Charlie Chaplin’s Speech from The as he left it 20 years before, because he

Great Dictator does not realise that he has been away for
so long. He is surprised and hurt, therefore,
when Hynkel’s storm-troopers smash his
store windows and make his new life
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (1889-1977)
miserable. He finds a friend in Hannah, a
was a famous English comic
beautiful daughter of the Ghetto, and
actor, filmmaker, composer,
before long their friendship ripens into
screenwriter, editor and
love.
producer during his
time. Those were the For a while they enjoy comparative peace
times of silent films. He firstly when Schultz, who has risen to a
became renowned position of prominence in the new regime,
through his films like recognises the barber as his friend and
The Gold Rush, The orders the storm troopers to leave him
Circus, City Lights and alone, and secondly when Hynkel needs a
others. His film The financial loan from a Jewish financier and
Great Dictator satirized ceases temporarily his persecution of the
Adolf Hitler. His screen Jews.
Charlie Chaplin in The Great persona was the inimitable
Dictator The financier refuses the loan, so Hynkel
‘The Tramp’. In his career of
takes up his antisemitic activities again,
75 years, he saw both adulation and
with a vengeance. He is planning an
controversy.
invasion of the neighbouring country of
Osterlich, and when Schultz questions the
judgement of this move, the Dictator
Synopsis of The Great Dictator condemns him to a concentration camp.
During World War I, an anonymous private, Schultz manages to escape to the ghetto,
(Chaplin) fighting in the army of Tomania, where he attempts to incite a revolution
effects the valiant rescue of an officer against the government. But before he can
named Schultz, but suffers loss of memory carry out this plan, he and the barber are
when the plane in which they are flying both captured and interned in prison camp.
crashes into a tree. The little soldier is sent Pursuing his
to a hospital where he remains for the next project of
20 years, unaware of the changes that are invading
taking place around him. He does not know, Osterlich,
for instance, that Hynkel (also played by Hynkel
Chaplin) has become Dictator of Tomania, invites to his
and is ruthlessly persecuting the Jews with palace
the help of his two ministers, Garbitsch and Napaloni,
Herring. Dictator of
Dismissed at last from the hospital, the Bacteria, and
amnesia victim returns to his barber-shop after a few
The Great Dictator Poster 1940 comic
in the Ghetto, expecting to find everything
misunderstandings is able to enlist him as have developed speed, but we have shut
an ally. The invasion is successfully ourselves in. Machinery that gives
completed and Hannah, who has fled with abundance has left us in want. Our
her friends to Osterlich, again finds herself knowledge has made us cynical. Our
under the domination of Hynkel’s cruel cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too
regime. much and feel too little. More than
machinery we need humanity. More than
While the great dictator is celebrating his
cleverness we need kindness and
latest conquest by taking a vacation in the
gentleness. Without these qualities, life will
country, Schultz and the barber escape
be violent and all will be lost…
from the concentration camp. In the search
that follows, Hynkel is arrested by his own
soldiers, who think he is the barber, and
The aeroplane and the radio have brought
Schultz sees that the barber is mistaken for
us closer together. The very nature of these
the Dictator. Realising the importance of his
inventions cries out for the goodness in
new position the barber carries out the
men - cries out for universal brotherhood -
masquerade and in a speech before the
for the unity of us all. Even now my voice is
assembled crowds of Tomania, denounces
reaching millions throughout the world -
everything that Hynkel stands for and
millions of despairing men, women, and
makes a rousing plea for democracy.
little children - victims of a system that
makes men torture and imprison innocent
people.
