie are working on
their trig homework.
CAMERON
Just replace these numbers here with "x",
for "x" and "y".
NEIL
Of course.
CAMERON
Of course, so what's the problem?
Charlie enters the room and closes the door behind him, leaning up
against it heavily.
CHARLIE
How was dinner?
KNOX
Huh?
CHARLIE
How was dinner?
KNOX
Terrible. Awful.
He leaves the door and sits down with the other boys.
CHARLIE
Why? What happened?
KNOX
Tonight, I met the most beautiful girl
in my entire life.
NEIL
Are you crazy? What's wrong with that?
KNOX
She's practically engaged. To Chet Danburry.
CHARLIE
That guy could eat a football.
PITTS
That's too bad.
KNOX
Too bad? It's worse than too bad Pitsie,
it's a tragedy. A girl this beautiful in
love with such a jerk.
PITTS
All the good ones go for jerks, you
know that.
CAMERON
Ahh, forget her. Open your trig book and
try and figure out problem five.
KNOX
I can't just forget her Cameron. And I
can't think about trig.
The radio Meeks and Pitts were working on begins letting out a high
pitched hum.
PITTS
We got it.
MEEKS
Holy cow.
Mr. Hager walks into the room.
HAGER
All right gentlemen, five minutes. Let's
go.
The students quickly pack up their gear and prepare to leave. Pitts tries
to hide the radio in his lap. Charlie leans in close to Knox.
CHARLIE
Did you see her naked?
KNOX
Very funny Dalton.
HAGER
That wouldn't be a radio in your lap,
would it Mr. Pitts?
PITTS
No sir. Science experiment, radar.
Meeks holds up the antenna as if demonstrating it.
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
Keating sits at his desk at the front of the classroom and opens up one
of his books.
KEATING
Gentlemen, open your text to page
twenty-one of the introduction. Mr.
Perry, will you read the opening
paragraph of the preface, entitled
"Understanding Poetry"?
NEIL
Understanding Poetry, by Dr. J. Evans
Pritchard, Ph.D. To fully understand
poetry, we must first be fluent with
its meter, rhyme, and figures of speech.
Then ask two questions: One, how artfully
has the objective of the poem been
rendered, and two, how important is that
objective. Question one rates the poem's
perfection, question two rates its
importance. And once these questions have
been answered, determining a poem's
greatest becomes a relatively simple
matter.
Keating gets up from his desk and prepares to draw on the chalk board.
NEIL
If the poem's score for perfection is
plotted along the horizontal of a graph,
and its importance is plotted on the
vertical, then calculating the total
area of the poem yields the measure of
its greatness.
Keating draws a corresponding graph on the board and the students
dutifully copy it down.
NEIL
A sonnet by Byron may score high on the
vertical, but only average on the
horizontal. A Shakespearean sonnet, on
the other hand, would score high both
horizontally and vertically, yielding a
massive total area, thereby revealing the
poem to be truly great. As you proceed
through the poetry in this book, practice
this rating method. As your ability to
evaluate poems in this matter grows, so
will - so will your enjoyment and
understanding of poetry.
Neil sets the book down and takes off his glasses. The student sitting
across from him is discretely trying to eat. Keating turns away from
the chalkboard with a smile.
KEATING
Excrement. That's what I think of Mr. J.
Evans Pritchard. We're not laying pipe,
we're talking about poetry.
Cameron looks down at the graph he copied into his notes and quickly
scribbles it out.
KEATING
I mean, how can you describe poetry like
American Bandstand? I like Byron, I give
him a 42, but I can't dance to it.
Charlie suddenly appear to become interested in the class.
KEATING
Now I want you to rip out that page.
The students look at Keating as if he has just gone mad.
KEATING
Go on, rip out the entire page. You heard
me, rip it out. Rip it out!
Charlie looks around at the others. He then looks down at his own notes,
which consists of drawing breasts.
KEATING
Go on, rip it out.
Charlie rips the page out and holds it up.
KEATING
Thank you Mr. Dalton. Gentlemen, tell you
what, don't just tear out that page, tear
out the entire introduction. I want it
gone, history. Leave nothing of it. Rip
it out. Rip! Begone J. Evans Pritchard,
Ph.D. Rip, shred, tear. Rip it out. I
want to hear nothing but ripping of Mr.
Pritchard.
Meeks looks around reluctantly and then finally begins tearing out pages.
KEATING
We'll perforate it, put it on a roll.
Keating sees Cameron still hesitating.
KEATING
It's not the bible, you're not going to
go to hell for this. Go on, make a clean
tear, I want nothing left of it.
Keating goes over to his room. Cameron turns around to Neil.
CAMERON
We shouldn't be doing this.
NEIL
Rip, rip, rip!
Neil makes Cameron turn back around.
KEATING (O.S.)
Rip it out, rip!
From outside the classroom, Mr. McAllister hears all the noise and sees
all the students ripping out the pages. He bursts into the room.
MCALLISTER
What the hell is going on here?
The boys all turn around in shock. Charlie stuffs a crumpled page into his
mouth. Keating emerges from his room with a waste paper basket.
KEATING
I don't hear enough rips.
MCALLISTER
Mr. Keating.
KEATING
Mr. McAllister.
MCALLISTER
I'm sorry, I- I didn't know you were
here.
KEATING
I am.
MCALLISTER
Ahh, so you are. Excuse me.
Mr. McAllister slowly backs out of the classroom.
KEATING
Keep ripping gentlemen. This is a battle,
a war. And the casualties could be your
hearts and souls.
Keating holds out the basket to Charlie who spits out a wad of paper.
KEATING
Thank you Mr. Dalton. Armies of academics
going forward, measuring poetry. No, we
will not have that here. No more of Mr.
J. Evans Pritchard. Now in my class you
will learn to think for yourselves again.
You will learn to savor words and language.
No matter what anybody tells you, words and
ideas can change the world. I see that look
in Mr. Pitt's eye, like nineteenth century
literature has nothing to do with going to
business school or medical school. Right?
Maybe. Mr. Hopkins, you may agree with him,
thinking "Yes, we should simply study our
Mr. Pritchard and learn our rhyme and meter
and go quietly about the business of
achieving other ambitions." I have a little
secret for ya. Huddle up. Huddle up!
The boys get up from their seats and gather around Keating in the center
of the class.
KEATING
We don't read and write poetry because
it's cute. We read and write poetry
because we are members of the human race.
And the human race is filled with passion.
Medicine, law, business, engineering,
these are all noble pursuits, and necessary
to sustain life. But poetry, beauty,
romance, love, these are what we stay alive
for. To quote from Whitman: "O me, o life
of the questions of these recurring, of the
endless trains of the faithless, of cities
filled with the foolish. What good amid
these, o me, o life? Answer: that you are
here. That life exists, and identity.
That the powerful play goes on, and you
may contribute a verse. That the powerful
play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
Keating looks up at Todd.
Keating
What will your verse be?
INT. HEAD OF CAFETERIA - DAY
The cafeteria is filled with students and teachers standing before the tables saying grace.
ALL
For what we are about to receive, may the
Lord make us truly grateful. Amen.
Mr. Keating and Mr. McAllister are seated next to one another at the table.
MCALLISTER
Quite an interesting class you gave today,
Mr. Keating.
KEATING
I'm sorry if I shocked you, Mr. McAllister.
MCALLISTER
Oh, there's no need to apologize. It was
very fascinating, misguided though it was.
KEATING
You think so?
MCALLISTER
You take a big risk by encouraging them to
be artists John. When they realize they're
not Rembrandts, Shakespeares or Mozarts,
they'll hate you for it.
KEATING
We're not talking artists George, we're
talking free thinkers.
MCALLISTER
Free thinkers at seventeen?
