Previous
Act 3
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Winslow Boy, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Principles and Sacrifice
Family
Women and Patriarchy
Media and Spectacle
Summary
Analysis
Five months later, it’s a hot day in June and has been almost two years since Ronnie was expelled. The telephone rings incessantly. Dickie enters the room, looking hot and flustered. He's wearing a neat suit with a tie and a stiff collar. He shouts for Grace, and receiving no reply also shouts for Violet.
Rattigan cleverly spaces each act from the other by a period of months to emphasize the long passage of time that has gone by. This helps create the sense of the case being grueling and unrelenting. Dickie has evidently just returned from somewhere and is dressed more smartly than a few months ago. The ringing phone signals that the press intrusion is at its peak.
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With nobody around, Dickie picks up the phone. It’s a journalist from the Daily Mail, who quizzes Dickie about his life and his thoughts on the trial. Dickie tries to stay tight-lipped, saying Ronnie is just a normal boy. He tells the reporter that he’s only just arrived from Reading, where he works in a bank. He nervously says his brother never washes, and then, realizing that sounds bad, says that he does sometimes.
Dickie took the job at the bank his father mentioned earlier. He knows it’s risky to speak to the press, and is trying not to, but the journalist on the other end of the phone is clearly skillful at getting him to talk. Fortunately for him, what he says is fairly harmless, though the experience clearly makes him nervy.
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Dickie puts the phone down, which immediately starts ringing again. Grace comes in and greets Dickie, complimenting his new suit. According to Grace, the phone hasn’t stopped for four days. Dickie tells her he had to fight his way through an “army of reporters” to get in the house.
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Dickie jokingly pretends that he told the reporter on the phone that he thinks Ronnie is guilty, much to Grace’s momentary horror. He asks her how it’s been going. She says she’s been in the court for four days straight but hardly understood a word. She answers the phone and just says that nobody is in, putting it straight back down.
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Grace calls Arthur in from the garden for lunch. Dickie asks if there will be room for him at the court. Grace says yes, and how exciting it all is: “you never saw such crowds in your life.” She says even though she doesn’t understand Sir Robert and the Crown’s representative’s technical arguments, the fact that they are so heated makes it compelling viewing.
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Dickie asks how Ronnie did as a witness. Grace says that Ronnie—“the poor little pet”—felt that two days being examined by the Attorney-General (the Crown’s representative) was easier than two minutes interrogation at the hands of Sir Robert.
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Dickie asks how Kate (Catherine) is; he has heard that John has broken off their engagement. Grace responds you can never tell with Catherine—“she never lets you know what she is feeling.”
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Arthur comes in through the garden door, walking badly. Grace tells him off for coming up the stairs by himself. Arthur gets into a wheelchair and apologizes to Dickie for his new and “ludicrous form of propulsion.” Arthur tells Dickie that he has heard from his banking friend that Dickie is doing well in his new role.
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Arthur has also heard that Dickie has joined the volunteer reserve force of the British Army. Dickie says it’s because he’s heard “there’s a fair chance of a scrap quite soon,” and he doesn’t want it to be all over before he can get involved. He says he can always go back to the bank afterwards.
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The telephone rings again. Arthur picks it up and immediately puts it down. Grace says that he shouldn’t do that as it annoys the exchange. Arthur complains that Catherine is late and criticizes Grace’s choice of outfit, saying it’s more suited to a theatre performance than a court case.
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Arthur asks Grace if his lunch is ready. She’s made him salad as the cook and Violet are at the trial. Dickie says he thought Violet was going to be dismissed, but Grace says neither she nor Arthur have had the courage to tell her; Arthur counters he does have the courage and will break the news to Violet. Grace tells him that he mustn’t until the time is right. Arthur complains to Dickie: “These taunts of cowardice are daily flung at my head; but should I take them up I’m forbidden to move in the matter. Such is the logic of women.”
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Arthur goes into the dining room; Dickie closes the door after him. With concern, Dickie asks Grace about Arthur’s health. She informs him that Arthur has promised to go into a nursing home after the trial, though she doesn’t really believe him. She says at least Catherine and Sir Robert managed to convince him to stay away from the court.
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Dickie offers his sympathies to Grace. She says Arthur doesn’t care what she thinks and never has, but that she’s given up worrying—it’s her job to “pick up the pieces.”
