The Madness of King George Page #7

The bill doesn't matter, sir.

Your Majesty...

This bill is to

be presented today.

Sir, the Prince of Wales

has a majori...

Greville, Dr Willis is right.

Take it away.

He's on the mend?

I say, that's good news.

Does anyone else know?

No.

It may be only temporary.

Well, I see no reason to

disseminate the information.

We can decide just

how ill His Majesty is

when the bill is passed...

Eh, Warren?

Nearly there, Charles.

Where's Thurlow?

"These weeks are memories

of those worser hours."

"I pray thee put them off."

Go on, go on.

"I pray thee put them off."

"How does the king..."

- Lord Thurlow, sir.

- The very man.

Yes, we're reading Shakespeare.

Willis, give him the book.

Oh, King Lear.

Is that wise?

I had no idea

what it was about, sir.

Now, I'm asleep, apparently,

and Cordelia comes in

and asks the doctor - Greville -

how I am. Off we go.

Uh, who's Cordelia?

(King) You are.

Yes, but Willis can't do it.

He's a fine doctor

but a hopeless actor.

Off you 90-

Ahem.

"Oh, you kind gods,

"cure this great breach

in his abused nature.

"The untuned and jarring

senses, oh, wind up,

"of this child-changed father."

That's very good.

Yes, the child-changed

father's very good.

Yes, go on, Greville,

it's you now.

"He hath slept long.

"Be by, good madam,

"when we do awaken him.

"I doubt not of his temperance."

"Oh, my dear father.

"Restoration, hang

thy medicine on my lips

"and let this kiss

"repair those violent harms

"which my two sisters

have in thy reverence made."

Well, come on, man, kiss me.

Not there, man. Here, here.

It's Shakespeare.

Right.

No, no. Push off again.

This is the moment

when the king awakes, you see.

You ready?

That's it. Come on.

"How fares my royal lord?

"How does Your Majesty?"

"You do me wrong to take

me out of the grave.

"Thou art a soul in bliss,

"but I am bound

upon a wheel of fire,

"that mine own tears do

scald like molten lead."

It's so true.

"Pray do not mock me.

I am a very foolish,

fond old man."

"And to deal plainly..."

"I fear I'm not

in my perfect mind."

Is that the end, Your Majesty?

Oh, good Lord, no.

Cordelia -

that's Thurlow - dies,

hanged, and the shock

of it kills the king.

So they all die.

It's a tragedy.

Very affecting.

Well, it's the way I play it.

Your Majesty

seems more yourself.

Do I?

Yes, I do.

Yeah, I've always been myself,

even when I was ill.

Only now I seem myself.

And that's the important thing.

I have remembered how to seem.

What, what?

What did Your Majesty say?

What? I didn't say anything.

Besides, Greville, you shouldn't

ask the king questions.

You should know that.

What, what?

Get him ready.

Look at his piss.

We're back to lemonade.

It's still a bit inky.

That's yesterday's.

This is today's.

Here, piss the elder,

piss the younger.

(Both laugh)

(Coachman) Go on! Hyah! Hyah!

(Cheering)

(Speaker) The matter before this

house

is a bill to provide for the

care of His Majesty's person,

and for the administration

of the royal authority

during the continuance

of His Majesty's illness.

(All) Hear, hear!

(Man) Mr Speaker,

we on this side of the House

count ourselves fortunate

that we have in the person

of the Prince of Wales

a young man of such

character and aptitude.

(Cheering)

What now?

And so, Mr Speaker,

I would like to set out

some measures of

long overdue reform,

and, yes,

I may be bold to say it,

necessary expenditure...

I've just been with His Majesty

for two hours of uninterrupted

conversation with him.

- He means he's talking again.

- No, damn it!

Well, yes, but not 15 to the

dozen, and not nonsense, either.

He's actually

a damn clever fellow.

Had me reading Shakespeare.

Have you read King Lear?

Tragic story.

Of course!

If that fool of a messenger

had got a move on,

Cordelia wouldn't

have been hanged,

Lear wouldn't have died, and

it would have ended happily.

As it is, it's so damned tragic.

The point is,

the king is better.

Better than he was?

No, better. The "What, what?"

is back. Come.

No one, Mr Speaker,

entertains a higher regard

for His Majesty than I do.

But we cannot close

our eyes to the fact

that His Majesty

has been overtaken

by a terrible and I fear

long-lasting illness

that seems immune to all forms

of medical treatment.

I...

We're...

We're very touched...

by the concern...

shown by our most

loyal subjects...

And very - very happy

to be amongst you all again.

Be assured that now that

our strength has returned,

we will once more...

take up the reigns

of government.

(Man) Long live the king!

How was that?

Not bad, what, what?

# God save the king

# Long live the king

# God save the king

# May he live forever #

Papa! Papa! Hooray!

Pa, you're back! You're back!

Oh! Oh!

Come with me. Come with me.

Mama is in the garden.

(Queen) Two hours late!

He does this on purpose.

He knows it is his lateness

that always drives you mad.

Fear not. I shall strike

a note of reconciliation.

Love, that's the keynote.

Their Royal Highnesses,

Your Majesty.

Fred.

Pa.

George.

Oh, do, please...

How is Your Majesty?

Fat lot you care!

Love, George.

You smile, sir.

I'm happy to see

my father his old self,

in such good spirits, sir.

Good or bad,

I am in control of them, sir.

When a man can control himself

his spirits are immaterial.

When a man

cannot control himself,

he would do well to be sober!

- He would do well-

- Ahem!

Marry, sir.

I am married, sir.

Somebody big. Somebody German.

Children, what, what?

I am married, sir...

Not without my say-so!

And I do not say so.

I will not say so.

You are not married, sir.

Ahem.

If you have a cough,

sir, take it outside!

(King) Put her away, sir.

Your debts will be paid,

and you will have an income

that is appropriate.

(King) Is it any wonder

a man goes mad?

Doctors! 30 guineas a visit

and travelling expenses,

for six months of torture.

They would have a man pay for

his own execution, what, what?

How much is he getting?

An annuity.

1,000 a year, sir.

Well, he's done me some service.

I think it is time

has done you the service, sir.

Yes? Mmm, but what

of the colonies, Mr Pitt?

America is now a nation, sir.

Well.

We must get used to it.

I have known stranger things.

I once saw a sheep

with five legs.

(Man) Sacked?

Jesus!

- And me?

- Forget what you've seen,

majesty in its small clothes.

Wipe it from your memory.

He was ill. We knew that.

Yes, and now he's well.

Here.

Me, too.

I'm no longer in service.

You were kind to His Majesty

during his illness, Greville.

I did what I could,

Captain Fitzroy.

Colonel Fitzroy.

Did you not know that?

It seems unfair, I agree,

but a word of advice.

To be kind does not

commend you to kings.

They see it as they see

any flow of feeling,

as a liberty.

A blind eye

will serve you better,

and you will travel further.

Elizabeth.

His Majesty has yet

to retire, Mr Greville.

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