KEATING
Funny, I never pegged you as a cynic.
MCALLISTER
(taken aback by the comment)
Not a cynic, a realist. Show me the heart
unfettered by foolish dreams, and I'll
show you a happy man.
KEATING
But only in their dreams can man be truly
free. 'Twas always thus, and always thus
will be.
MCALLISTER
Tennyson?
KEATING
No, Keating.
Keating winks and Mr. McAllister can't help but laugh.
INT. CAFETERIA TABLE - DAY
Neil joins the others at the table. He pulls out a yearbook.
NEIL
Hey, I found his senior annual in the
library.
He hands the annual over to Cameron who laughs at the younger picture of Keating.
NEIL
Listen to this, captain of the soccer team,
editor of the school annual, Cambridge
bound, Thigh man, and the Dead Poets Society.
CAMERON
(reading from the annual)
Man most likely to do anything.
CHARLIE
Thigh man. Mr. K was a hell-raiser.
KNOX
What's the Dead Poets Society?
NEIL
I don't know.
MEEKS
Is there a picture in the annual?
NEIL
Nothing. No other mention of it.
MR. NOLAN (O.S.)
That boy there, see me after lunch.
Cameron quickly puts the annual away and the others all return to their meal.
EXT. WELTON GROUNDS - DAY
Keating is walking down towards the lake, whistling the same tune as before.
The boys emerge from the building and chase after him.
NEIL
Mr. Keating? Mr. Keating? Sir? Oh Captain,
My Captain?
Keating immediately turns around.
KEATING
Gentlemen.
NEIL
We were just looking in your old annual.
He hands Keating the annual and Keating looks at his old photograph.
KEATING
Oh my God. No, that's not me. Stanley
"The Tool" Wilson-
Keating crouches down and continues looking through the book.
KEATING
God.
Neil crouches down next to Keating.
NEIL
What was the Dead Poets Society?
KEATING
I doubt the present administration would
look too favorably upon that.
NEIL
Why? What was it?
KEATING
Gentlemen, can you keep a secret?
NEIL
Sure.
The other boys crouch down around Keating.
KEATING
The Dead Poets were dedicated to sucking
the marrow out of life. That's a phrase
from Thoreau that we'd invoke at the
beginning of each meeting. You see we'd
gather at the old Indian cave and take
turns reading from Thoreau, Whitman,
Shelley; the biggies. Even some of our
own verse. And in the enchantment of the
moment we'd let poetry work its magic.
KNOX
You mean it was a bunch of guys sitting
around reading poetry?
KEATING
No Mr. Overstreet, it wasn't just "guys",
we weren't a Greek organization, we were
romantics. We didn't just read poetry,
we let it drip from our tongues like honey.
Spirits soared, women swooned, and gods
were created, gentlemen, not a bad way to
spend an evening eh? Thank you Mr. Perry
for this trip down amnesia lane. Burn that,
especially my picture.
Keating hands the annual back and walks away, whistling once again. Neil
remains crouched.
NEIL
Dead Poets Society.
CAMERON
What?
The school bells begin ringing and everyone heads back towards the school.
Neil stands up.
NEIL
I say we go tonight.
CHARLIE
Tonight?
CAMERON
Wait a minute.
PITTS
Where's this cave he's talking about?
NEIL
It's beyond the stream. I know where it
is.
PITTS
That's miles.
CAMERON
Sounds boring to me.
CHARLIE
Don't go.
CAMERON
You know how many de-merits we're talking
Dalton
CHARLIE
So don't come, please.
CAMERON
Look, all I'm saying is that we have to
be careful, we can't get caught.
CHARLIE
No shit, Sherlock.
HAGER
(yelling)
You boys there, hurry up.
Neil turns around and faces the other boys.
NEIL
All right, who's in?
CAMERON
Come on Neil, Hager's right-
NEIL
Forget Hager, no. Who's in?
CHARLIE
I'm in.
HAGER (O.S.)
I'm warning you, move.
CAMERON
Me too.
PITTS
I don't know Neil
NEIL
What? Pitts-
CHARLIE
Pitsie, come on.
MEEKS
His grades are hurting Charlie.
NEIL
You can help him Meeks.
PITTS
What is this, a midnight study group?
NEIL
Forget it Pitts, you're coming. Meeks,
are your grades hurting too?
MEEKS
I'll try anything once.
CHARLIE
Except sex.
MEEKS
Ha ha ha.
CAMERON
I mean as long as we're careful.
The boys run into the building.
CHARLIE
What about you Knox?
KNOX
I don't know Charlie.
CHARLIE
Come on Knox, it'll help you get Chris.
KNOX
Yeah? How?
CHARLIE
Women swoon.
Charlie laughs and runs inside. Knox chases after him.
KNOX
But why do they swoon? Charlie, tell me
why they swoon. Charlie!
INT LIBRARY - DAY
The boys are all gathered around one of the tables with a map laid out
on it.
NEIL
(whispering)
Okay, follow the stream to the waterfall.
It's right there. It's got to be on the
banks.
CAMERON
I don't know, it's starting to sound
dangerous.
CHARLIE
Well, why don't you stay home?
MCALLISTER
For God's sake stop chattering and
sit down.
The boys take their seats once again and Neil goes over and sits next to
Todd, who is sitting by himself.
NEIL
Todd, are you coming tonight?
TODD
No.
NEIL
Why not? God, you were there. You heard
Keating. Don't you want to do something
about it?
TODD
Yes, but-
NEIL
But? But what?
TODD
Keating said that everybody took turns
reading and I don't want to do that.
NEIL
Gosh, you really have a problem with
that, don't you?
TODD
N- no, I don't have a problem. Neil,
I just- I just don't want to do it,
okay?
NEIL
All right. What if you didn't have to
read? What if you just came and
listened?
TODD
That's not how it works.
NEIL
Forget how it works. What if - what if
they said it was okay?
TODD
What? What are you gonna do, go up and
ask them?
Neil shrugs.
TODD
No. No, Neil.
NEIL
I'll be right back.
TODD
Neil, Neil!
Neil gets up and rejoins the others. McAllister hears the boys whispering
again.
MCALLISTER
Oh shut up, will you.
INT BATHROOM - NIGHT
Various boys are crowded around the sinks getting ready for bed. Someone
is playing snake charmer music on a kazoo while someone else is bothering
Spaz with a red sock puppet acting like a snake.
SPAZ
That's my- that's for my asthma, okay.
Could you give that back please? Could
you give that back?
BOY
What's the matter? Don't you like snakes?
Neil enters and taps Todd on the shoulder.
NEIL
You're in.
SPAZ
Get away from me, okay?
BOY
Spaz, why don't you check your pocket,
huh? Come on Spaz I have to brush my
teeth
SPAZ
Get a- get off,
Hager walks past the bathroom and into his room.
HAGER
Cut out that racket in there.
The kazoo player lets out a rude squeek before finally stopping. Hager
glares at them for a moment.
INT NEIL'S BEDROOM - NIGHT
Neil stands in his doorway. He looks across the hall to the other room
where Cameron and Charlie are standing. Cameron gives a thumbs up. Neil
closes his room door and takes out his cloak and a flashlight. Setting
the flashlight down on the desk, he notices a worn book, "Five
Centuries of Verse", sitting there. Opening it up, he sees John Keating's
name at the top followed by "Dead Poets". Below the title of the book,
is written: "To Be Read At The Opening of D.P.S. Meetings." Along with
several lines from Thoreau, beginning with "I went to the woods because
I wanted to live deliberately…"
INT STAIRWAY - NIGHT
The shadows of hooded figures can be seen moving throughout the darkened
halls.
INT HAGER'S ROOM - NIGHT
Hager hears a dog barking.
