Characters: Charlie, Knox, Spaz, Cameron, Pitts, Keating, Neil.
INT. KEATING'S ENGLISH CLASSROOM - DAY 97
Students enter Keating's classroom, talking and acting up. Keating
Hasn’t arrived yet.
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 then
sits down. The students appear a little confused.
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.
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.
Momentarily, Knox enters and hurries to his desk.
CHARLIE
How'd it go? Did you read it to her?
KNOX
Yep.
PITTS
All right! What'd she say?
KNOX
I don't know.
CHARLIE
What do you mean you don't know?
KNOX
I'll tell you later.
KEATING
Neil, could I see you a moment.
He walks into the hallway.
98 INT. THE HALLWAY OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM - SAME 98
The corridor is empty except for Neil and Keating. Keating
closes the door to the classroom. The other students try to listen in.
KEATING
What did your father say? Did you talk
to him?
NEIL
(lying)
Yeah.
KEATING
Really? You told your father what you
told me? You let him see your passion for
acting?
NEIL
Yeah. He didn't like it one bit but at
least he's letting me stay in the play. Of
course, he won't be able to come. He'll
be in Chicago on business. But I think he's
gonna let me stay with acting. As long as
I keep my grades up.
Neil heads back into the classroom. Keating watches. The other students act like
they were not paying attention and go back to usual. Neil sits down and Keating
enters the room. He goes to his desk and sits as well.