THE EMPEROR’S CLUB: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON

ARISTOTELIAN MORAL VIRTUES

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SUMMARY
Directed by Michael Hoffman and starred by Kevin Kline, The Emperor’s Club is a film
that teachers can relate to. It revolves around the story of Mr. William Hundert, a Classics teacher
who one day had a student named Sedgewick Bell. Bell, who is full of antics, tested Mr. Hundert’s
patience and credibility as a teacher. Mr. Hundert tried his best to help Bell become a person of
character, and encouraged him to join the Mr. Julius Caesar Contest. A fateful incident in the
contest led Mr. Hundert to believe that Bell had not really changed, which was then affirmed when
they met again 25 years later. The film in general asserted the essence of attaining moral virtues,
and the challenge of helping students possess it.

ANALYSIS

In Relation to Moral Virtues

Moral virtue according to Aristotle is a habit that must be nurtured through training.
Although it can be learned in class, it can only be attained through habitual practice. As a
Philippine proverb goes, makilala sa gawa, ang totohanang dakila. Therefore, one can say that he
is morally virtuous only if he puts moral virtue into action (Geirsson & Holmgran, 2002 as cited
in Kucukuysal & Beyhan, 2011).
Examining the character of Bell, we can say that he is not morally virtuous. This is attested
by Mr. Hundert who knew that he failed Bell because he was not able to imbibe the virtues taught
to him in class. He cheated not only when he was still studying, but also during their rematch in
Mr. Julius Caesar which took place years after their graduation. This lack of virtue was emphasized
in their conversation after the said rematch.

Mr. Hundert: All of us, at some point, are forced to look at ourselves in the mirror, and see who
we really are. And when that day comes for you, Sedgewick, you will be confronted with a life lived
without virtue, without principle. And for that I pity you. End of lesson.

Despite Mr. Hundert’s effort, Bell decided to follow the principles that he acquired growing
up. Seemingly, these principles are patterned in Machiavellian principle “the end justifies the
means”.

Bell: Who out there gives a shit? About your principles and your virtues? I mean, look at you. What
do you have to show for yourself? I live in the real world where people do what they need to do to
get what they want. And if it's lying and it's cheating, so be it. So I'm gonna go out there and I'm
going to win that election, Mr. Hundert. And you'll see me everywhere. And I'll worry about my
contributions later.

Their conversation at the latter part of the movie shows that a teacher can only do so much.
The decision to be virtuous will still depend on the learner--whether he chooses to practice it or

Prepared by:
Tolentino, Ma. Catherine M.
Salas, Ralph Justine P.
Guinto, Farrah Kaye C.
abandon it. One thing, however, that we also have to take note here is the influence that Bell’s
father had on him. Bell’s father was not concerned with his son’s moral virtues. He only wanted
his child to learn facts in school.

William Hundert : Sir, it's my job to mold your son's character, and I think if...
Senator Bell : Mold him? Jesus God in Heaven, son. You're not gonna mold my boy. Your job is to
teach my son. You teach him his times tables. Teach him why the world is round. Teach him who
killed who and when and where. That is your job. You, sir, will not mold my son. I will mold him.

In their reunion, Bell even mentioned that his father had taught him principles, but these
principles were geared towards him becoming a senator. It is evident that Bell chose to follow
these principles because in the end, he followed the path that his father had walked on and ran for
the senate. This only shows that aside from schools, homes serve as great venues in teaching moral
virtues. Still, we cannot entirely blame Bell’s father for the person that he became. Mr. Hundert
mentioned that he also had a busy father; yet, based on his character in the movie, we knew that
he became a morally virtuous person.

In Relation to Cardinal Virtues

Aristotle identified four cardinal virtues that are acquired through habitual practice and
these are the following: justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance (Stedman, 2011). The table
below explains their differences.

Prudence Habit of choosing right means to achieve

worthy ends
Justice Habit of rendering the other his/her rights
Temperance Habit of moderation in use of pleasurable
things
Fortitude Habit of restraining fear or moderation of
rash behavior in the face of danger or
difficulty
Adapted from Stedman’s Aristotle’s cardinal virtues: Their application to assessment of
psychopathology and psychotherapy.

Since the arrival of Bell, Mr. Hundert had always wanted to ‘mold’ the boy. He employed
different means to make sure that the boy improves. He talked to him, arranged a meeting with his
father, and encouraged him to join the Mr. Julius Caesar Contest. He even lent him his old high
school book. All these he did to ensure that Bell is ‘molded’ with moral virtues. These actions are
examples of how prudence was shown in the film. Ultimately, Mr. Hundert used education to help
Bell.
However, one crucial scene showed his imprudent deed. Because of his desire to continue
motivating Bell, he gave Blythe’s spot for Bell, making Bell the third finalist in the Mr. Julius
Caesar Contest. Aristotle posits the concept of golden mean. To be virtuous, one has to find a
balance between the extremes of excess and deficit (Cunningham, 1999). Unfortunately for Mr.
Hundert, he got too caught up in Bell’s case. Deficit of prudence led him to adjust Bell’s grade,
taking away Blythe’s chance to win the contest.

