John Keating

John Keating is a very individual, unique man. He has his own way of teaching, and it is very productive. He inspires most of his students in a way that no other does. John gets them interested in the topics, and teaches them in an interesting, different way which no other teacher does. He tends to work from the heart, not from the text books. Mr. Keating concentrates on poetry in the period where he is at Welton, and creates a new fascination for the students towards this topic. He was a former member of the Dead Poet's Society, and he is the one to introduce it to the boys.

Neil Perry

Neil Perry is a very intelligent boy and he knows what he wants and how to get it. His ambition to be an actor is so strong, he disobeys in order to get the main part in a production outside of school.
He is a great writer and actor and Mr. Keating values him as a student. His father and mother think that acting is an unsuitable career and waste of time. Neil wants to become an actor more than anything else in the world and he is not going to let anything or anyone stand in the way of his dream. He feels his dream is so important and that he can not live without it. Neil feels so strong about his dream that it leads to his suicide.

Charlie Dalton

Charlie Dalton is a boy with a lot of confidence, very humorous and quite popular with his friends. He is not afraid to talk about his feelings and he will do whatever he has to do to make sure that they are heard. He also stands up for his rights and he is one of the many who stands on the desk when Mr. Keating comes to collect the rest of his belongings. Charlie is also a friend of Neil Perry. He is one of the members in the Dead Poet's Society, and gets expelled from Welton for that.

Richard Cameron

Richard Cameron is probably the "outsider" of the group. He does not have a best friend at Welton, because he is always preoccupied with schoolwork. He spends his days showing the teachers what a good student he is, while his friends are exploring new horizons under Mr. Keating's guidance.
Richard is against Mr. Keating from the start. He only wants to get a good education and reputation. Cameron is a member of the Dead Poets Society but actually not a part of the group. Richard is selfish and does not care whose career or reputation he damages as long as his own is left intact.

Todd Anderson

Already on his first day at Welton Todd has large shoes to fill. His elder brother was a great scholar at Welton. Todd is the youngest of his family. Neil is an interesting room mate for Todd, because somehow, Neil seems to bring out the flamboyance inside of Todd. Todd is shy, quiet and a very tense person. It is also easy to assume that he is a relaxed and a simple person. All the way through Todd
seems to be a bottle which collects up a huge number of emotions, and Mr. Keating sees it as his job to let these emotions free. After Neils death Todd is a changed person. He becomes concernful
and sensitive, for example when he shows his feelings to Mr. Keating when he gives his final salute in saying "Oh captain my captain". For me it seems that Todd is the only one who understands the
message that Mr. Keating is trying to teach them.

Dead Poets Society

The Dead Poets Society is a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. It is a society dedicated to sucking the marrow out of life. They have meetings in a old cave and there they read poems. They don't simply read them, they " let it drip from their tongues like honey". All poetry is acceptable, but you have to be dead to join the organization. Full members requires a lifetime of apprenticeship.