"O Captain! My Captain!" is an extended metaphor

Extended metaphor

An extended metaphor, also called a conceit, is a metaphor that continues into the sentences that follow. It is often developed at great length, occurring frequently in schools coursework or throughout a work, and are especially effective in poems and fiction.Symbolism is often a great tool to use...

 poem written in 1865 by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...

, concerning the death of American president

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

 Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...

.

Analysis

Walt Whitman wrote the poem after Abraham Lincoln's assassination

Abraham Lincoln assassination

The assassination of United States President Abraham Lincoln took place on Good Friday, April 14, 1865, as the American Civil War was drawing to a close. The assassination occurred five days after the commanding General of the Army of Northern Virginia, Robert E. Lee, and his battered Army of...

. Repeated metaphorical reference is made to this issue throughout the verse. The "ship" spoken of is intended to represent the United States of America, while its "fearful trip" recalls the troubles of the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. The titular "Captain" is Lincoln himself.

With a conventional meter and rhyme scheme that is unusual for Whitman, it was the only poem anthologized during Whitman's lifetime.

The Poem

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;

The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;

The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,

While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

But O heart! heart! heart!

O the bleeding drops of red,

Where on the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;

Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;

For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;

For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

Here Captain! dear father!

This arm beneath your head;

It is some dream that on the deck, fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;

My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will;

The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;

From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!

But I, with mournful tread,

Walk the deck my Captain lies,

Fallen cold and dead.

Modern versions

In 1996, Israeli

Israel

The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 songwriter Naomi Shemer

Naomi Shemer

Naomi Shemer was a leading Israeli songwriter hailed as the "first lady of Israeli song and poetry."-Biography:Naomi Sapir was born on Kvutzat Kinneret, a kibbutz her parents had helped found, on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. In the 1950s she served in the Israeli Defense Force's Nahal...

 translated the poem to Hebrew and wrote music for it.
This was done in addition to several prior translations in order to mark the anniversary of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin

Yitzhak Rabin

' was an Israeli politician, statesman and general. He was the fifth Prime Minister of Israel, serving two terms in office, 1974–77 and 1992 until his assassination in 1995....

's assassination

Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin

The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin took place on November 4, 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv...

 which took place one year earlier, in 1995.
The song is since commonly performed or played in Yitzhak Rabin memorial day services all around Israel.

In popular culture

The 1989 film Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society

Dead Poets Society is a 1989 American drama film directed by Peter Weir and starring Robin Williams. Set at the conservative and aristocratic Welton Academy in Vermont in 1959, it tells the story of an English teacher who inspires his students through his teaching of poetry.The script was written...

 also makes repeated references to the poem, especially when English teacher John Keating (Robin Williams

Robin Williams

Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...

) tells his students that they may call him "O Captain! My Captain!" if they feel daring. At the end of the film, the students show their support to the recently-dismissed Keating in defiance against the school's headmaster, by calling the phrase in the classroom.

In the 1996 science fiction novel The Truth Machine

The Truth Machine

The Truth Machine is a science fiction novel by James L. Halperin about a genius who invents an infallible lie detector. Soon, every citizen must pass a thorough test under a Truth Machine to get a job or receive any sort of license...

, the protagonist repeats the poem's opening line in his mind, to exploit a software bug in the book's otherwise infallible lie detector

Lie Detector

"Lie Detector" is a CD single by The Reverend Horton Heat. It was released in October 1998 on Sub Pop.-Personnel:*Jim "Reverend Horton" Heath - lead vocals, guitar*Jimbo Wallace - upright bass, vocals*Scott Churilla - drums, vocals...

.

The 2007 video game Mass Effect

Mass Effect

Mass Effect is an action role-playing game developed by BioWare for the Xbox 360 and Microsoft Windows by Demiurge Studios. The Xbox 360 version was released worldwide in November 2007 published by Microsoft Game Studios...

 also references the poem on several occasions. Squad member Ashley Williams refers to the protagonist, Commander Shepard, as "O Captain! My Captain!" as a sign of respect. During several conversations between Williams and Shepard, Williams recites lines from the poem. Shepard comments that this is quite out of character for her. Williams also recites lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson's Ulysses

Ulysses (poem)

"Ulysses" is a poem in blank verse by the Victorian poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson , written in 1833 and published in 1842 in Tennyson's well-received second volume of poetry. An oft-quoted poem, it is popularly used to illustrate the dramatic monologue form...

, saying it was her father's favorite.

The 1992 Full House Season 6, episode 6 titled "Educating Jesse" features Uncle Jesse struggling to recite "O Captain! My Captain!" from memory, as he is taunted by memories of his failed education.

In the How I Met Your Mother season 5

How I Met Your Mother (season 5)

The fifth season of the American television comedy series How I Met Your Mother premiered on September 21, 2009 and concluded on May 24, 2010. It consists of 24 episodes, each running approximately 22 minutes in length. CBS broadcast the fifth season on Monday nights at 8:00 pm in the United States...

, episode 3 (Robin 101), Ted is teaching Barney some ground rules for dating Robin. When Ted threatens to stop teaching him, Barney stands on his desk whilst saying the phrase "O Captain! My Captain" similar to that in Dead Poets Society.

In Dharma & Greg, season 1, episode 22 (Much Ado During Nothing), Dharma and Greg unintentionally overhear Greg's parents while they are having sex in a public area. In a moment of passion, Greg's mother exclaims, "O Captain! My Captain." In the final scene of the episode, Dharma uses the phrase again when speaking to Greg's parents, providing a clue to them that she knows of their outdoor escapade.

The phrase is also used on multiple occasions in the FX comedy, Archer.

In the second episode of the fourth season of Family Guy

Family Guy

Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...

 (Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High), first aired on May 8, 2005, the phrase "Captain! My Captain!" is used by the class of children Brian teaches at James Woods High, when feeling empowered and motivated to start careers.

In the episode "Sweetums

Sweetums (Parks and Recreation)

"Sweetums" is the fifteenth episode of the second season of the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation, and the 21st overall episode of the series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on February 4, 2010. In the episode, the Parks and Recreation Department hosts a public...

" from the television show Parks and Recreation, Leslie Knope reveals to Ron Swanson that the first line in his eulogy is "Oh captain, my captain! Ron Swanson: a swan song". It is claimed that it only gets better from there.

Poet Nick Flynn

Nick Flynn

Nick Flynn is an American writer, playwright, and poet. His most recent publication is a play, Alice Invents a Little Game and Alice Always Wins...

's 2011 collection of poems, called "The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands," is a reference to this poem.