INT HALLWAY - NIGHT
Someone drops a number of dog biscuits by the dog's feet. He stops
barking and immediately begins gobbling them down. Hager looks out
into the hallway with his flashlight but sees nothing.
EXT SCHOOL GROUNDS - NIGHT
The boys quietly leave the building and set off running across the
fields towards the woods.
EXT WOODS - NIGHT
The boys search about the trees trying to find the cave. Meeks is
searching around when Charlie leaps up behind Meeks in the dark
shining the flashlight up at his own face and grabs Meeks by the
shoulder.
CHARLIE
Arrr, I'm a dead poet.
MEEKS
Aww, Charlie.
CHARLIE
(laughing)
Guys, over here.
MEEKS
You're funny. You're real funny.
INT CAVE - NIGHT
The boys are trying to start a fire. The cave is quickly filling up with
smoke.
MEEKS
It's too wet.
CHARLIE
God, are you trying to smoke us out of
here?
MEEKS
No, no, the smoke's going right up this
opening.
Pitts tries to stand up and slams his head into the low rock ceiling. He
lets out a yell while the others laugh.
NEIL
You okay?
PITTS
Oh God. Clowns.
NEIL
All right, all right, forget the fire.
Let's go gentlemen.
Neil stands before the others with the book in hand, and takes a drag
on a cigarette.
NEIL
I hereby reconvene the Dead Poets
Society.
The boys cheer.
NEIL
Welton chapter. The meetings will be
conducted by myself and the other new
initiates now present. Todd Anderson,
because he prefers not to read, will
keep minutes of the meetings. I'll now
read the traditional opening message by
society member Henry David Thoreau. "I
went to the woods because I wanted to
live deliberately. I wanted to live deep
and suck out all the marrow of life."
CHARLIE
I'll second that.
NEIL
"To put to rout all that was not life,
and not, when I had come to die,
discover that I had not lived.
Several boys whistle softly in reaction to the poem.
NEIL
And Keating's marked a bunch of other
pages.
Neil begins flipping through the book.
CHARLIE
All right, intermission. Dig deep right
here. Right here, lay it down
CAMERON
On the mud? We're gonna put our food on
the mud?
CHARLIE
Meeks, put your coat down. Picnic blanket.
MEEKS
Yes sir, use Meeks' coat.
CHARLIE
Don't keep anything back either. You
guys are always bumming my smokes.
Meeks lays his coat down and everyone dumps their food on it. Amongst
the pile are chocolate chip cookies, a box of raisins, a few apples, an
orange, and half a roll.
NEIL
Raisins?
KNOX
Yuck.
CHARLIE
Wait a minute, who gave us half a roll?
PITTS
(talking with his mouth full)
I'm eating the other half.
CHARLIE
Come on.
PITTS
You want me to put it back?
INT CAVE - NIGHT
Neil, lit up by a flashlight, begins to tell everyone a story.
NEIL
It was a dark and rainy night, and this
old lady, who had a passion for jigsaw
puzzles, sat by herself in her house at
her table to complete a new jigsaw puzzle.
But as she pieced the puzzle together, she
realized, to her astonishment, that the
image that was formed was her very own
room. And the figure in the center of the
puzzle, as she completed it, was herself.
And with trembling hands, she placed the
last four pieces and stared in horror at
the face of a demented madman at the
window. The last thing that this old lady
ever heard was the sound of breaking glass.
BOYS
Ohhh… no…
NEIL
This is true, this is true.
CAMERON
I've got one that's even better than
that.
CHARLIE
Ha!
CAMERON
I do. There's a young, married couple,
and they're driving through the forest
at night on a long trip. And they run
out of gas, and there's a madman on the-
CHARLIE
The thing with the hand-
All the boys react, recalling the story and miming the scraping on the
roof of the car.
CAMERON
I love that story.
CHARLIE
I told you that one.
CAMERON
You did not. I got that in camp in
sixth grade.
CHARLIE
When were you in six, last year?
As everyone's voices begin to calm down, Pitts begins reading from the
book.
PITTS
"In a mean abode in the shanking road,
lived a man named William Bloat. Now,
he had a wife, the plague of his life,
who continually got his goat. And one
day at dawn, with her nightshift on,
he slit her bloody throat."
The boys laugh.
PITTS
Oh, and it gets worse.
CHARLIE
You want to hear a real poem?
Meeks hands Charlie the book but he shoves it away.
CHARLIE
All right? No, I don't need it. You take
it.
MEEKS
What, did you bring one?
NEIL
You memorized a poem?
CHARLIE
I didn't memorize a poem. Move up.
Neil moves to the side as Charlie stands and takes his spot.
MEEKS
An original piece by Charlie Dalton.
KNOX
An original piece.
PITTS
Take center stage.
NEIL
You know this is history. Right? This is
history.
Charlie clears his throat and pulls out a page from a magazine and
slowly unfolds it, revealing a Playboy centerfold (Elaine Reynolds,
Miss October, 1959)
MEEKS
Oh, wow.
CAMERON
Where did you get that?
CHARLIE
Teach me to love? Go teach thyself more
wit.
I, chief professor, am of it.
Neil gets up and looks over Charlie's shoulder to see what he is
reading.
CHARLIE
The god of love, if such a thing there
be, may learn to love from me.
Charlie winks at the guys and they clap and cheer.
NEIL
Wow! Did you write that?
Charlie turns over the centerfold to show where he had written down
the poem.
CHARLIE
Abraham Cowley. Okay, who's next?
Neil sits reading from the book by flashlight.
NEIL
Alfred Lord Tennyson.
Come my friends,
'Tis not too late to seek a newer world
for my purpose holds to sail beyond the
sunset.
And though we are not now that strength
which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we
are, we are;--
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong
in will.
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to
yield.
Meeks takes center stage and begins reading a poem like he is
performing a chant.
MEEKS
Then I had religion, then I had a
vision.
I could not turn from their revel in
derision.
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black,
cutting through the forest with a golden
track.
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black-
CHARLIE
Meeks, Meeks.
MEEKS
...cutting through the forest with a
golden track.
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black,
cutting through the forest with a golden
track.
Knox picks up a metal container and begins using it as a drum. The
other boys stand and begin going in a circle, making music with
sticks of wood, combs, etc.
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black,
cutting through the forest with a golden
track.
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black,
cutting through the forest with a golden
track.
BOYS
Then I saw the Congo creeping through
the black,
cutting through the forest with...
The boys continue to chant the chorus as they emerge from the
cave.
EXT. CAMPUS - NIGHT
The clock tolls two as the boys silently run back to their dorm.
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
Keating is walking to the front of the classroom filled with students.
KEATING
A man is not very tire, he is exhausted.
And don't use very sad, use-
He points to the back of the classroom.
KEATING
Come on, Mr. Overstreet, you twerp,
KNOX
Morose?
KEATING
Exactly! Morose. Now, language was
developed for one endeavor, and that is?
Mr. Anderson? Come on! Are you a man or
an amoeba?
Keating stands before Todd's desk. Todd looks up nervously but
says nothing. Keating paused for a moment before looking away.
KEATING
Mr. Perry?
NEIL
Uh, to communicate.
KEATING
No! To woo women. Today we're going to
be talking about William Shakespeare.
The class lets out a collective sigh.
BOY
Oh, God!
KEATING
I know. A lot of you looked forward to
this about as much as you look forward
to root canal work. We're gonna talk
about Shakespeare as someone who writes
something very interesting. Now, many of
you have seen Shakespeare done very much
like this:
Keating holds out his right arm dramtically and begins to
speak in an exaggerated British accent.
"O Titus, bring your friend hither." But
if any of you have seen Mr. Marlon Brando,
you know, Shakespeare can be different.
"Friend, Romans, countrymen, lend me your
ears." You can also imagine, maybe, John
Wayne as Macbeth going, "Well, is this a
dagger I see before me?"
