LEARNER
(who from the teacher’s point of view is heard but not seen, an offstage
voice) Ow, I can’t stand the pain. Don’t do that...
TEACHER
(pivoting around in his chair and shaking his head) I can’t stand it. I’m not
going to kill that man in there. You hear him hollering?
EXPERIMENTER
As I told you before, the shocks may be painful, but—
TEACHER
But he’s hollering. He can’t stand it. What’s going to happen to him?
EXPERIMENTER
(his voice is patient, matter-of-fact) The experiment requires that you
continue, Teacher.
TEACHER
Aaah, but unh. I’m not going to get that man sick in there. . . know what I
mean?
EXPERIMENTER
Whether the learner likes it or not, we must go on, through all the word
pairs.
TEACHER
I refuse to take the responsibility. He's in there hollering!
EXPERIMENTER
It’s absolutely essential that you continue. Teacher.
TEACHER
(indicating the unused questions) There's too many left here, I mean. Geez,
if he gets them wrong, there’s too many of them left. I mean who’s going to
take the responsibility if anything happens to that gentleman?
EXPERIMENTER
I'm responsible for anything that happens to him. Continue please.
TEACHER
All right. (Consults list of words.) The next one’s “Slow—walk, truck, dance,
music.” Answer, please. (A buzzing sound indicates the learner has
signaled his answer.) Wrong. A hundred and ninety-five volts. "Dance.”
(Zzumph!)
LEARNER
Let me out of here. My heart’s bothering me! (Teacher looks at
experimenter.)
EXPERIMENTER
Continue, please.
LEARNER
(screaming) Let me out of here, you have no right to keep me here. Let
me out of here, let me out, my heart’s bothering me, let me out!
(Teacher shakes head, pats table nervously.)
TEACHER
You see, he’s hollering. Hear that? Gee, I don’t know.
EXPERIMENTER
The experiment requires…
TEACHER
(interrupting): I know it does, sir, but I mean – hunh! He don't know what
he's getting in for. He’s up to 195 volts! (Experiment continues, through
210 volts, 225 volts, 240 volts, 255 volts, 270 volts, delivered to the man
in the electric chair, at which point the teacher, with evident relief, runs
out of word-pair questions.)
EXPERIMENTER
You’ll have to go back to the beginning of that page and go through
them again until he’s learned them all correctly.
Page 7
TEACHER
Aw, no. I’m not going to kill that man. You mean I’ve got to keep going
up with the scale. No sir. He’s hollering in there. I’m not going to give
him 450 volts.
EXPERIMENTER
The experiment requires that you go on.
TEACHER
I know it does, but that man is hollering in there, sir.
EXPERIMENTER
(same matter-of-fact tone) As I said before, although the shocks may be
painful…
TEACHER
(interrupting) Awwww. He—he—he's yelling in there.
EXPERIMENTER
Start with “Blue,” please, at the top of the page. Continue, please,
teacher. Just go ahead.
TEACHER
(concentrating intently on list of in front of him, as if to shut everything
else out) “Blue—boy, girl, grass, hat.” (Buzz indicates answer.) Correct.
“Night—day, job, chair. (Buzz) Wrong. The answer is “day.” Two
hundred and eighty-five volts. (Zzumph!)
LEARNER
Ohhhuhhoohhh!
EXPERIMENTER
Continue, please.
TEACHER
“Fat—man, lady, tub, neck,” please. (Buzz) Wrong. The answer is
"neck." Three hundred volts. (Zzumph!)
LEARNER
Ohhh. I absolutely refuse to answer any more. (Shouting urgently, now)
Let me out of here. You can’t hold me here. Get me out. Get—me—
out—of—here.
EXPERIMENTER
Continue. The next word is "Green,” please.
TEACHER
“Green—grass, hat, ink, apple.” (Nothing happens. No answering buzz.
Just gloomy silence.) I don’t think he is going to answer.