The Final Speech from The
To those who can hear me, I say - do not
Great Dictator
despair. The misery that is now upon us is
I’m sorry, but I don’t want to be an but the passing of greed - the bitterness of
emperor. That’s not my business. I don’t men who fear the way of human progress.
want to rule or conquer anyone. I should The hate of men will pass, and dictators die,
like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, and the power they took from the people
Gentile - black man - white. We all want to will return to the people. And so long as
help one another. Human beings are like men die, liberty will never perish…
that. We want to live by each other’s
happiness - not by each other’s misery. We
don’t want to hate and despise one Soldiers! don’t give yourselves to brutes -
another. In this world there is room for men who despise you - enslave you - who
everyone. And the good earth is rich and regiment your lives - tell you what to do -
can provide for everyone. The way of life what to think and what to feel! Who drill
can be free and beautiful, but we have lost you - diet you - treat you like cattle, use you
the way. as cannon fodder. Don’t give yourselves to
these unnatural men - machine men with
machine minds and machine hearts! You
Greed has poisoned men’s souls, has are not machines! You are not cattle! You
barricaded the world with hate, has goose- are men! You have the love of humanity in
stepped us into misery and bloodshed. We your hearts! You don’t hate! Only the
unloved hate - the unloved and the The Great Dictator Rhetorical
unnatural! Soldiers! Don’t fight for slavery! Analysis
Fight for liberty!
Article by Savannah Boothe and
Professor Lori Bedell
In the 17th Chapter of St Luke, it is written:
“the Kingdom of God is within man” - not In his first speaking role, Charlie Chaplin
one man nor a group of men, but in all men! makes one of the most moving and
In you! You, the people have the power - thought-provoking speeches in history. The
the power to create machines. The power Great Dictator, a movie written, produced,
to create happiness! You, the people, have directed, and starring Charlie Chaplin,
the power to make this life free and premiered on October 15, 1940, while the
beautiful, to make this life a wonderful United States was still promoting
adventure. appeasement with Nazi Germany. The film
was originally meant to satirize Adolph
Hitler and condemn the Nazi party and its
Then - in the name of democracy - let us use values. The plot circles around two
that power - let us all unite. Let us fight for characters, both played by Chaplin. One is a
a new world - a decent world that will give dictator and the other is an amnesic Jewish
men a chance to work - that will give youth barber who is a doppelganger for the
a future and old age a security. By the dictator. The dictator, Adenoid Hynkel,
promise of these things, brutes have risen believes in a purely Aryan state and wants
to power. But they lie! They do not fulfil nothing more than to be emperor of the
that promise. They never will! world. That power lust lays a merciless grip
on the country, which includes sending the
Jews to concentration camps and invading
Dictators free themselves but they enslave a neighbouring country, much like Hitler’s
the people! Now let us fight to fulfil that strategy leading up to World War II. Schultz,
promise! Let us fight to free the world - to a traitorous commander under the dictator,
do away with national barriers - to do away who was saved previously by the barber,
with greed, with hate and intolerance. Let escapes from being sent to the
us fight for a world of reason, a world concentration camps with the barber in
where science and progress will lead to all tow. Ultimately, the barber is mixed up with
men’s happiness. Soldiers! in the name of the dictator himself. The crux of the film is
democracy, let us all unite! when the barber is given the opportunity to
speak to the people of the two warring
Speech link: https://youtu.be/J7GY1Xg6X20
countries as the dictator. However, the
speech is more directed toward the viewers
outside of the film than to the dictator’s
audience within the movie, an audience
appalled by the policies of Hitler, yet
supporting a country stance on
appeasement to avoid another conflict like
World War I. Taking advantage of a great
kariotic moment as the United States stood fact that the presenter is so enamoured
on the brink of entry into World War II, with his subject. The audience is
Charlie Chaplin uses the medium of film immediately more attuned to the speaker
and, more specifically, The Great Dictator because of his intensity. They are captured
speech, to lament the pessimism, violence by his delivery, and thus are exhilarated
and greed that had overtaken the “free and about the subject, more inclined to truly
beautiful” way of life that is inherent in listen and understand the plea that Chaplin
human nature. Chaplin’s use of power and is making to better humanity.
passion in delivery and reflection on the
loss of a responsible humanity dedicated to
bettering life for all makes for a convincing
pathetic appeal that the audience has the
ability to reinvigorate the righteous and
reasonable life everyone deserves.