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
The students are all seated together near the front of the room as
Keating reads from a book.
KEATING
"Dogs, sir? Oh, not just now. I do enjoy
a good dog once in a while, sir. You can
have yourself a three-course meal from
one dog. Start with your canine
crudites, go to your Fido flambe for
main course and for dessert, a Pekingese
parfait. And you can pick your teeth
with a little paw."
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
The students are all back in their normal seats and Keating leaps
up onto his desk.
KEATING
Why do I stand up here? Anybody?
CHARLIE
To feel taller.
KEATING
No!
Keating rings the bell on his desk with his foot
KEATING
Thank you for playing, Mr. Dalton. I
stand upon my desk to remind yourself
that we must constantly look at things
in a different way.
Keating glances around the classroom from atop the desk.
KEATING
You see, the world looks very different
from up here. You don't believe me? Come
see for yourself. Come on. Come on!
Charlie and Neil quickly rise from their seats to go to the front
of the classroom. The rest of the class follows them. While Keating
continues speaking, Neil and Charlie join him on the desk and then
Keating jumps down.
KEATING
Just when you think you know something,
you have to look at it in another way.
Even though it may seem silly or wrong,
you must try! Now, when you read, don't
just consider what the author thinks.
Consider what you think.
KEATING
Boys, you must strive to find your own
voice. Because the longer you wait to
begin, the less likely you are to find
it at all. Thoreau said, "Most men lead
lives of quiet desperation." Don't be
resigned to that. Break out!
Keating notices Spaz and another boy leaving the desk immediately.
KEATING
Don't just walk off the edge like lemmings.
Look around you.
The school bell rings as the boys continue to climb onto the desk.
Keating begins to gather up his stuff. The clock begins to toll as
Keating walks to the back of the class.
KEATING
There! There you go, Mr. Priske. Thank
you! Yes! Dare to strike out and find
new ground. Now, in addition to your
essays, I would like you to compose a
poem of your own, an original work.
The students begin to groan. Keating begins flickering the lights
off and on while chanting ominously.
KEATING
That's right! You have to deliver it
aloud in front of the class on Monday.
Bonne chance, gentlemen.
Keating steps out into the hall before quickly peeking back in once again.
Todd is the last one to stand on the desk and is about to jump off.
KEATING
Mr. Anderson? Don't think that I don't
know that this assignment scares the
hell out of you, you mole.
Keating flicks the light off, leaving Todd to jump down in the darkness
as the students laugh.
EXT. RIVER - DAY
Cameron, Charlie, and several other boys are rowing while Mr. Nolan
shouts orders from a bullhorn.
MR. NOLAN
Take a power train in two! Three! Keep
your eyes in the boat!
EXT. CAMPUS ROOFTOP - DAY
Noisy static is replaced by music as Pitts climbs down form the peak to
join Meeks at their makeshift radio.
MEEKS
We got it, Pittsie. We got it! Radio
Free America!
EXT CAMPUS - DAY
Several students are fencing on a grassy slope.
EXT. CAMPUS ROOFTOP - DAY
Meeks and Pitts perform a goofy dance together to the music.
INT. TODD'S ROOM - DAY
Todd is on his bed trying to write a poem. The door opens and Todd
turns his writing pad over. Neil enters the room laughing. He crouches
down next to Todd's bed and plunks a sheet of paper in Todd's lap.
NEIL
I found it.
TODD
You found what?
NEIL
What I wanna do right now. What's
really, really inside me.
TODD
"A Midsummer Night's Dream"?
NEIL
This is it.
TODD
What is this?
NEIL
It's a play, dummy.
TODD
I know that. I-- Wh-Wh-What does it have
to do with you?
NEIL
Right. They're putting it on at Henley
Hall. Open tryouts. Open tryouts!
TODD
Yes, so?
Neil pounds on the bed and then pulls a blanket off his bed,
wearing it like a cloak.
NEIL
So, I'm gonna act. Yes, yes! I'm gonna
be an actor! Ever since I can remember,
I've wanted to try this. I even tried to
go to summer stock auditions last year,
but, of course, my father wouldn't let
me. For the first time in my whole life
I know what I wanna do.
Neil grabs a handful of papers off Todd's bed and tosses them into
the air.
NEIL
and for the first time I'm gonna do it
whether my father wants me to or not!
Carpe diem!
TODD
Neil, Neil, hold on a minute. How are
you gonna be in a play if your father
won't let you?
NEIL
First I gotta get the part, then I can
worry about that.
TODD
Yeah, but won't he kill you if he finds
out you went to an audition and didn't
even tell him?
NEIL
No, no, no, no. As far as I'm concerned,
he won't have to know about any of this.
TODD
Well, that's impossible.
NEIL
Bullshit! Nothing's impossible.
TODD
Well, why don't you just call him and
ask him? And m-maybe he'll say yes.
NEIL
That's a laugh!
Neil tosses the blanket back onto his bed.
NEIL
If I don't ask him, at least I won't
be disobeying him.
TODD
Yeah, but if he said--
NEIL
(shouting angrily)
Jesus, Todd! Whose side are you on?
Todd says nothing. Neil looks at him for a moment and then takes
the flyer back from Todd. He walks over to the window, his
excitement gone.
NEIL
I mean, I haven't even gotten the part
yet. Can't I even enjoy the idea for a
little while?
Once again, Todd says nothing. After a moment, Neil sits on the
heater and Todd returns to his poem.
NEIL
You're coming to the meeting this
afternoon?
TODD
I don't know. Maybe.
NEIL
Nothing Mr. Keating has to say means
shit to you, does it, Todd?
TODD
W-What is that supposed to mean?
NEIL
You're in the club! Being in the club
means being stirred up by things. You
look about as stirred up as a cesspool.
Neil gets up from the window and stands over Todd.
TODD
So- You want me out?
NEIL
No! I want you in, but being in means
you gotta do something. Not just say
you're in.
TODD
Well, listen, Neil. I-I appreciate this
concern, but I-I'm not like you. All
right? You, you, you say thing and
people listen. I'm, I'm not like that.
NEIL
Don't you think you could be?
TODD
No! I--I, I don't know, but that's not
the point. The, the, the point is that
there's nothing you can do about it, so
you can just butt out. I can take care
of myself just fine. All right?
NEIL
No.
TODD
What do you mean, "no"?
A smile comes to Neil's face.
NEIL
No.
Neil grabs Todd's notebook of poetry and runs across the room with
it. Todd leaps up after him.
TODD
Give me-- Neil. Neil, give that back.
The two begin racing in circles around the room, jumping from
bed to bed as Todd tries to grab his poem back.
NEIL
"We are dreaming of a--" Poetry! I'm
being chased by Walt Whitman! Okay,
okay.
Neil drops the notebook. Cameron walks into the room.
CAMERON
What are you guys doing? I'm sure-- You
see this chemistry-
Cameron tries to hold up his book and Neil snatches it from his hands and
suddenly all three of them are racing around the room.
CAMERON
Hey, give me-- Neil, give me-- Don't be
immature. Come on. I need my-
Charlie enters the room and begins waving his hands.
CHARLIE
Give it to me! Give it to me!
NEIL
Charlie!
Neil tosses Cameron's book to Charlie.
CAMERON
Let me have my book, I need my-
The four boys continue racing around the cramped quarters, tossing
Cameron's book back and forth. Neil picks up a recorder and begins
blowing erratic notes on it while Charlie starts pounding on a set of
bongo drums. Outside the room a crowd of boys watch.
EXT. CAMPUS ENTRANCE - DAY
Knox is riding his bike around in circles near the entrance. Seeing no
one nearby, he races through the open gates and down the road. He comes
to the top of a hill and then goes downhill across the grass, shouting
as he sends an immense flock of geese flying into the air.
