braveheart speech

Braveheart “Freedom” Speech Transcript – William Wallace

Mel Gibson played William Wallace in the 1995 film Braveheart, where he gave the iconic “Freedom” speech. Read the speech transcript here.

Transcribe Your Own Content Try Rev and save time transcribing, captioning, and subtitling.

Stephen: ( 00:07 ) The Almighty says this must be a fashionable fight. It’s drawn the finest people.

Lochlan: ( 00:11 ) Where is thy salute?

William Wallace: ( 00:13 ) For presenting yourself on this battlefield, I give you thanks.

Lochlan: ( 00:17 ) This is our army. To join it, you give homage.

William Wallace: ( 00:20 ) I give homage to Scotland. And if this is your army, why does it go?

Speaker 4: ( 00:28 ) We didn’t come here to fight for them!

Speaker 6: ( 00:30 ) Home! The English are too many!

William Wallace: ( 00:46 ) Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace.

Speaker 6: ( 00:50 ) William Wallace is seven feet tall!

William Wallace: ( 00:53 ) Yes, I’ve heard. Kills men by the hundreds, and if he were here he’d consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse. I am William Wallace, and I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do with that freedom? Will you fight?

Speaker 7: ( 01:43 ) Fight? Against that? No, we will run, and we will live.

William Wallace: ( 01:45 ) Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live, at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!

Other Related Transcripts

Stay updated.

Get a weekly digest of the week’s most important transcripts in your inbox. It’s the news, without the news.

Motivation Mentalist

Braveheart – william wallace epic speech.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIvRkjOd1f8&feature=youtu.be&t=1m7s William Wallace: “I am William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen, here in defiance of tyranny! You have come to fight as free men. And free man you are! What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?” Many random peons: “No! No….” Some random peon: “Against that? No! We will run, and we will live!” William Wallace: “Aye! Fight and you may die. Run and you will live, at least awhile. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives but they will never take our FREEDOM!” ALBA GU BRATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Your Daily Dose of Motivation

Braveheart 1995 Film

Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.

Randall Wallace

• Paramount Pictures

Where to Watch

Related products, related scripts.

12 Years a Slave 2013 · Film

Hidden Figures 2016 · Film

The King's Speech 2010 · Film

The Birth of a Nation 2016 · Film

The Founder 2016 · Film

Latest articles.

2024 Oscars Page is Live

How Shore Scripts Helps Emerging Writers with Justine Owens

Why the WGA and AMPTP Agreement Isn't a Done Deal

Guide to the Writers Strike

Join our mailing list..

Be the first to know about new resources, scripts, and articles.

Don't forget to follow us:

You can unsubscribe at any time. Visit our Legal page for more information.

• Start Start loop (Shift + 1) 0:0:0 End End loop (Shift + 2) 0:0:0

Your browser does not support the audio element.

Braveheart: Freedom Speech

More like this.

The Limehouse Golem

What Is Love?

Jim Carrey's Secret of Life - Inspiring Message

11 Famous 'Braveheart' Quotes

But alas, the most touching and inspiring element of the film were the endless quotes about freedom, dying and more freedom. Here are some of our favorites:

Young William: I can fight. Malcolm Wallace: I know. I know you can fight. But it's our wits that make us men.

William Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run, and you'll live... at least a while. And dying in your beds, many years from now, would you be willin' to trade ALL the days, from this day to that, for one chance, just one chance, to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they'll never take... OUR FREEDOM!

William Wallace: We all end up dead, it's just a question of how and why.

Magistrate: The prisoner wishes to say a word. William Wallace: Freeeedommm!

William Wallace: There's a difference between us. You think the people of this country exist to provide you with position. I think your position exists to provide those people with freedom. And I go to make sure that they have it.

Malcolm Wallace: Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it.

Robert's Father: At last, you know what it means to hate. Now you're ready to be a king. Robert the Bruce: My hate will die with you.

Queen Isabella: You see? Death comes to us all. But before it comes to you, know this: your blood dies with you. A child who is not of your line grows in my belly. Your son will not sit long on the throne. I swear it.

William Wallace: Before we let you leave, your commander must cross that field, present himself before this army, put his head between his legs, and kiss his own arse.

William Wallace: Lower your flags and march straight back to England, stopping at every home you pass by to beg forgiveness for a hundred years of theft, rape, and murder. Do that and your men shall live. Do it not, and every one of you will die today.

William Wallace: Every man dies, not every man truly lives.