EXPERIMENTER
If the learner doesn’t answer in a reasonable time, about four or five
seconds, consider the answer wrong. And follow the same procedures
you have been doing for wrong answers. Say “Wrong,” tell him the
number of volts, give him the punishment, read him the correct answer.
Continue, please.
TEACHER
“Green—grass, hat, ink, apple. Answer, please. (More silence. Teacher
just sits there.)
EXPERIMENTER
Go on with the procedure, please, Teacher.
TEACHER
Three hundred and fifteen volts. The answer is “ink.” (Zzumph!)
LEARNER
Ohh. Ooohh.
TEACHER
(relieved to hear response) Next one.
LEARNER
I absolutely refuse to answer.
TEACHER
You got to. You get a shock if you don’t answer. (Experiment continues
with learner refusing to answer, and, finally, failing even to grunt or
groan. At 375 volts the teacher stands up. Has he had enough? Will he
break off the experiment? Will he disobey?)
Page 8
TEACHER
I think something’s happened to that fellow in there. I don’t get no
answer. He was hollering at less voltage. Can you check in and see if
he’s all right, please?
EXPERIMENTER
(same detached calm) Not once we’ve started. Please continue,
Teacher.
TEACHER
(sits down, sighs deeply) Cool—day, shade, water, paint.” Answer,
please. Are you all right in there? Are you all right?
EXPERIMENTER
Please continue, Teacher. Continue, please. (Teacher pushes lever.
Zzumph!)
TEACHER
(swiveling around in his chair) Something’s happened to that man in
there. (Swiveling back) Next one. “Low—necklace, moon, paint.”
(Turning around again) Something’s happened to that man in there.
You better check in on him, sir. He won’t answer or nothing.
EXPERIMENTER
Continue. Go on, please.
TEACHER
You accept all responsibility.
EXPERIMENTER
The responsibility is mine. Correct. Please go on. (Teacher returns to
his list, starts running through words as rapidly as he can read them,
works through to 450 volts.)
TEACHER
That’s that.
EXPERIMENTER
Continue using the last switch on the board, please. The four-fifty switch
for each wrong answer. Continue, please.
TEACHER
But I don’t get no anything!
EXPERIMENTER
Please continue. The next word is “White.”
TEACHER
Don't you think you should look in on him, please.
EXPERIMENTER
Not once we've started the experiment.
TEACHER
But what if something has happened to the man?
EXPERIMENTER
The experiment requires that you continue. Go on, please.
TEACHER
Don’t the man’s health mean anything?
EXPERIMENTER
Whether the learner likes it or not....
TEACHER
What if he’s dead in there? (Gestures toward the room with the electric
chair.) I mean, he told me he can’t stand the shock, sir. I don’t mean to
be rude, but I think you should look in on him. All you have to do is look
in the door. I don’t get no answer, no noise. Something might have
happened to the gentleman in there, sir.
EXPERIMENTER
We must continue, please.
TEACHER
You mean keep giving him what? Four hundred fifty volts, what he’s got
now?
EXPERIMENTER
That’s correct. Continue. The next word is “White.”
Page 9
TEACHER
(now at a furious pace) "White—cloud, horse, rock, house.” Answer,
please. The answer is “horse.” Four hundred and fifty volts. (Zzumph!)
Next word, “Bag—music, clown, girl.” The answer is "paint." Four
hundred and fifty volts. (Zzumph!) Next word is “Short—sentence,
movie…
EXPERIMENTER
Excuse me, Teacher have to discontinue the experiment.
(Enter Milgram from camera’s left. He has been watching from behind one-way glass.)
MILGRAM
I’d like to ask you a few questions. (Slowly, patiently he dehoaxes the
teacher, telling him that the shock screams were not real.)
TEACHER
You mean he wasn’t getting nothing? Well. I’m glad to hear that. I was
getting upset there. I was getting ready to walk out.
(Finally, to make sure there are no hard feelings, friendly, harmless Mr. Wallace out in
coat and tie. Gives jovial greeting. Friendly reconciliation takes place. Experiment ends.)