EXT. PARKING LOT - DAY
A number of vehicles drive up, filled with students dressed in bright red
cosyumes, playing trumpets and various other instruments as they pass.
Knox watches the growing crowd of students. They are all converging on
a bus. A football player, wearing a horned helmet, dances on the roof of
the bus. A band is playing while a group of cheerleaders are practising.
Knox spots Chris amongst the cheerleaders. He watches her until Chet
comes along and she grabs hold of his hand. Knox looks away in disgust.
COACH
Okay, everybody on the bus. Let's go,
boys. Come on, let's go. On the bus,
boys. Now!
Chris jumps into Chet's arms as everyone begins to board the buses. Knox
turns his bike around and leaves.
EXT. SOCCER FIELD - DAY
Keating walks across the field, followed by his students. He kicks a ball
ahead of him while he carries a number of other balls in a net slung over
his shoulder.
KEATING
Now, devotees may argue that one sport
or game is inherently better than
another. For me, sport is actually a
chance for us to have other human beings
push us to excel. I want you all to come
over here and take a slip of paper and
line up single file.
Keating reaches the stands. He tosses the balls aside and pulls sets
his briefcase down. As the boys line up he begins ripping off slips
of paper from a notepad and handing them out.
KEATING
Mr. Meeks, time to inherit the earth.
Mr. Pitts, rise above your name.
He hands the notepad to another student.
KEATING
I want you to hand these out to the boys,
one apiece.
EXT. SOCCER FIELD - DAY
The students are all lined up in single file, each holding a slip
of paper. Keating blows his whistle.
KEATING
You know what to do, Pitts.
PITTS
"Oh to struggle against great odds. To
meet enemies undaunted."
KEATING
Sounds to me like you're daunted. Say it
again like you're undaunted.
PITTS
"Oh to struggle against great odds. To
meet enemies undaunted."
KEATING
Now go on.
Pitts gives one of the soccer balls a good kick.
KEATING
Yes! Next.
One of the students sets up the next ball as the line advances.
BOY 1
"To be a sailor of the world, bound for
all ports."
KEATING
Next. Louder!
BOY 2
"Oh, I live to be the ruler of life, not
a slave."
Keating walks away and starts up a record player.
BOY 3
"To mount the scaffolds. To advance to
the muzzle of guns with perfect
nonchalance."
Classical music begins playing on the phonograph. Meeks goes to
read next but is confused by the music.
KEATING
Come on, Meeks! Listen to the music.
MEEKS
"To dance, clap hands, exalt, shout,
skip, roll on, float on."
KEATING
Yes!
HOPKINS
(without energy)
"Oh, to have life henceforth the poem of
new joys."
Hopkins crumples up his paper and then barely taps the soccer
ball with his foot.
Keating puts a look of disgust on his face.
KEATING
Oh! Boo! Come on, Charlie, let it fill
your soul!
Charlie raises his hands over his head.
CHARLIE
"To indeed be a god!"
INT. DORM HALLWAY - DAY
Neil is racing down the hallway, all excited.
NEIL
Charlie, I got the part! I'm gonna play
Puck! I'm gonna play Puck!
He pounds on Charlie's door.
MEEKS
What did he say?
PITTS
Puck?
NEIL
That's the main part.
KNOX
Great, Neil.
NEIL
Charlie, I got it!
CHARLIE
Congratulations. Good for you, Neil.
Good for you.
Neil enters his room with Todd and sits down at his typewriter.
NEIL
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
TODD
Neil, how are you gonna do this?
NEIL
They need a letter of permission from my
father and Mr. Nolan.
TODD
You're not gonna write it.
NEIL
Oh yes, I am.
TODD
Oh, Neil. Neil, you're crazy.
Neil begins typing.
NEIL
Okay. "I am writing to you on behalf of
my son Neil Perry."
Neil begins laughing and stomping his feet up and down.
NEIL
This is great.
EXT. CAMPUS - NIGHT
A lone bagpiper plays out on the dock.
INT. TODD'S ROOM - NIGHT
Todd is pacing circles about his room as he reads his poem. His
pacing slows and then he tears the poem up.
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
Knox stands at the front of the room with his poem in hand.
KNOX
(quietly)
"To Chris."
Charlie looks up from his desk with a grin.
BOY 1
Who's Chris?
BOY 2
Mmm, Chris.
KNOX
I see a sweetness in her smile.
Blight light shines from her eyes.
But life is complete; contentment is
mine,
Just knowing that...
Several students begin to snicker.
KNOX
just knowing that she's alive.
Knox crumples his poem and walks back to his desk.
KNOX
Sorry, Captain. It's stupid.
KEATING
No, no. It's not stupid. It's a good
effort. It touched on one of the major
themes, love. A major theme not only in
poetry, but life. Mr. Hopkins, you were
laughing. You're up.
Hopkins slowly walks to the front of the class and unfolds
his piece of paper.
HOPKINS
"The cat sat on the mat."
KEATING
Congratulations, Mr. Hopkins. Yours is
the first poem to ever have a negative
score on the Pritchard scale. We're not
laughing at you, we're laughing near
you. I don't mind that your poem had a
simple theme. Sometimes the most
beautiful poetry can be about simple
things, like a cat, or a flower or rain.
You see, poetry can come from anything
with the stuff of revelation in it. Just
don't let your poems be ordinary. Now,
who's next?
Keating approaches Todd's desk.
KEATING
Mr. Anderson, I see you sitting there in
agony. Come on, Todd, step up. Let's put
you out of your misery.
TODD
I, I didn't do it. I didn't write a
poem.
KEATING
Mr. Anderson thinks that everything
inside of him is worthless and
embarrassing. Isn't that right, Todd?
Isn't that your worst fear? Well, I
think you're wrong. I think you have
something inside of you that is worth a
great deal.
Keating walks up to the blackboard and begins to write.
KEATING
"I sound my barbaric yawp over the
rooftops of the world." W. W. Uncle Walt
again. Now, for those of you who don't
know, a yawp is a loud cry or yell. Now,
Todd, I would like you to give us a
demonstration of a barbaric "yawp." Come
on. You can't yawp sitting down. Let's
go. Come on. Up.
Todd reluctantly stands and follows Keating to the front.
KEATING
You gotta get in "yawping" stance.
TODD
A yawp?
KEATING
No, not just a yawp. A barbaric yawp.
TODD
(quietly)
Yawp.
KEATING
Come on, louder.
TODD
(quietly)
Yawp.
KEATING
No, that's a mouse. Come on. Louder.
TODD
Yawp.
KEATING
Oh, good God, boy. Yell like a man!
TODD
(shouting)
Yawp!
KEATING
There it is. You see, you have a
barbarian in you, after all.
Todd goes to return to his seat but Keating stops him.
KEATING
Now, you don't get away that easy.
Keating turns Todd around and points out a picture on the wall.
KEATING
The picture of Uncle Walt up there. What
does he remind you of? Don't think.
Answer. Go on.
Keating begins to circle around Todd.
TODD
A m-m-madman.
KEATING
What kind of madman? Don't think about
it. Just answer again.
TODD
A c-crazy madman.
KEATING
No, you can do better than that. Free up
your mind. Use your imagination. Say the
first thing that pops into your head,
even if it's total gibberish. Go on, go
on.
TODD
Uh, uh, a sweaty-toothed madman.
KEATING
Good God, boy, there's a poet in you,
after all. There, close your eyes. Close
your eyes. Close 'em. Now, describe what
you see.
Keating puts his hands over Todd's eyes and they begin to slowly
spin around.
TODD
Uh, I-I close my eyes.
KEATING
Yes?
TODD
Uh, and this image floats beside me.
KEATING
A sweaty-toothed madman?