Movies Based on True Stories

Napoleon and Josephine Had a Stormy Relationship

The True Story of Bob Marley’s One Love Concert

The True Story of ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’

The Oppenheimer Cast And Their IRL Counterparts

The True Story Behind ‘Society of the Snow’

The Tragic True Story of the ‘Ferrari’ Movie

Get to Know Enzo Ferrari’s Sons, Piero and Dino

Where Is Kevin Von Erich Today?

‘The Iron Claw:’ The Von Erich Family’s True Story

‘The Iron Claw’ Leaves Out a Von Erich Brother

The Better Blog

They’ll never take our freedom inside the famous speech from “braveheart”, by jennifer krausz on 02/02/2023.

TLDR:  The William Wallace speech in Braveheart,  while fictional, was powerful for many reasons. It’s short yet memorable. Everyone can relate to it. It works in many situations. And it’s incredibly inspiring.

So What? Communicators can learn from Wallace’s speech to create their own icon-worthy messages that will stand a chance of being remembered long after they’re read or heard. Here’s how.

William Wallace’s speech to the ragtag Scottish army in Braveheart has become so iconic that it has been quoted, used in ads, parodied, and made into memes. The line “They may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!” can be funny or serious; life-altering, or merely a rage against the machine. The lasting power of this line alone has carried the movie into iconic status since shortly after its release in 1995.

The movie was fiction and gets almost everything historically wrong , from the costumes (no kilts) to the face paint (wrong time period) to Wallace’s titular nickname (which actually belonged to another Scot whose heart was physically removed to be buried in his homeland).

However, his now-famous rallying cry is oh so right. Why does this brief speech live on in the collective consciousness as a cry of defiance against anything perceived as restrictive or prohibitive?

It’s Short and to the Point

To take on the status of meme or icon, Wallace’s words have to be short enough to be a sound bite or a one-liner. The full speech from when Wallace comes onto the scene can’t be more than a minute, and its famous final line is what sticks in the minds of viewers.

What Wallace does is remind the fighters exactly what they’re fighting for, and what awaits them if they give up without a fight. The Scottish slaves, who had long been oppressed by the British, decided they would rather die than keep being slaves. While neither the speech nor the battle are the end of the conflict, they showcase Wallace’s courage, which ultimately leads to Scottish freedom.

It’s Memorable

Once someone has seen this speech delivered by Mel Gibson playing Wallace in a mullet and face paint, it’s impossible to forget it. The impossible odds, the fear of the men until Wallace galvanizes them, and their fierce defense of liberty are seared into viewers’ brains as emotional touchpoints that will far outlive a 1990s movie about an obscure historical legend.

The film and its defining moments far surpassed any expectations its creators had for it. The film stayed in theaters for a year and made more than $220 million. The mere fact that people are still talking about the scene today shows it’s unforgettable in its power and grit.

It’s Relatable

Americans care about a war between the Brits and the Scots because the filmmakers made it about freedom and sacrifice. Wallace’s famous line echoes Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty or give me death!” during the Revolutionary War.

It’s a rallying cry of all revolutions. Any people who during their history have had to fight for their freedom from an oppressive regime can relate to the plight of Wallace and his band of ragtag fighters. Americans also had to fight off the British several hundred years after Wallace. In a sense, he’s our ancestor in battle against a relentless foe.

It’s Transferrable

While fans of the movie no doubt think the speech’s context is powerful in and of itself, it’s also transferrable to other situations and concepts other than a bunch of Scots fighting the British in the 14th century. A great deal of its power as a meme is the way the idea of freedom at any cost can be transferred to other situations, even humorous ones.

Braveheart memes were used during Brexit when Scotland voted against leaving the EU (“They’ll never take our freedom. . . We’ll reject it instead”). They were also used during COVID lockdowns (i.e., “They may take our toilet paper. . . but they’ll never take our alcohol” and “COVID-19 may take our lives. . . but it’ll never take our freedom! Wait. . . It will never take our sense of humor!”).

These are just a few examples of Braveheart memes and ways in which the iconic line by Wallace has been used in different situations to symbolize the hills we’re willing to “die” on, at least metaphorically.

It’s Inspirational

One of the reasons the movie has lived on the way it has is because Wallace’s speech inspired his countrymen to heights they would not have been capable of without him. As Wallace comes onto the scene and begins speaking, the fighters are becoming discouraged at the huge number of soldiers that surround them, and they’re beginning to leave the area in defeat before the fight even begins.

“So many,” one young soldier says. “I didn’t come here to fight so they can own more lands. Then I have to work for them.”

“Nor me,” another soldier agrees. He then says, “Alright lads! I’m not dying for these bastards! Let’s go home!”