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Catherine comes in, complaining of the heat and the reporters outside. She hugs Dickie, and says she thinks the judge is against the Winslows. According to her, Sir Robert is worried about the case’s outcome. Apparently, the Attorney-General made a speech that implied that a verdict for Ronnie would be a damnation of the navy and cause “jubilation” in Germany.
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Arthur appears at the dining-room door, still in his chair. He tells Catherine she is late. She says it’s because there was such a huge crowd both inside and outside the court—Grace seems pleased to hear the crowd is even bigger than the day before.
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Catherine informs Arthur that Sir Robert did a great job examining the witness who identified Ronnie as the thief. Without bullying her or frightening her, he managed to find numerous inconsistencies in her story. Catherine thinks that will have offset the damage done by the Attorney-General’s speech.
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Catherine says she saw John in court—Grace is horrified and hopes Catherine didn’t speak to him. But John had wished Catherine good luck, which Grace thinks is outrageous and “cold-blooded.” Arthur warns Grace she will be late for the resumption of court. She makes him promise to finish his lunch.
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Grace and Dickie leave for court. Arthur asks Catherine if they are going to lose—they both know it’s their last chance. He asks what Sir Robert thinks, and wonders whether Catherine was right to doubt the barrister. She says they “couldn’t have had a better man.” At least, he’s the best at his job and seems like he genuinely wants to win; she hasn’t changed her mind about anything else she previously said about his personal qualities, though.
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Arthur read in the papers that proceedings began earlier with Sir Robert telling the judge he felt he was getting ill. Catherine says that was just a trick to get him the sympathy of the jurors and the judge. Or, she says hesitatingly, to give him an excuse if he loses. Arthur asks if she likes him—she says she neither likes nor dislikes him, but admires him.
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Desmond Curry comes in through the garden door. He apologizes for arriving from the back of the house but says there were too many people out front. He wants to speak with Catherine alone, so Arthur goes to finish his lunch.
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Desmond says he has an urgent question for Catherine; he has a taxi waiting outside. She says that she already knows what the question is, and that she would like a few days to think it over. She tells him she’s grateful, much to his bewilderment. Catherine says Desmond should hurry back to his taxi. He asks her if she’s always known that he loves her, to which she says yes.
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Desmond says they should examine two facts: one, that Catherine doesn’t love him and never will; two, that he loves her and will never stop. After an awkward pause, she thanks him for making “everything much clearer.”
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Catherine changes the subject to Sir Robert, whom they agree is a strange and brilliant man. Once again, Catherine calls him “fishlike.” Desmond informs her of the secret that Sir Robert turned down the role of Lord Chief Justice—the most prestigious job in British law—to continue working on the case. He says: “strange are the ways of men are they not?” Desmond then leaves.
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Catherine says she has been a fool; Arthur waits for her to say why, but she doesn’t. Then he asks what Desmond wanted. She says Desmond wanted to marry her. Arthur assumes that she didn’t accept; he hopes that wasn’t what she was referring to about being a fool.
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Catherine asks if it would be such “folly” to marry Desmond. Arthur thinks it would be lunacy. She says that he’s “nice” and that she is approaching thirty. Arthur says that being thirty isn’t the end of life, but Catherine says it might be for “an unmarried woman, with not much looks.” Arthur says it’s “better far to live and die an old maid than marry Desmond.”
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Arthur tells Catherine that he is bequeathing everything to her and Grace. There’s still a “little left” of his money, he says. He asks if she has taken his advice and demanded a salary from the Suffrage Association. She has, but it’s hardly anything. He says she’ll have to think of something else to do.
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Catherine asks if Arthur thinks the work she does for Suffrage is useful. He remains silent. She says he might be right, but it’s the only work she’s fitted for. She believes she faces a choice: marry Desmond and be comfortable or go on being broke fighting for a “hopeless cause.” Arthur is surprised to hear his daughter call the cause “hopeless” for the first time.
Catherine says John told her he’s getting married to someone else next month. Apparently he was very apologetic, which Arthur thinks is ridiculous. He asks if John is in love with the new woman. Catherine answers “no more than he was with me.” She says he’s marrying so soon after their split because he thinks there’s going to be a war. John’s father also approves—the new woman is a general’s daughter.
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Arthur slowly takes Catherine’s hand in his. He asks her if he’s messed up her life. She says no—she’s responsible. Arthur apologizes, but Catherine tells him they both knew what they were doing. Arthur says that it seems their motives have both been different all along—“can we both have been right?” She says she thinks that, yes, they can.
