The King's Speech Scene 7 Summary

  • The duchess gets into a cramped elevator from Logue's building with her husband—it looks like the matter wasn't as settled as the duke thought.
  • When they arrive at the office, a small boy comes out and tells them they can go in. He stutters badly while asking them if they need anything, then turns and asks Mr. Logue whether his speaking was all right.
  • Logue comes in and tells him he did wonderfully. He greets the duke and duchess as the Johnsons and asks the duke to come in while the duchess waits outside.
  • He tells the duke that the young stuttering boy could barely make a sound when he first came to him.
  • Logue sits down with the duke and says that he's waiting for him to speak.
  • The duke says that it can be a long wait if someone is waiting for him to speak.
  • Mr. Logue asks him if he knows any jokes, but the duke says that "timing isn't his strong suit."
  • Logue goes to make a cup of tea and asks the duke to call him Lionel. The duke argues that he'd like to call him "doctor," but Logue insists on Lionel.
  • Logue also wants to call the duke by a nickname like "Bertie" to establish trust, but it's out of the question for the duke, who wants to be called "Your Royal Highness."
  • Logue thinks they should act like equals in his office and asks the duke not to smoke in his office. As he puts it, "My castle, my rules."
  • He asks the duke what his first memory is, but the duke gets frustrated and says he doesn't want to discuss personal matters.
  • Logue then asks the duke when he began to stammer.
  • He insists that no child has ever learned to speak with a stutter and that it always starts later on.
  • The duke admits that he was four or five before his developed.
  • Logue asks the duke if he stammers when he talks to himself, and the duke admits that there's no stammer when he's just alone with himself.
  • So now Logue want to know what the duke thinks caused his stammer. The duke says he doesn't know and doesn't care.
  • Logue bets him a shilling that he can get him to speak flawlessly on the spot, and if he wins he wants to be able to ask more questions too.
  • Logue hands the duke a book of Shakespeare and asks him to start reading out loud. The duke stammers badly and can barely get a word out.
  • Logue then starts a record player that will record the duke's voice while he reads. Then he puts another set of headphones over the duke's ears and turns up the music so loudly that the duke can barely hear himself speak.
  • The duke starts reading aloud, but he quickly gets frustrated and tears off the earphones. He goes to leave, but Logue makes him take the recording of his voice before he goes. He also tells the duke that he spoke very well, and says he's not lying.
  • The duke goes out to his wife and says that Logue's treatment isn't going to work out.
  • Alone now, Logue mutters, "Bugger" to himself.