The King's Speech Scene 13 Summary

  • Logue sits typing something in his office while listening to the radio broadcast about King George V's death.
  • His son asks him if it's time for a "shake," and Logue turns off the radio and leaves the room. He's going to act and they're going to guess which character he is.
  • Logue speaks for barely two seconds before one of his son's guesses his character, which is Caliban from Shakespeare's The Tempest. Logue continues his speech anyway. His son tries to act cool, but Logue gets him to smile.
  • There's a knock on the door and Logue asks his sons to leave. He finds the duke waiting outside and gives his condolences about the king's death.
  • Logue offers to put on some hot milk, but the duke surprisingly asks for something a little stronger.
  • Logue makes some stiff drinks and says he was never present for his father's death, which still makes him sad.
  • The duke says that he found out after the fact that his father once said he (the duke) had more guts than all his brothers put together.
  • He's sad his father couldn't say that to his face. He also tries to talk about his brother Edward, but can't get a word out. Logue tries to get him to sing his thoughts so that he won't stammer, but the duke resists.
  • Logue asks the duke if he feels strange now that his brother is king, but the duke admits that he's relived because he doesn't want to be king. Logue reminds him that he's still next in line if his brother doesn't produce an heir.
  • The duke responds by singing that the doctor is barking up the wrong tree. Logue reminds him that he never stammers when singing.
  • The duke starts working on a model and talks about his life without stuttering much because he's focusing on the model.
  • He talks about how his brothers teased him, and that his father encouraged them. Real nice, dad.
  • He says he was afraid of his father growing up, and that his children will probably be afraid of him.
  • Logue notices the duke's movements and asks if he was born right-handed. The duke says he was actually a lefty until he was punished and forced to use his right.
  • Logue tells him that this is common with people who stammer.
  • The duke also grew up wearing metal splints on his legs to correct his walk. They were incredibly painful.
  • Finally, the duke talks about how his first nanny used to love his brother and hated him (the duke). She'd pinch him to make him cry and refused to feed him. It took his parents three years to notice.
  • Logue asks about the duke's brother Johnny, who had epilepsy and died young. The duke says Johnny was a sweet boy.
  • The duke says that Logue is the first ordinary person he's ever spoken to. He's struck by how little he knows about normal people's lives.