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Tolentino, Ma. Catherine M.
Salas, Ralph Justine P.
Guinto, Farrah Kaye C.
 Justice, on the other hand, was shown during the final round of the Mr. Julius Caesar
Contest. When Mr. Hundert found out that Bell was cheating, he immediately told Mr.
Woodbridge, the school head master about it. However, Mr. Woodbridge told him to ignore it and
to proceed with the competition. Mr. Hundert composed a question that Bell could not have
prepared for in his cheat sheet, which caused Bell to lose. Knowing the significance of the event,
Mr. Hundert made sure that this time, the honor will be given to someone who truly deserves it.

William Hundert : Mr. Woodbridge, I believe Sedgwick Bell is cheating.

Headmaster Woodbridge : Let it go.
William Hundert : What?
Headmaster Woodbridge : Ignore it.
William Hundert : Ignore it?
Headmaster Woodbridge : Ignore it.

It was also through Mr. Hundert that fortitude was seen. During the reunion, he confessed
what he did to Blythe years ago. He could have kept it to himself, since he was the only person
who knew about it. He summed up his courage despite the uncertainty that he will be forgiven.
His integrity was also at stake, since Blythe would know that he did not practice what he preached.
Still, he said his piece and was ready to take the consequences.
Blythe was one of the gleaming characters in the film. There had been numerous instances
in the film that showed his temperance. The first scene was when Bell took out a men’s magazine
and showed it to them (Masoudi and Mehta) while they were reviewing. While his friends ogled
at the pictures, Blythe reminded them to take their review seriously. He decided to leave and study
in his room. The next scene in the movie showed the boys (Masoudi, Mehta, Bell, and Blythe)
walking towards the lake. Blythe insisted that they go back to the school. He kept on warning the
boys about the consequences of their actions. He knew that although adventure is fun, having it
while compromising his priorities and school rules is unacceptable.
Out of all the characters, Blythe has shown consistency in his character. He might have
been the only character in the film to imbibe the values taught by Mr. Hundert. When the latter
confessed what he did in the Mr. Julius Caesar Contest, Blythe had no resentment. He was there
in the surprise party for Mr. Hundert, and even enrolled his son in St. Benedict’s Academy where
he still teaches. Truly, the character of a person is seen when it is being tested, not when it is
convenient for him to practice it.

Implications on Teaching
Being morally virtuous does not happen overnight; it takes practice. Even Mr. Hundert had
made a mistake, but what is striking in his character is his effort to redeem himself. Making
mistakes is part of this ‘practice’. What is essential is that we learn from those mistakes and
continue finding balance in the things that we do. As what Mr. Hundert said, “the worth of a life
is not determined by a single failure or a solitary success.” It takes conscious effort, of learning
from failures and successes, to build our character according to the moral virtues of Aristotle.
“Great ambition and conquest without contribution is without significance. What will your
contribution be? How will history remember you?” says Mr. Hundert. As teachers, it is integral in
our profession to ensure that we mold global citizens with character. This is our contribution. We
of course acknowledge that at some point, our students would resist the values that we want to
instill in them. We can only try, but it is better than not trying. Quoting Mr. Hundert, “however
Prepared by:
Tolentino, Ma. Catherine M.
Salas, Ralph Justine P.
Guinto, Farrah Kaye C.
much we stumble, it is a teacher's burden always to hope, that with learning, a boy's character
might be changed. And, so, the destiny of a man.”
To sum up, The Emperor’s Club teaches us that although the attainment of moral virtues
greatly depends on an individual’s desire to have it, teachers and parents serve as instruments in
helping students realize it.

Bibliography
Cunningham, S. (1999). Getting it right: Aristotle’s “golden mean” as theory deterioration. Journal
of Mass Media Ethics, 14 (1), 5-15.
Kucukuysal, B. & Beyhan, E. (2011). Virtue ethics in Aristotle’s Nicomachean ethics.
International Journal of Human Science, 8 (2), 44-51.
Stedman, J. (2011). Aristotle’s cardinal values: Their application to assessment of
psychopathology and psychotherapy. Practical Philosophy, 10 (1), 57-64.

Prepared by:
Tolentino, Ma. Catherine M.
Salas, Ralph Justine P.
Guinto, Farrah Kaye C.