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Arthur says that maybe they’ve just been stubborn—that’s what Grace thinks. Catherine agrees that it’s a possibility. But perhaps stubbornness isn’t “such a bad quality in the face of injustice,” says Arthur; or “in the face of tyranny,” adds Catherine. Neither of them thinks they would have done anything differently. He kisses her head and thanks her.
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Arthur and Catherine can hear the shout of a newsboy outside. He’s calling out “Winslow Case Result!” Catherine thinks there must be some mistake.
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Violet bursts into the room with a big smile on her face. Apparently just after lunch—when none of the family was actually there—the Winslows won the case. She describes jubilant scenes; Sir Robert was in tears and the jury jumped over the box to congratulate him and shake his hands.
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Violet says to Arthur that he must be pleased—she’d always said it would work out. He is pleased, he says. She says that sometimes he thought he and Catherine had been wasting their time—but they wouldn’t have felt that if they’d been there, that’s for sure.
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Violet enters again, announcing the arrival of Sir Robert. He walks into the room “calmly and methodically,” and says he thought Arthur might like to hear the Attorney-General’s conceding statement which he’s written down on a scrap of paper. It absolves Ronnie of any wrongdoing. He folds the paper up and gives it to Arthur.
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Arthur thanks Sir Robert, saying it is hard for him to find the right words. Sir Robert says they can take the “rather tiresome and conventional expressions of gratitude for granted.” He wants to apply pressure to the First Lord in order to help Arthur get back some of the damages and costs of the case. Arthur says: “please, sir—no more trouble—I beg. Let the matter rest here.” He holds the piece of paper and says that it is all he has ever asked for.
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Sir Robert turns to Catherine and says it was a pity she wasn’t in court. He says the handwriting expert had been discredited and that that had won them the case. Violet comes back in and tells Arthur that the reporters at the front door would like a statement from him.
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Catherine begins to wheel Arthur to the door, but he protests that he wants his stick—he refuses to meet the press in his “ridiculous chariot.” He tries out some different phrases with Catherine and Sir Robert as he figures out what to say in his statement. He says maybe he should just say what he feels which is “Thank God we beat ‘em.” He exits.
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Sir Robert asks Catherine if he could have a little whiskey. She goes into the dining-room to get some. While she’s out of the room, Sir Robert droops his shoulders wearily and sits in the chair. He sits up straight when she comes back in.
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Catherine says she has both a confession and an apology to make to him, neither of which Sir Robert thinks is necessary. She insists and tells him that she misjudged his attitude to the case. He accepts her gratitude but says that his attitude has been the same as hers: to win.
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Catherine says she knows that Sir Robert has made great sacrifices for the case (i.e. the Chief Justice role). He says the robes wouldn’t have suited him and angrily tells her he will have Desmond expelled from the Law Society. He asks her never to tell anyone what she knows.
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Catherine asks Sir Robert why he is so keen to stop people knowing about him. He says it’s “perhaps because I do not know the truth about myself.” She says that is no answer; he lightly accuses her of cross-examining him. Why, she asks, is he so “ashamed” of his emotions? He says to fight a case on emotional grounds would guarantee defeat.
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If Sir Robert is so anti-emotion, Catherine follows up, then why did he weep in court earlier? He suspects Violet of telling her and says it will be all over the papers tomorrow. He grudgingly admits that he wept because “right had been done.”
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Catherine asks whether Sir Robert means “right” as opposed to “justice.” He thinks it easy to do “justice” but hard to “right.” The former is intellectual while the latter induces tears. He then asks Catherine if he can “leave the witness box.”
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Mischievously, Sir Robert asks Catherine why she doesn’t abandon the “lost cause of women’s suffrage” and work in the law courts. She says she doesn’t believe it is a lost cause. He says that he hopes to catch a glimpse of her at parliament some day, wearing her hat in the public gallery.
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Ronnie comes in and apologizes to Sir Robert, saying he didn’t know anything was going to happen. He was at the cinema. He asks if they won.
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Sir Robert tells Ronnie that they were victorious. He asks Catherine whether he will, then, see her at the parliament one day. She says he will—but she won’t be in the public gallery. Catherine says she’ll be there in the same capacity as him—across the floor as a member of the opposite political party. Smiling faintly as he turns to leave, he says: “Perhaps. Goodbye.”
