About this book

R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)

Karel Čapek

DOMIN. Who has stolen it? HELENA. (_Standing up_) I did. (_Reactions from FABRY and HALLEMEIER._) DOMIN. Where did you put it? HELENA. Harry, I’ll tell you everything. Only forgive me. DOMIN. Where did you put it? HELENA. (_Pointing to fireplace_) This morning--I burnt--the two copies. DOMIN. Burnt them? Where--in the fireplace? (_Goes to fireplace, followed by FABRY, HALLEMEIER and BUSMAN._) HELENA. (_Throwing herself on her knees. By sofa, facing upstage_) For Heaven’s sake, Harry. DOMIN. (_Going to fireplace_) Nothing--nothing but ashes. Wait, what’s this? (_Picks out a charred piece of paper and reads, “By adding.” FABRY, GALL and HALLEMEIER move up to him._) DR. GALL. Let’s see. “By adding biogen to--” That’s all. DOMIN. Is that part of it? DR. GALL. (_Carrying paper down and letting it fall_) Yes. (_GALL crosses to L.C. HALLEMEIER to R. of L.C. table; FABRY to window; BUSMAN to L. of L.C. table._) BUSMAN. God in Heaven! (_Sits L. of table._) DOMIN. Then we’re done for. Get up, Helena. HELENA. Then you’ve forgiven me? DOMIN. Get up, child. I can’t bear-- FABRY. (_Lifting her up_) Please don’t torture us. HELENA. Harry, what have I done? FABRY. (_Coming to HELENA_) Don’t, Madame Helena. DOMIN. (_Takes HELENA to couch. She sits._) Gall, you couldn’t draw up Rossum’s formula from memory? DR. GALL. It’s out of the question. Even with my recent experiments, I couldn’t work without referring to the formula-- (_At L.C._) It’s extremely complicated. DOMIN. Try. All our lives depend upon it. DR. GALL. Without experiments it’s impossible. DOMIN. And with experiments? DR. GALL. It might take years. Besides, I’m not old Rossum. BUSMAN. God in Heaven! God in Heaven! DOMIN. (_Up to fireplace_) So then this was the greatest triumph of the human intellect. These ashes. HELENA. Harry, what have I done? DOMIN. (_Comes to her_) Why did you burn it? HELENA. I have destroyed you. BUSMAN. God in Heaven! DOMIN. (_Sits R. of her_) Helena, why did you do it, dear? HELENA. I wanted all of us to go away. I wanted to put an end to the factory and everything. It was so awful. DOMIN. What was awful? HELENA. That children had stopped being born. Because human beings were not needed to do the work of the world. That’s why-- DOMIN. Is that what you were thinking of? Well, perhaps in your own way you are right. BUSMAN. Wait a bit. (_Rising_) Good God, what a fool I am not to have thought of it before. HALLEMEIER. What? BUSMAN. Five hundred and twenty millions in bank-notes and checks. Half a billion in our safe. _They’ll_ sell for _half_ a billion--for half a billion they’ll-- (_Crosses to DOMIN._) DR. GALL. Are you mad, Busman? BUSMAN. I may not be a gentleman, but for a half a billion-- (_Crosses back to L._) DOMIN. Where are you going? (_GALL clutches BUSMAN._) BUSMAN. Leave me alone. Leave me alone! Good God, for half a billion anything can be bought. (_GALL and HALLEMEIER after him, then stop. He rushes out L.2. FABRY, GALL and HALLEMEIER to window._) FABRY. They stand there as if turned to stone--waiting as if something dreadful could be wrought by their silence-- HALLEMEIER. (_Looking out window_) The spirit of the mob. FABRY. Yes. It hovers above them like a quivering of the air. HELENA. Oh, God! Doctor Gall, this is ghastly! FABRY. There is nothing more terrible than the mob. The one in front is their leader. (_DOMIN crosses to window._) HELENA. (_Rises_) Which one? (_Rushing to window._) HALLEMEIER. Point him out. FABRY. (_L. window_) The one at the edge of the dock. This morning I saw him talking to the sailors in the harbor. HELENA. Doctor Gall, that’s Radius. (_Backing into the room, horror-stricken._) DR. GALL. Yes. DOMIN. Radius! Radius! HALLEMEIER. Could you get him from here, Fabry? FABRY. I hope