Lionel Logue: The reflection of desire in The King's Speech

The King's Speech (2010) is a critically acclaimed biographical film that recounts the relationship between Prince Albert, who later becomes King George VI, and his speech therapist, Lionel Logue. Thematically, the movie explores issues of self-confidence, friendship, and commitment through the travails, evolving relationships, and identities of the two main characters. As someone with relatively humble origins, Lionel Logue does not carry the clout of a future king and he knows that he cannot fulfill his desire for greatness on his own. Consequently, he projects his desire into the making of the new king and takes satisfaction from the act of maturing another's potential. Such vicarious fulfillment of one's desire is a common social issue. It is thus also a significant theme of the present research initiative. Although several studies have been conducted on this movie, none have examined the character of Lionel Logue, whose guidance and friendship eventually paves the way for the king's oratory success. Given this lacuna, this paper focuses on analyzing Lionel Logue's structure of personality in an attempt to outline his desires, both visible and "hidden" within himself. As someone close to the future king, it is possible that Logue may have felt an unconscious desire for greatness that he projected on to the king. Additionally, this paper uses the Freudian concept of defense mechanisms to examine the manner in which Logue fulfills those desires through Prince Albert, even achieving something greater than he had imagined. In the end, despite some tribulations, Logue becomes lifelong friends and gains a position of influence with the future King George VI. Using Sigmund Freud's concept of id, ego, and superego, as well as his theory of defense mechanisms, this paper dissects the desires of Lionel Logue to understand the motives behind his actions and decisions. Through such an analysis, this study aims to evaluate the factors and circumstances that create the individual that is Lionel Logue.