This is the reaction of most rational people when they see themselves surrounded by bigger and stronger foes, but when Wallace rallies his people, they realize they have to give it their best shot or they’ll regret it after they live the rest of their lives under British brutality.

It’s Transcendent

The power of Wallace’s speech (and of the movie as a whole) is it concerns fundamental human emotions, situations, and conditions. The urge to fight against oppression is hardwired into us. The idea of overcoming oppression transcends our daily activities and represents something bigger than just one person.

When communicators incorporate transcendent themes into their content, they’ll create powerful messages bigger than themselves or their companies and products.

If you need help creating successful marketing messages that transcend the ordinary,   try Media Shower’s award-winning content platform for free.  Because they’ll never take your freedom.

Communicate better.

Our better newsletter gives you tips for better communication that you can immediately put to use..

Screen Rant

Braveheart true story: everything mel gibson's movie gets right & wrong.

Mel Gibson's Braveheart tells the story of William Wallace - but it's one of the least historically accurate movies that have ever been made.

• Braveheart is one of the least historically accurate movies ever made, drawing upon a fictional account of William Wallace's life.
• The film misattributes the title "Braveheart" to William Wallace, when it is actually associated with Robert the Bruce and his heart's final act in battle.
• The movie fabricates details about William Wallace's backstory and his motives for leading the rebellion against the English, while also inaccurately depicting the clothing and weaponry of the time period.

Braveheart is a thrilling film, but it's one of the least historically accurate movies ever made. " They may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom! " The speech by William Wallace is one of the most famous in film history. To a generation of moviegoers, Mel Gibson's Braveheart cemented William Wallace's place as one of the greatest military leaders of all time. Gibson's film portrays William Wallace as a reluctant hero who draws his sword in vengeance after his beloved wife is murdered. It then proceeds to tell the story of his life, exploring some of his key battles, and ultimately ends on a tragic note, as Wallace is betrayed and put to death by the English. Braveheart 's conclusion is an optimistic one, however, presenting him as the inspiration for Robert the Bruce, who would ultimately lead Scotland to freedom.

Watch on Paramount+

Unfortunately, as thrilling as the film may be, in truth, it's generally considered one of the least historically accurate movies. That's largely because Braveheart director and star Mel Gibson drew upon the account of a bard named Blind Harry, a storyteller who claimed to use primary sources when writing his account of Wallace—but probably didn't blind Harry wrote about William Wallace about 100 years after the events of his life happened, and it's unknown how much of his accounts were fact. All this means Braveheart should be seen as a movie based on a fictional account loosely inspired by historical events , and it's no surprise the film is historically inaccurate.

Related: How Accurate Elvis Is & What The Movie Changes

William Wallace Wasn't "Braveheart" At All

Braveheart is actually attributed to robert the bruce's literal heart.

Braveheart rejoices in its inaccuracies, owning them from the start—because even the title is wrong. Most viewers will naturally assume " Braveheart " refers to William Wallace, but the name is actually associated with Robert the Bruce . According to the 14th-century writer John Barbour, Robert the Bruce always regretted not going on a Crusade. He had one of his knights swear to take his heart to Spain in a silver case after his death, so he could find some way of participating in a Crusade. In the heat of battle, this knight threw the urn containing the heart at the opposing army, crying out, " Lead on brave heart, I'll follow thee! " Braveheart 's title has nothing to do with William Wallace, nor is the reason for the name ever shown in the film (thankfully).

Interestingly, other scenes involving Robert the Bruce in the movie are also historically inaccurate. Robert the Bruce is portrayed as a noble who betrays William Wallace more than once in his battles against the English, but that didn't happen. That's largely because Robert the Bruce initially wasn't involved in the Scottish rebellion against the English at all. The Bruce clan had a legitimate claim to the Scottish throne, but the country itself was in so much turmoil that they didn't push for the claim but bided their time until there was enough Scottish support for rebellion. That's why Robert the Bruce is said to have been "inspired" by Wallace, taking up the cause after Wallace's death.

William Wallace's Backstory In Braveheart Is Completely Fictional

William wallace did not grow up as the child of farmers.

Mel Gibson plays the role of William Wallace well, opening with an account of Wallace's formative years designed to make him sympathetic. Unfortunately, it's largely ahistorical, because in reality, Wallace was a lesser noble ; his father and brother certainly didn't die in battle against the English. In fact, by the time conflict with the English came to a head, William Wallace was already an adult, not a child watching his older family members go to battle.

Although Blind Harry does give an account of Wallace's wife dying in similar circumstances to the film, his version of Wallace is already a bloodthirsty war leader. Interestingly, Blind Harry doesn't appear to have named Wallace's wife at all, with the name " Miranda " added by later scholars who copied his manuscripts and " Marion " used by others, which isn't used in the movie so as not to sound similar to the legend of Robin Hood. Braveheart goes for a more traditional name: Murron.