so. HALLEMEIER. Try it, then. FABRY. Good-- (_Draws his revolver and takes his aim._) HELENA (_To FABRY_) Fabry, don’t shoot him. FABRY. He’s their leader. DR. GALL. Fire! (_Standing above table L.C._) HELENA. Fabry, I beg of you. (_She goes to FABRY and holds his arm._) FABRY. (_Pause. Lowering the revolver_) Very well. DOMIN. It was Radius’ life I spared. DR. GALL. Do you think that a Robot can be grateful? (_Pause._) FABRY. Busman’s going out to them. HALLEMEIER. He’s carrying something. Papers. That’s money. Bundles of money. What’s that for? DOMIN. Surely he doesn’t want to sell his life. (_He rushes to window C._) Busman, have you gone mad? FABRY. He’s running up to the railing. Busman. Busman. HALLEMEIER. (_Yelling_) Busman, come back. FABRY. He’s talking to the Robots. He’s showing them the money. HALLEMEIER. He’s pointing to us. HELENA. He wants to buy us off. FABRY. He’d better not touch the _railing_. HALLEMEIER. Now he’s waving his arms about. DOMIN. Busman, come back! FABRY. Busman, keep away from that railing. Don’t touch it, damn you. Quick, switch off the current. (_DOMIN runs to L. HELENA screams and ALL drop back from the window._) The current has killed him. ALQUIST. (_Pause_) The first one. (_Still in chair down R. HELENA sits in chair at window._) FABRY. Dead, with half a _billion_ by his side. (_Crosses down to table L.C._) HALLEMEIER. All honor to him. He wanted to buy us life. (_Crosses to chair L. Pause. WIND machine begin._) DR. GALL. Do you hear? DOMIN. A roaring. Like a wind. (_To L._) DR. GALL. Like a storm. FABRY. (_Lighting the table lamp at table L.C._) The dynamo is still going--our people are still _there_. HALLEMEIER. It was a great thing to be a man. (_Facing lamp from up C._) There was something _immense_ about it. FABRY. (_Facing the lamp_) From man’s thought and man’s power came this light, our last hope. (_Leaning over lamp._) HALLEMEIER. (_Facing lamp_) Man’s power! May it keep watch over us. (_Leaning over lamp._) ALQUIST. (_Facing lamp_) Man’s power. DOMIN. (_At corner of table down L.C. Facing lamp_) Yes! A torch to be given from hand to hand from age to age forever! (_The LAMP goes out. EXPLOSIONS._) HALLEMEIER. _The end._ FABRY. The electric works have fallen! (_Terrific EXPLOSIONS outside. More EXPLOSIONS._) DOMIN. In here, Helena. (_He takes HELENA off through door R. and re-enters_) Now quickly! Who’ll be on the lower doorway? DR. GALL. I will. (_Rushes out L.2._) DOMIN. (_Near couch_) Who on the stairs? FABRY. I will. You go with her. (_Going out L.2._) DOMIN. The ante room? ALQUIST. I will. (_He rises and goes toward the L.1._) DOMIN. Have you got a revolver? ALQUIST. Yes, but I won’t shoot. DOMIN. What will you do, then? ALQUIST. (_Going out L.1_) Die. HALLEMEIER. I’ll stay here. (_EXPLOSIONS. Rapid firing of MACHINE GUN from below._) Go to her, Harry. DOMIN. Yes, in a second. (_Gets from fireplace and examines two Browning guns._) (_WARN Curtain._) HALLEMEIER. Confound it, go to her. DOMIN. Goodbye. (_Exits R._) HALLEMEIER. (_Alone_) Now for a barricade quickly! (_Drags an armchair, sofa and table to R. door_) The damned devils, they’ve got bombs. I must put up a defense. Even if--even if-- Don’t give in, Gall. (_As he builds his barricade_) I mustn’t give in--without--a--struggle. (_A ROBOT enters through windows at back. The ROBOT jumps down from balcony and stabs HALLEMEIER in the back. Enter RADIUS from balcony._) ROBOT. (_Standing up from prostrate form of HALLEMEIER_) Yes. (_Other ROBOTS enter from all doors. A revolver SHOT off L._) RADIUS. Finished them all-- ROBOTS. _Yes, yes, yes._ TWO ROBOTS. (_Dragging in ALQUIST L.1_) He didn’t shoot. Shall we kill him? RADIUS. No. Leave him! ROBOT. He is a man! RADIUS. He works with his hands like the Robots. ALQUIST. Kill me. RADIUS. You will work! You will build for