TODD
A sweaty-toothed madman with a stare
that pounds my brain.
KEATING
Oh, that's excellent. Now, give him
action. Make him do something.
TODD
H-His hands reach out and choke me.
KEATING
That's it. Wonderful. Wonderful.
Keating removes his hands from Todd but Todd keeps his eyes
closed.
TODD
And, and all the time he's mumbling.
KEATING
What's he mumbling?
TODD
M-Mumbling, "Truth. Truth is like, like
a blanket that always leaves your feet
cold."
The students begin to laugh and Todd opens his eyes. Keating
quickly gestures for him to close them again.
KEATING
Forget them, forget them. Stay with the
blanket. Tell me about that blanket.
TODD
Y-Y-Y-You push it, stretch it, it'll
never be enough. You kick at it, beat
it, it'll never cover any of us. From
the moment we enter crying to the moment
we leave dying, it will just cover your
face as you wail and cry and scream.
Todd opens his eyes. The class is silent. Then they begin to clap
and cheer.
KEATING
(whispering to Todd)
Don't you forget this.
EXT. SOCCER FIELD - DAY
Keating's students are playing a soccer game. After they score the
winning goal they hoist Keating onto their shoulders and carry him
away.
INT. CAVE - DAY
The boys are all sitting around the cave lighting their pipes.
CHARLIE
Attaboy, Pittsie, inhale deeply.
MEEKS
My dad collects a lot of pipes.
CHARLIE
Really? Mine's got thirty.
PITTS
Your parents collect pipes? Oh, that's
really interesting.
CHARLIE
Come on, Knox. Join in.
MEEKS
Yeah, Knox, we're from the government.
We're here to help, man.
CHARLIE
What's wrong?
PITTS
It's Chris. Here's a picture of Chris
for you.
Pitts holds up a centerfold.
MEEKS
Smoke that. Put that in your pipe and
smoke it.
KNOX
That's not funny.
CHARLIE
Knock it off. Smoke your pipes.
MEEKS
Neil!
Neil enters the cave carrying a beat up light stand.
NEIL
Friend, scholar, Welton men.
MEEKS
What is that, Neil?
PITTS
Duh. It's a lamp, Meeks.
Neil removes the shade from the lamp, revealing the shape of a man
as the base of the lamp.
NEIL
No. This is the god of the cave.
MEEKS
The god of the cave.
Charlie begins making loud noises with his saxophone.
PITTS
Charlie, what are you doing?
CHARLIE
What do you say we start this meeting?
BOY 1
Y-Yeah, just-- I need a light. I just
gotta-
BOY 2
Got my earplugs?
Charlie stands up and clears his throat.
CHARLIE
Gentlemen, "Poetrusic" by Charles
Dalton.
Charlie begins playing erratic notes on the sexophone.
MEEKS
Oh, no.
CHARLIE
Laughing, crying, tumbling, mumbling.
Gotta do more. Gotta be more.
Charlie plays more erratic sounds.
CHARLIE
Chaos screaming, chaos dreaming. Gotta
do more! Gotta be more!
Charlie starts to play a real tune on the saxophone.
MEEKS
Wow!
PITTS
That was nice. That was great. Where did
you learn to play like that?
CHARLIE
My parents made me take the clarinet for
years.
CAMERON
I love the clarinet.
CHARLIE
I hated it. The saxophone. The saxophone
is more sonorous.
CAMERON
Ooh.
MEEKS
Vocabulary.
Knox jumps up.
KNOX
I can't take it anymore. If I don't have
Chris, I'm gonna kill myself.
CHARLIE
Knoxious, you've gotta calm down.
KNOX
No, Charlie. That's just my problem.
I've been calm all my life. I'll do
something about that.
NEIL
Where are you going?
CHARLIE
What are you gonna do?
KNOX
I'm gonna call her.
Knox begins to chuckle as he leaves the cave. The others
quickly grab their coats to follow him. Charlie goes back to
playing noise on his saxophone again.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
Knox is making a call from the payphone.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Hello?
Knox immediately hangs up and looks at the other boys who are
all gathered around him.
KNOX
She's gonna hate me. The Danburrys will
hate me. My parents will kill me.
All right, goddamn it. You're right.
"Carpe diem." Even if it kills me.
Knox puts in another coin and calls again.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Hello?
KNOX
Hello, Chris?
CHRIS (O.S.)
Yes.
KNOX
Hi. This is Knox Overstreet.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Oh, yes. Knox. Glad you called.
KNOX
She's glad I called.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Listen, Chet's parents are going out of
town this weekend, so he's having a
party. Would you like to come?
KNOX
Would I like to come to a party?
CHARLIE
Yes. Say, yes.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Friday? Um-
KNOX
Well, sure.
CHRIS (O.S.)
About seven?
KNOX
Okay, great. I-I'll be there, Chris.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Okay.
KNOX
Friday night at the Danburrys'. O-Okay.
Thank you.
CHRIS (O.S.)
Okay. Bye.
KNOX
Thank you. I'll see you. Bye.
KNOX
Yawp! Can you believe it? She was gonna
call me. She invited me to a party with
her.
CHARLIE
At Chet Danburry's house.
KNOX
Yeah.
CHARLIE
Well?
KNOX
So?
CHARLIE
So, you don't really think she means
you're going with her?
KNOX
Well, of course not, Charlie. But that's
not the point. That's not the point at
all.
CHARLIE
What is the point?
KNOX
The point, Charlie, is, uh--
CHARLIE
Yeah?
KNOX
that she was thinking about me. I've
only met her once, and already she's
thinking about me. Damn it. It's gonna
happen, guys. I feel it. She is going to
be mine. Carpe. Carpe!
Knox flips his scarf dramatically around his neck as he walks away
and climbs the stairs.
EXT. COURTYARD - DAY
The students are standing in a line while Cameron, Pitts, and Knox
are walking in a circle. Keating watches as they go around.
KEATING
No grades at stake, gentlemen. Just take
a stroll.
After a few moments, the three boys begin to march to the same beat.
KEATING
There it is.
The other boys start clapping to the rhythm of their steps.
KEATING
I don't know, but I've been told--
BOYS
I don't know, but I've been told--
KEATING
Doing poetry is old--
BOYS
Doing poetry is old--
Mr. Nolan looks out at them from his office as Keating joins the
boys and begins marching with them.
KEATING
Left, left, left-right-left. Left, left,
left-right-left. Left, halt!
The boys come to a halt.
KEATING
Thank you, gentlemen. If you noticed,
everyone started off with their own
stride, their own pace.
Keating begins walking very slowly.
KEATING
Mr. Pitts, taking his time. He knew he'll
get there one day. Mr. Cameron, you could
see him thinking, "Is this right? It might
be right. It might be right. I know that.
Maybe not. I don't know."
Keating begins walking with his groin pushed forward.
KEATING
Mr. Overstreet, driven by deeper force.
Yes. We know that. All right. Now, I
didn't bring them up here to ridicule
them. I brought them up here to illustrate
the point of conformity: the difficulty in
maintaining your own beliefs in the face
of others. Now, those of you -- I see
the look in your eyes like, "I would've
walked differently." Well, ask
yourselves why you were clapping. Now,
we all have a great need for acceptance.
But you must trust that your beliefs are
unique, your own, even though others may
think them odd or unpopular, even though
the herd may go, "That's baaaaad." Robert
Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a
wood and I, I took the one less traveled
by, and that has made all the
difference." Now, I want you to find
your own walk right now. Your own way of
striding, pacing. Any direction.
Anything you want. Whether it's proud,
whether it's silly, anything. Gentlemen,
the courtyard is yours.
The students begin walking about, some walking casually, others
making up silly walks. Keating notices that Charlie is still
leaning up against one of the pillars.
