Fears and Expectations in The King’s Speech
Speech impediments are often the highlight of ridicule which leaves traumatic and ongoing scars in the individual. The King’s Speech highlights these scars by portraying in detail King George VI’s battle with his speech impediment. His stammering has caused him to lose confidence in himself, most especially with all the expectations that people latch onto him as part of the royal family. These viewpoints are often attributed as a lack of skill in the individual rather than being seen and tackled in a more serious regard.
King George VI, or Bertie to his close relations, stammers more profusely with the added pressure and expectations of the public. As the second son of King George V, he was expected to deliver a speech in behalf of the King. His fear of public speaking resulted in the speech quickly becoming awkward not only for himself but also for the people who are watching and listening to him. Through his conversation with Lionel Logue, it was established that his stammering started at the age of 4 or 5. Throughout the film, hints of his background were given in that his father encouraged his brother’s teasing and ridiculing him about his stammering. Bertie noted that his father believed this will motivate him to quickly get over his speech impediment.
His stammering has resulted in his poor performance in public speaking and his loss of confidence and trust in his real abilities. Bertie suffers from stage fright and his stammering worsens through his subsequent failures. During his speeches, his stammering results in his being unable to vocalize any kind of speech. In the event that he is able to utter words, it requires and compels him to take long pauses. This is evidently portrayed by the actor through the tensing up of his muscles during his speeches. Bertie also seems to stammer when he speaks with other people in general and not simply in public speaking.
As part of the royal family, his stammering is considered as an undesirable trait not only by his family but also by his peers. King George V, in one of the scenes delivers a speech and outwardly shows his contempt at his son being unable to do the same thing. This undesirable trait of him has various social implications. As part of the royal family, he is expected to be a role model that people can look up to. The awkwardness that results from his failure to deliver speeches then has resulted in the people viewing him as incompetent. The individual in question, Bertie, then also starts to view himself as incompetent because he is unable to do something as easy as speaking.
Fear is the driving factor of Bertie’s speech impediment, as evidently shown throughout his sessions with Lionel. Bertie is afraid of himself not being able to live up to the expectations of people and the added pressure of having to accomplish more. However, there are also various objects of fear that are deeply-rooted in Bertie’s psyche that he is unable to stand up to. He is afraid of his father, King George V, who still scolds the older Bertie over his stammering. Although his father’s last words suggest that he trusts and believes in his second son more, he never outwardly praised Bertie. As a child, Bertie’s experience and fear of his father’s anger and contempt has resulted into becoming an object of fear which triggers his stammering. The same thing can be said of his fear of David, who has ridiculed him about his stammering during their childhood. Although Bertie admitted that he and David used to be close, the latter’s provoking of his stammering and the former’s inability to retort shows that his experience in childhood stills holds sway over him. Fear, in its various forms, is the biggest factor that drives Bertie’s inability to get over his speech impediment. He is afraid of not only himself, but also of the people around him that he needs to communicate with. These people all have expectations that they inadvertently latch onto Bertie, who, as the Prince, is a person of utmost importance.
Bertie’s loss of confidence has affected not only himself but also the people around him. One such negative implication of his speech impediment is that he is unable to live happily. His unhappiness is shown numerous times, with one being in his statement that he considers birds to be lucky for they can simply fly away. Being born as a Prince, he is unable to choose his way of living, and he simply wants to escape from the expectations he needs to live up to. Lionel Logue’s suggestion then to create a space where they are equals is very relevant in dealing with Bertie’s negativity. As the Prince, people treat and regard him differently. However, through Lionel, Bertie was able to converse normally with a friend and an equal: something he admittedly has never been able to do before.
One important theme of the film that needs to be addressed is the power of the gaze. Gaze here is used in the sense of not only direct eye contact but also indirectly. For example and more explicit is the gaze of the masses as they look at the speaker. In this regard, Bertie’s problem with public speaking should have been rectified had there been no audience that is gazing at him. It should be noted though that he still stammers even through his radio broadcasts despite him being alone or not in the broadcasting room. One such idea that Lionel upholds is that the red light that signals to the speaker of him being on air is an evil eye that stares at him all throughout. However, this is not the only gaze that he is subjected to. Bertie, through his radio broadcasts, is imagining the numerous people who are listening to him live, resulting in the worsening of his stammering.
Bertie’s coronation as King George VI would have resulted in the loss of morale and motivation in the country had he not learned to cope with his stammering through Lionel Logue. The death of his father, and his brother David’s abdication of the throne has made King George VI’s situation much worse for his speech impediment. Even though this is the case, he was able to cope with his speech impediment and even jokingly said that he purposely left out a few stammers just so people can recognize that it was him. His speeches as King are of importance especially during wartime period, as a form of consolation to his subjects. Although he still has not fully coped with his stammering, the fact that his viewpoint has changed into a more positive one is proof of a happier future for him.
The problem with health professionals that Bertie and his wife have consulted before is that they tried to treat it as an illness using orthodox means. Lionel Logue’s approach then, despite having no credentials, was able to address the physical and psychological factor of Bertie’s speech impediment. Bertie had no friends that he can normally talk to without being teased, and this has culminated to an inferiority complex when it comes to speaking. This complex inadvertently shows itself even through his storytelling he did for his children. Although unorthodox in his treatment, Lionel was able to penetrate the deeply ingrained fears and complex of his friend Bertie. Lionel, as a friend, becomes an object of motivation and his gaze becomes a guiding light that helps Bertie during his speeches.
Through King George VI’s experiences, people suffering from stammering should be treated in a more psychological manner. King George VI, for example, shows lesser stammering when he speaks with his wife compared with his interaction with other people. This means that the problem is more of a psychological nature rather than a physical one, due to his treatment being speech exercises rather than medicinal treatments. Community members should also learn that their gazes contribute to the fears and complexes experienced by stammerers. These people are able to communicate as long as they are relaxed and are given free reign over their pacing. Although King George VI’s circumstances of heavy expectations and peer pressure are uncommon, his is still one of great importance to changing people’s regard to this impediment.