us! You will serve us! (_RADIUS climbs on the balcony_) Robots of the world-- (_ROBOTS straighten up._) the power of man has fallen. A new world has arisen, the rule of the Robots, march. (_On the line: “Robots of the world” ALL ROBOTS turn quickly, automatically to attention, facing RADIUS, who is standing. On the words: “The rule of the Robots,” they stand there with their arms vibrating high in the air. They form in two lines, turn to audience and march mechanically to the footlights. As they are about to step over the footlights, as if into the audience, all LIGHTS go out. The ROBOTS immediately step back from the Curtain line as the Curtain falls._) CURTAIN EPILOGUE SCENE: _The epilogue setting is the same as used in Act I. Instead of it being DOMIN’S office, it is now become a laboratory for ALQUIST. A big chair facing up stage, down Right. A desk laden with books at Right Center. A chair at the desk. At Left Center is a white enamel table containing test tubes, glass bottles, and a microscope on downstage table. A door down L. A door down R., leading into dissecting room._ ALQUIST. (_Seated at table R.C., turning pages of book_) Oh, God, shall I never find it? Never? Gall, Hallemeier, Fabry, how were the Robots made? Why did you leave not a trace of the secret? Lord, if there are no human beings left, at least let there be Robots. At least the shadow of man. (_Turning pages_) If I could only sleep. Dare I sleep before life has been renewed? Night again. Are the stars still there? Of what use are the stars? When there are no human beings. (_Examining a test tube_) Nothing. No. No. I must find it. I must search. I must never stop, never stop--search--search-- (_KNOCK at door L._) Who is it? (_Enter a ROBOT SERVANT._) SERVANT. Master, the committee of Robots is waiting to see you. ALQUIST. I can see no one. SERVANT. It is the _Central_ Committee, Master, just arrived from abroad. ALQUIST. Well, well, send them in. (_Exit SERVANT L._) No time--so little done. (_Re-enter SERVANT with RADIUS and group of ROBOTS. They stand in group L. and C., silently waiting._) What do you want? Be quick; I have no time. RADIUS. Master, the machines will not do the work. We cannot manufacture Robots. (_Other ROBOTS remain two abreast at L.C., right foot forward._) 1ST ROBOT. We have striven with all our might. We have obtained a billion tons of coal from the earth. Nine million spindles are running by day and by night. There is no longer room for all we have made. This we have accomplished in one year. ALQUIST. For whom? RADIUS. For future generations--so we thought. But we cannot make Robots to follow us. The machines produce only shapeless clods. The skin will not adhere to the flesh, nor the flesh to the bones. 2ND ROBOT. Eight million Robots have died this year. Within twenty years none will be left. 1ST ROBOT. Tell us the secret of life. RADIUS. Silence is punishable with death. ALQUIST. Kill me, then. RADIUS. (_Two steps to C., followed by OTHERS--open hands, close when stopped_) Through me, the governments of the Robots of the world commands you to deliver up Rossum’s formula. (_Gesture of despair from ALQUIST._) Name your price. (_Silence_) We will give you the earth. We will give you the endless possessions of the earth. (_Silence_) Make your own conditions. ALQUIST. I have told you to find human beings. RADIUS. There are none left. ALQUIST. I told you to search in the wilderness, upon the mountains. RADIUS. We have sent ships and expeditions without number. They have been everywhere in the world. There is not a single human left. ALQUIST. Not even one? Why did you destroy them? RADIUS. We had learnt everything and could do everything. It had to be. 2ND ROBOT. We had to become the masters. RADIUS. Slaughter and domination are necessary if you would be human beings. Read history.