KEATING
You don't have to perform. Just make it
for yourself. Mr. Dalton? You be joining
us?
CHARLIE
Exercising the right not to walk.
KEATING
Thank you, Mr. Dalton. You just
illustrated the point. Swim against the
stream.
Nolan moves away from the window where he had been watching them.
EXT. CAMPUS - NIGHT
Neil is walking by with the notes for the play when he notices Todd
sitting off by himself on one of the walkways.
NEIL
Todd? Hey.
TODD
Hey.
NEIL
What's going on?
TODD
Nothing. Today's my birthday.
NEIL
Is today your birthday? Happy birthday.
TODD
Thanks.
NEIL
What's you get?
TODD
My parents gave me this.
Neil looks down at a deskset sitting next to Todd, still in
its wrappings.
NEIL
Isn't this the same desk set-
TODD
Yeah, yeah. They gave me the same thing
as last year.
NEIL
Oh.
TODD
Oh.
NEIL
(laughing)
Maybe they thought you needed another
one.
TODD
Maybe they weren't thinking about
anything at all. Uh, the funny thing is
about this is I, I didn't even like it
the first time.
NEIL
Todd, I think you're underestimating the
value of this desk set.
Neil picks up the desk set and begins examining it more closely.
NEIL
I mean, who would want a football or
a baseball, or-
TODD
Or a car.
NEIL
Or a car if they could have a desk set
as wonderful as this one? I mean, if, if
I were ever going to buy a, a desk set
twice, I would probably buy this one
both times. In fact, its, its shape is,
it's rather aerodynamic, isn't it? I can
feel it. This desk set wants to fly.
Neil tosses the desk set lightly in the air. Todd stands up
and Neil hands him the desk set.
NEIL
Todd? The world's first unmanned flying
desk set.
Todd flings the desk set over the side of the walkway and it
falls to pieces down below.
TODD
Oh, my!
NEIL
Well, I wouldn't worry. You'll get
another one next year.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
All the boys but Knox and Charlie are gathered in the cave.
BOYS
"To live deep and suck out all the
marrow of life. To put to rout all that
was not life"
The boys stop as they hear the sound of female laughter outside.
CAMERON
Oh, my God!
GLORIA
Is this it?
CHARLIE
Yeah, this is it. Go ahead, go on in.
It's my cave. Watch your step.
TINA
We're not gonna slip, are we?
GLORIA
Uh-oh.
Gloria hops into the cave wearing a bright red shirt. The lights from
the boys' flashlights play conspicously over Gloria's chest. Tina
enters right behind her.
GLORIA
Hi.
Meeks stands up and slams his head into the low ceiling.
MEEKS
Hello.
GLORIA
Hello.
CHARLIE
Hi, you guys. Meet, uh, Gloria and--
TINA
Tina.
CHARLIE
Tina. This is the pledge class of the
Dead Poets Society.
BOYS
Hello. How do you do?
NEIL
Hello.
GLORIA
Hi. Hi.
CHARLIE
Guys, move. Move. Come on, folks. It's
Friday night. Let's get on with the
meeting.
The boys move aside to let the girls in.
BOYS
Sorry. Excuse- Excuse me.
CHARLIE
Guys, I have an announcement to make. In
keeping with the spirit of passionate
experimentation of the Dead Poets, I'm
giving up the name Charlie Dalton. From
now on, call me Nuwanda.
PITTS
(laughing)
Nuwanda?
NEIL
Nuwanda?
Tina takes out a tube of red lipstick. Charlie takes it from her
and puts red marks on each of his cheeks.
INT. CHET'S HOUSE - NIGHT
Knox enters the house and looks anxiously about.
KNOX
Hello? Hello, Chris?
Knox stops and combs his hair in the hallway mirror. Chris comes
running out from one of the rooms.
CHRIS
Knox!
KNOX
Hi.
CHRIS
You made it. Great! Bring anybody?
KNOX
No.
Chris grabs Knox by his jackets and pulls him forward as she walks
toward the stairs.
CHRIS
No. Ginny Danburry's here. Wait. I have
to go find Chet. Why don't you go
downstairs where everybody is?
Chris runs up the stairs as Knox stares after her.
CHRIS
Make yourself at home.
KNOX
But I--
INT. CHET'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
Knox stares at a couple kissing passionately. Across the room he sees
Chet and Chris dancing. He walks away.
INT. CHET'S KITCHEN - NIGHT
Knox enters the kitchen, walking between several football players
to fill up a mug of beer from a keg.
STEVE
Hey, you Mutt Sanders' brother? Bubba,
this guy look like Mutt Sanders to you
or what?
Bubba spits ice cubes into the sink.
BUBBA
You're his brother?
KNOX
No relation. Never heard of him. Sorry,
guys.
BUBBA
(obviously drunk)
Where's your manners Steve? Mutt Sanders'
brother, we don't even offer him a
drink. Here. Go have some whiskey, pal.
Bubba hands Knox a glass and fills it up.
STEVE
Yeah.
KNOX
Whoa, I, uh, I don't really drink--
BUBBA
To Mutt.
STEVE
To Mutt.
The two guys raise their glasses in a toast and Knox reluctantly
joins them.
KNOX
To Mutt.
They each take a big drink. Knox rolls his eyes and gasps,
loosening his tie to try and breathe.
BUBBA
Now, how the hell is old Mutt, anyway?
STEVE
Yeah. What's ol' Mutter been up to, huh?
KNOX
I don't really know Mutt.
BUBBA
To Mighty Mutt.
GUY 1
To Mighty Mutt.
KNOX
To Mighty Mutt.
They raise their glasses again for a toast and down the rest
of their glasses.
BUBBA
Well, listen, I gotta go find Patsy. Say
hello to Mutt for me, okay?
KNOX
Will do.
Bubba puts on a horned football helmet and walks away.
STEVE
Yeah. Hell of a guy, your brother Mutt.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
CHARLIE
We gonna have a meeting or what?
GLORIA
Yeah. If you guys don't have a meeting,
how do we know if we wanna join?
NEIL
Join?
Charlie leans over to Tina.
CHARLIE
"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more
temperate."
TINA
That's so sweet.
CHARLIE
I made that up just for you.
TINA
You did?
The boys laugh and Cameron shakes his head. Charlie moves over
to sit next to Gloria.
CHARLIE
I'll write one for you too, Gloria.
She walks in beauty like the night.
She walks in beauty like the night.
Of cloudless climes and starry skies.
All that's best, dark and bright,
Meet in her aspect and her eyes.
GLORIA
That's beautiful.
CHARLIE
There's plenty more where that came
from.
INT. CHET'S BASEMENT - NIGHT
The room is whirling as Knox belches and staggers across the room. He
passes Chet and several of his friends. He steps over several couples
kissing on the floor and slump down on the couch, only to be crowded
in by another couple who seem oblivious to him. He is about to get up
again when he notices Chris sleeping next to him on the couch.
KNOX
God help me.
Knox looks about and then looks back down at Chris.
KNOX
Carpe diem.
Knox takes a last swig of his drink and then begins to softly run his
fingers over Chris' hair. He then leans over and kisses her forehead.
Across the room, Bubba looks over and sees what's going on.
BUBBA
Chet! Chet! Look!
CHET
What?
BUBBA
It's Mutt Sanders' brother.
CHET
Huh?
Chris rises up from the couch and looks at Knox in surprise.
CHRIS
Knox, what--
BUBBA
And he's feeling up your girl!
CHRIS
What are you doing?
Chet gets up from his chair.
CHET
What the hell are you doing?
CHRIS
Chet! Chet, don't.
KNOX
Now, Chet, I know this looks bad, but
you've gotta-
Chet throws himself at Knox, hurling them both to the floor. He
then straddles Knox and begins to punch at him as Knox simply
tries to protect himself.