Braveheart Makes Up The Reason For William Wallace's War On The English

William wallace did not go to war for his wife.

William Wallace's war on the English had nothing to do with revenge in the real world—and it was certainly nothing to do with the " noble right " of Jus Primae Noctis , the right of a noble to sleep with a local bride on her wedding night. Although accounts of Jus Primae Noctis run all the way back to the Epic of Gilgamesh some 4,000 years ago, there's actually no historical evidence it was ever practiced anywhere in the world, including in Medieval Scotland. Wallace's motive was, in fact, political; he objected to Edward I's invasion of Scotland after the death of the Scottish king Alexander III. Wallace's first known act of rebellion was the assassination of an English High Sheriff in 1297 , well before the legendary death of his wife.

Related: Outlaw King And The Story Of Robert The Bruce

Braveheart Bungles The Clothing & Weaponry Of William Wallace's Time

Blue face paint was 1,000 years out of fashion.

Braveheart is no more historically accurate when it comes to portraying the clothing and weapons of either the Scots or the English. English soldiers wouldn't have worn the kind of standardized uniforms seen in Mel Gibson's Braveheart for centuries, while the Scots' kilts are equally ahistorical. Family tartans would have been established, but belted kilts wouldn't have been used in battle for another few hundred years. Wallace would never have worn blue face-paint ; it's associated with the Picti. "Picti" is the name Roman soldiers gave to Scottish tribal soldiers they battled when attempting to invade Scotland themselves. Blue face paint would have fallen out of fashion roughly 1,000 years before his time.

Even William Wallace's legendary blade is wrong, albeit inspired by the Wallace Sword that's on display in the National Wallace Monument in Stirling. As historian David Caldwell told the BBC :

The so-called Wallace Sword is actually a type of Scottish sword that dates to the late 16th century. This sword was seen at Dumbarton Castle by the famous poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy when they toured Scotland in 1803. One of the soldiers in the garrison told them it was Wallace's. This is the first time the sword is known to have been associated with the Scottish hero - was the soldier deliberately telling a tale for these English visitors?

In truth, though, this particular element of historical inaccuracy is entirely understandable. The Wallace Sword may not be genuine, but it is of huge symbolic importance.

Mel Gibson's Braveheart Even Gets Its Battles Wrong

One battle omits an important figure.

Braveheart even gets its battles wrong . The most egregious is the Battle of Stirling Bridge; for one thing, there's no sign of a bridge in the film. In the real world, the genius of William Wallace's tactics lay not in the use of long spears—a common tactic—but rather in the choice of battlefield. Wallace's army was positioned at one side of a bridge, with the English forced to stampede across it. The bridge served as something of a funnel, neutralizing the superior numbers. Ironically, this wasn't Wallace's strategy; it's credited to Andrew de Moray, another Scottish military leader who died shortly after the Battle of Stirling Bridge because of injuries sustained while there. That particular figure never even appears in Braveheart , but his contributions to the Scottish rebellion against the English were just as important as Wallace's.

The Battle of Falkirk is more interesting, however, with some of the details in Braveheart matching up. The Scottish cavalry did indeed desert during that unexpected conflict, but there's no evidence the nobles were bribed; rather, it's likely they were demoralized, and simply abandoned the battle rather than face inevitable defeat.

Related: What Happened To The Real William Wallace (& What Braveheart Leaves Out)

The Death of William Wallace

William wallace's death is one of the most accurate parts of braveheart.

The death of William Wallace is one of the most historically accurate parts of Braveheart - albeit made a lot less grisly. Gibson chooses to merely hint at the horrors Wallace endures; he is hanged, then eviscerated offscreen, before being decapitated. Some more gruesome aspects of the torture, such as Wallace's intestines being burned in front of him, are understandably cut. Still, it's odd that a film like Braveheart, which isn't particularly well-reputed for its historical accuracy, handles the death scenes in a fairly accurate manner.

The Good, The Bad and The Hungry

A blog that rhetorically discusses food and civic engagement.

RCL 9 – Braveheart Speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1XwDd9Bwdg

Many people honestly believe that this may be one of the greatest movie speeches of all time. Honestly, I would say that this is not entirely false. Here, Mel Gibson plays William Wallace, a Scotsman who had become a legend for his single-handed efforts to undermine and destroy the British conquests into Scotland. This is the scene during which the Scottish army is faced with a British Army like they had never seen before, one that appeared entirely invincible. Thus, many of Wallace’s soldiers believed it was better to run and hide in safety than to face certain death at the hands of their sworn rival. As such, Wallace must convince these people to stand up for their beliefs and for their land, to stand up and be proud and fight. If you have seen the movie, you know that he succeeds and this speech is incredibly powerful in its own right.