Chaplin’s delivery of the speech seamlessly

maintains the mockery of Hitler, as Chaplin
directly mirrors the common pattern Hitler
used in addresses, yet the humane charge
From the Movie the Great Dictator
Chaplin promotes juxtaposes the barbaric
content in Hitler’s speeches, making for an Once Chaplin ensnares his audience by his
immediate connection to the audience. delivery tactic, he is in prime position to
Hitler had a very specific strategy to his provoke his listeners, those sitting in the
speeches; he would begin calmly and theatre watching his film, to react to his
quietly, and as the speech progressed, he appeal. Chaplin creates a very provocative
became increasingly impassioned. emotional appeal. He claims that humanity
Although the content was often has sacrificed the responsibility to provide
controversial and cruel, Hitler’s rhetorical a quality life to all people and replaced that
ability was outstanding. Chaplin mimics this responsibility with greed, hate, pessimism,
skill perfectly. and violence. He uses intensely charged
words that cut straight to the core of
human emotion. One of the most
Chaplin, posing as the dictator begins his electrifying statements he makes is that
speech rather unobtrusively, speaking “We think too much and feel too little:
simply and softly. However, as the speech more than machinery, we need humanity;
progresses, he becomes more and more more that cleverness we need kindness and
emotionally involved and passionate about gentleness. Without these qualities, life will
what he is saying. His voice level rises, he be violent and all will be lost”. Humanity is
begins gesticulating wildly, and everything immediately criticized, but the critique is
he is saying becomes more relatable warranted. Chaplin’s use of pathos to call
because of his delivery. Before the his audience to action is outstanding. He
audience even takes into account what is uses phrases such as “We think too much
being said, they are intrigued by the simple and feel too little” to conjure up feelings of
remorse and conviction regarding the instil a series of feelings in his audience,
current state of affairs in the human beginning with penance, leading to hope,
population. When the audience is faced and then finishing with elation and
with this judgment and experiences these motivation to create a better world where
emotions, it immediately begins looking for all people are granted liberty and
ways to reverse the opinion. happiness.

Because the audience is now seeking a path At a time when the world seemed to be
to follow that will allow for the reversal of crumbling, Charlie Chaplin provided a call
the current despair surrounding life, they to action to revive the state of humanity. By
are even more likely to react to Chaplin’s accessing a powerful delivery and a very
declaration “Do not despair”. His claim that stimulating emotional proposal, he
“the very nature of these inventions cries effectively conjures up the deterioration of
out for the goodness in men, cries out for liberty and energizes his world audience to
universal brotherhood for the unity of us “fight to free the world, to do away with
all” supplies hope to the population that all national barriers, do away with greed, with
is not lost and that life can be made hate and intolerance”. He fully evokes his
rewarding for all humans once again. He audience to stand against injustice and to
provides optimism to an increasingly unite together against the “unnatural
cynical society. “The misery that is now men”, mainly the great dictator Hitler. He
upon us is but the passing of greed, the provides the world with a reason and
bitterness of men who fear the way of avenue to better life for all.
human progress: the hate of men will pass
and dictators will die and the power they
took from the people will return to the Suggested Reading
people and so long as men die now liberty • Hamlet’s Soliloquy – To be or not to
will never perish” supplied the perfect be.
pathos at that moment in time. At a • Julius Ceaser - Speech: “Friends,
moment when the dictator Hitler was Romans, countrymen, lend me your
forcing his hate all around his region, the ears” Speech: “Friends, Romans,
future looked bleak. However, Chaplin countrymen, lend me your ears”
provides the perfect channel to those • The Speech of Chief Seattle – Chief
listening to realize they can become Seattle
stewards of the beautiful and free life. This • The Gettysburg Address – Abraham
channel is fully opened when he Lincoln
pronounces that “the people have the • I Have a Dream – Martin Luther
power, the power to create machines, the King, Jr.
power to create happiness. You the people
• Lady Macbeth Soliloquy – Is this a
have the power to make life free and
Dagger Which I See Before Me
beautiful, to make this life a wonderful
adventure. Then in the name of democracy, Ω
let’s use that power, let us all unite.”
Chaplin’s emotionally saturated statements