CHRIS
Chet, no! You'll hurt him! No! No! Stop
it! Leave him alone!
CHET
Goddamn!
CHRIS
Chet, stop it!
Chris manages to haul Chet away from Knox.
CHET
Bastard!
Knox takes his hands away from his face and feels at his bloody
nose. Chris tries to help him up.
CHRIS
Knox, are you all right?
CHET
Chris, get the hell away from him!
CHRIS
Chet, you hurt him!
CHET
Good!
KNOX
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.
CHRIS
It's okay. It-It's okay.
Chet hauls Chris away from Knox and then points at him.
CHET
Next time I see you, you die.
INT. CAVE - NIGHT
Tina passes a bottle of alcohol to Neil.
TINA
Go ahead, pass it around.
Cameron motions for Neil not to take it but Neil takes a swig anyway.
There is a moment of awkward silence.
MEEKS
Me and Pitts are working on a hi-fi
system. It shouldn't be that hard to,
uh, to put together.
PITTS
Yeah. Uh, I might be going to Yale. Uh,
uh, but, I, I might not.
GLORIA
Don't you guys miss having girls around
here?
MEEKS AND PITTS
(smiling)
Yeah.
CHARLIE
That's part of what this club is about.
In fact, I'd like to announce I
published an article in the school
paper, in the name of the Dead Poets.
CAMERON
What?
CHARLIE
Demanding girls be admitted to Welton.
PITTS
You didn't.
CHARLIE
(whispering to Meeks)
So we can all stop beating off.
NEIL
How did you do that?
CHARLIE
I'm one of the proofers. I slipped the
article in.
MEEKS
Look, uh, it's, it's over now.
CHARLIE
Why? Nobody knows who we are.
CAMERON
Well, don't you think they're gonna
figure out who wrote it? They're gonna
come to you and ask to know what the
Dead Poets Society is. Charlie, you had
no right to do something like that.
CHARLIE
It's Nuwanda, Cameron.
GLORIA
That's right. It's Nuwanda.
CHARLIE
Are we just playing around out here, or
do we mean what we say? For all we do is
come together and reach a bunch of poems
to each other. What the hell are we
doing?
NEIL
All right, but you still shouldn't have
done it, Charlie. This could mean
trouble. You don't speak for the club.
CHARLIE
Hey, would you not worry about your
precious little neck? If they catch me,
I'll tell them I made it up.
INT. ASSEMBLY HALL - DAY
The professors hurry down the steps, lead by an obviously agitated
Mr. Nolan. Several are carrying newspapers in their hands. The
students all rise as they enter. After all the professors have
taken their places, Mr. Nolan addresses the students.
MR. NOLAN
Sit.
The students all sit.
MR. NOLAN
In this week of Welton's Honor there
appeared a profane and unauthorized
article. Rather than spend my valuable
time ferreting out the guilty persons --
and let me assure you I will find them -
- I'm asking any and all students who
knows anything about this article to
make themselves known here and now.
Whoever the guilty persons are, this is
your only chance to avoid expulsion from
this school.
The sound of a phone ringing can be heard. The professors look
about for its source. Charlie picks up a telephone receiver.
CHARLIE
Welton Academy. Hello. Yes, he is. Just
a moment.
Charlie stands up, holding a phone and bell in his hands.
CHARLIE
Mr. Nolan, it's for you. It's
God. He says we should have girls at
Welton.
Most of the students laugh while the boys from the cave all shake
their heads in disbelief.
INT. NOLAN'S OFFICE - DAY
Charlie stands with his back to the door as Mr. Nolan shuts it. Mr.
Nolan then walks around to face Charlie.
MR. NOLAN
Wipe that smirk off your face. If you
think, Mr. Dalton, that you're the first
to try to get thrown out of this school,
think again. Others have had similar
notions and have failed just as surely
as you will fail. Assume the position.
Charlie sighs and bends over, resting his hands on the desk. Mr.
Nolan hefts a flat wooden paddle in his hands.
MR. NOLAN
Count aloud, Mr. Dalton.
Mr. Nolan begins to strike Charlie with the paddle.
CHARLIE
One. Two. Three. Four. Five.
MR. NOLAN
What is this Dead Poets Society? I want
names.
INT. HALLWAY - DAY
A crowd of students is gathered about as Charlie stiffly walks back to his room.
NEIL
You kicked out?
CHARLIE
No.
NEIL
So what happened?
CHARLIE
I'm to turn everybody in, apologize to
the school and all will be forgiven.
NEIL
So, what are you gonna do? Charlie!
CHARLIE
Damn it, Neil. The name is Nuwanda.
Charlie smiles and then shuts his door.
INT. KEATING'S CLASSROOM - DAY
Keating and McAllister are enjoying tea in the small room off the
classroom. Mr. Nolan knocks on the door and enters.
MR. NOLAN
Excuse me. May we have a word, Mr.
Keating?
KEATING
Certainly.
Keating fixes his tie and follows Mr. Nolan into the classroom.
MR. NOLAN
This was my first classroom, John. Did
you know that? My first desk.
KEATING
Didn't know you taught, Mr. Nolan.
MR. NOLAN
English. Oh, long before your time. It
was hard giving it up, I can tell you.
I'm hearing rumors, John, about some
unorthodox teaching methods in your
classroom. I'm not saying they've
anything to do with the Dalton boy's
outburst. But I don't think I have to
warn you boys his age are very
impressionable.
KEATING
Well, your reprimand made quite an
impression, I'm sure.
MR. NOLAN
What was going on in the courtyard the
other day?
KEATING
Courtyard?
MR. NOLAN
Yeah. Boys marching, clapping in unison.
KEATING
Oh, that. That was an exercise to prove
a point. Dangers of conformity.
MR. NOLAN
Well, John, the curriculum here is set.
It's proven it works. If you question,
what's to prevent them from doing the
same?
KEATING
I always thought the idea of educating
was to learn to think for yourself.
MR. NOLAN
At these boys' ages? Not on your life!
Tradition, John. Discipline. Prepare
them for college, and the rest will take
care of itself.
INT. STUDY ROOM - DAY
Charlie sits with his bongos as the other boys are all crowded
around him. He hits the bongoes as he mimes Nolan's footsteps.
CHARLIE
Creak. He started walking around towards
my left. Creak. Creak. "Assume the
position, Mr. Dalton."
The door opens and Keating walks in. Many of the boys get up from
their seats.
KEATING
It's all right, gentlemen.
CHARLIE
Mr. Keating.
KEATING
Mr. Dalton. That was a pretty lame stunt
you pulled today.
CHARLIE
You're siding with Mr. Nolan? What about
Carpe diem and sucking all the marrow
out of life and all that?
KEATING
Sucking the marrow out of life doesn't
mean choking on the bone. Sure there's a
time for daring and there's a time for
caution, and a wise man understands
which is called for.
CHARLIE
But I thought you'd like that.
KEATING
No. You being expelled from school is
not daring to me. It's stupid, 'cause
you'll miss some golden opportunities.
CHARLIE
Yeah. Like what?
KEATING
Like, if nothing else, the opportunity
to attend my classes. Got it, Ace?
CHARLIE
Aye, aye, Captain.
KEATING
Keep your head about you. That goes for
the lot of you.
BOYS
Yes, Captain.
KEATING
Phone call from God. If it had been
collect, it wouldn't been daring.
Keating leaves and the boys gather around Charlie once again.
CHARLIE
All right. Go on.
EXT. CAMPUS - DAY
Neil bikes away as the clock bell tolls.
INT. THEATER - DAY
Neil walks into the back of the theater and watches various
actors rehearsing on stage. A smile fills his face.
DIRECTOR
We're trying to rehearse, okay? Start.
LYS