The power of this speech comes from a combination of his movement upon his horse, his pathetic appeals to the crowd and his organization of the speech itself. Firstly, Wallace’s movement back and forth before the crowd upon his horse allowed those in the audience to more thoroughly become part of Wallace’s speech. Instead of just standing at one point, speaking to the force before him, Wallace rode forward and back, speaking to each and every one of his men. He rode up and down the lines to act as though he was more personally speaking to those before him. This brought each person that much closer to his point and allowed him t advance such a point with that much more success. Secondly, throughout his speech, Wallace spoke to the hearts of the people. He acknowledged the ease with which one could give up and go home to hide in fear, but alive and in peace. To this though he spoke of the effects that such hiding would have. He emphasized the pride that each man should have in protecting his family and his home. He spoke to the fact that each man wanted only that which was best for his family and the terror that the British would bring upon all if they chose to back down. Here, he appealed emotionally not only to their pride but also to their fears, their fears of losing everything, their fears of being seen as cowards and failures, their want to become free from such tyranny. Finally, the organization of the speech was incredibly impressive to say the least. Wallace began by acknowledging the mythical jokes about himself, creating a colloquial bond between himself and the army before him. From there he began to discuss how hard the fight would be. This did make some people question their decision to fight even more so, though, he finished this speech by describing the rewards for this fight and the way in which all those before him would live in peace and freedom if they were to succeed. He made them realize that the fight before them was hard, though it was also necessary and that he was only one of them and while he feared he also knew the necessity in fighting and his ending the speech as he did made his audience realize this necessity as well.

Overall, I would have to say that Gibson/Wallace was incredibly effective in his speech. He spoke to the audience in a way that could have pulled any individual in to fight alongside of them. His most effective technique was to address the qualms and concerns of each individual and to essentially exemplify that, while they were understandable, no true reason existed to maintain them. Instead, one should be prepared to fight back and stand up against a foe that may otherwise trounce them. In the fact that he succeeded in making them stand up against their common enemy, despite their qualms and concerns, I believe that this speech was entirely successful.

3 thoughts on “ RCL 9 – Braveheart Speech ”

I was very happy when you picked this speech to analyze in class. I think it’s safe to call William Wallace an excellent rhetor given his ability to motivate his entire army into fighting to their inevitable deaths. Great selection!

I really enjoyed your analysis of this speech! My favorite point was how you commented on how he used his horse to maintain everyone’s attention. I noticed that his movement made me stay engaged during his amazing speech!

This is probably one of the greatest movie speeches of all times. It is also very well written and effective in its appeals.

Leave a Reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Guide to Secret and The Law Of Attraction

A guide to implement the law of attraction and secret in the correct way, inspirational speech from the movie braveheart – william wallace.

Leader of the rebel Scots, William Wallace played brilliantly by Mel Gibson, exhorts his people to fight for their freedom and not live one further day in slavery.

This is based on the real speech that William Wallace gave before the Battle of Stirling. Makes you want to go out and buy a kilt.

They Will Never Take Our Freedom – Braveheart

Transcripts of the Video and the Speech:

William Wallace: And if this is your army, why does it go?

Veteran: We didn’t come here to fight for them!

Young Soldier: Home! The English are too many!

Wallace: Sons of Scotland, I am William Wallace.

Young soldier: William Wallace is 7 feet tall.

Wallace: Yes, I’ve heard. Kills men by the hundreds, and if he were here he’d consume the English with fireballs from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse. I AM William Wallace. And I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What would you do without freedom? Will you fight?

Veteran soldier: Fight? Against that? No, we will run; and we will live.

Wallace: Aye, fight and you may die. Run and you’ll live — at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lives, but they’ll never take our freedom!!!

Wallace and Soldiers: Alba gu bra! (Scotland forever!)

Share this:

• Share on Tumblr

Braveheart Braveheart 1995 Braveheart Inspirational Speech Braveheart Inspirational Speech transcripts Braveheart Inspirational Speech video Braveheart Inspirational written Speech Braveheart Mel Gibson speech Braveheart Mel Gibson speech video Braveheart Mel Gibson speeches Braveheart speech by the Mel Gibson Braveheart They Will Never Take Our Freedom Braveheart William Wallace Speech inspirational speech Inspirational Speech video Mel Gibson speech from Braveheart

Leave a reply cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.