R.U.R. Karel Čapek (story read aloud .TXT) 📖

voce. Five hundred and twenty million. Hallemeier Life was a good thing, life was⁠—Looking out of window. Directly to Fabry. Fabry, switch the current into that railing. Fabry Why? Rushes to electric installation at L. Hallemeier They’re grabbing hold of it. Domin rises⁠—straightens up. All rise. Dr. Gall Connect it up. Hallemeier Fine, that’s doubled them up. Two, three, four killed. Dr. Gall They’re retreating. Domin sits. Hallemeier Five killed. Dr. Gall Pause. The first encounter. Hallemeier They’re charred to cinders, my boy. Who says we must give in? Music stops. Domin Alquist and Gall sit. Wiping his forehead. Perhaps we’ve been killed this hundred years and are only ghosts. It’s as if I had been through all this before, as if I’d already had a mortal wound here in the throat. Looking at each as he speaks. And you, Fabry, had once been shot in the head. And you, Gall, torn limb from limb. And Hallemeier knifed. Hallemeier Fancy me being knifed. Looks at each. Then speaks. Why are you so quiet, you fools? Steps down. Speak, can’t you? Alquist And who is to blame for all this? Hallemeier Nobody is to blame except the Robots. Alquist No, it is we are to blame. You, Domin, myself⁠—all of us. For our own selfish ends, for profit, for progress, we have destroyed mankind. Now we’ll burst with all our greatness. Hallemeier Rubbish, man. Mankind can’t be wiped out so easily. Alquist It’s our fault. It’s our fault. Rises, coming R. of Gall. Dr. Gall No! I’m to blame for this, for everything that’s happened. He leaves the window and comes down to end of couch. Fabry You, Gall? Dr. Gall I changed the Robots. Busman What’s that? Dr. Gall I changed the character of the Robots. I changed the way of making them. Just a few details about their bodies. Chiefly⁠—chiefly, their⁠—their irritability. Hallemeier Damn it, why? Busman What did you do it for? Fabry Why didn’t you say anything? Dr. Gall I did it in secret. I was transforming them into human beings. In certain respects they’re already above us. They’re stronger than we are. Fabry And what’s that got to do with the revolt of the Robots? Dr. Gall Everything, in my opinion. They’ve ceased to be machines. They’re already aware of their superiority, and they hate us as they hate everything human. Domin Perhaps we’re only phantoms. Fabry Stop, Harry. We haven’t much time, Doctor Gall. Domin Fabry, Fabry, how your forehead bleeds where the shot pierced it. Fabry Crosses to Gall. Be silent! Doctor Gall, you admit changing the way of making the Robots. Dr. Gall Yes. Fabry Were you aware of what might be the consequences of your experiment? Dr. Gall I was bound to reckon with such a possibility. Fabry Amusing. Why did you do it, then? Helena enters L. 1. Dr. Gall For my own satisfaction. The experiment was my own. Helena That’s not true, Doctor Gall! Crosses to couch. Domin Rises. Helena, you? Crosses to her. Let’s look at you. Oh, it’s terrible to be dead. He rises and crushes her in his arms. Helena Stop, Harry. Domin No, no, Helena, don’t leave me now. You are life itself. Helena No, dear, I won’t leave you. But I must tell them. Doctor Gall is not guilty. Fabry Excuse me. Gall was under certain obligations. Helena No. He did it because I wanted it. Tell them, Doctor Gall⁠—how many years ago did I ask you to⁠—? Dr. Gall I did it on my own responsibility. Helena Don’t believe him. I asked him to give the Robots souls. Domin This has nothing to do with the soul. Helena That’s what he said. He said that he could change only a physiological⁠—a physiological⁠— Hallemeier From up at window. A physiological correlate? Helena Yes. But it meant so much to me that he should do even that. Domin Why? Helena I thought that if they were more like us they would understand us better. That they couldn’t hate us if they were only a little more human. Domin Nobody can hate man more than man. Helena Oh, don’t speak like that, Harry. It was so terrible, this cruel strangeness between us and them. That’s why I asked Gall to change the Robots. I swear to you that he didn’t want to. Domin But he did it. Helena Because I asked him. Dr. Gall I did it for myself as an experiment. Up to window. Helena No, Doctor Gall! I know you wouldn’t refuse me. Domin Why? Helena You know, Harry. Domin Yes, because he’s in love with you⁠—like all of them. Fabry up to window. Pause. Domin takes her in his arms. Hallemeier Good God, they’re sprouting up out of the earth. Why, perhaps these very walls will change into Robots. Busman Rises; crosses to Gall. Gall, when did you actually start these tricks of yours? Dr. Gall Three years ago. Busman Aha. And on how many Robots altogether did you carry out your improvements? Walking to and fro. Dr. Gall A few hundred of them. Busman Ah! That means for every million of the good old Robots there’s only one of Gall’s improved pattern. Back to table L. C. Domin What of it? Crossing around L., he stands upstage in the L. 2 doorway. Busman That it’s of no consequence whatsoever. Fabry Busman’s right. Helena sits in armchair R. of L. C. table. Busman I should think so, my boy; but do you know what is to blame for this lovely mess? Fabry What? Busman The number! Crosses to L. of L. C. table. Upon my soul, we might have known that some day or other the Robots would be stronger than human beings, and that this was bound to happen. And we were doing all we could to bring it about as soon as possible. You, Domin, you, Fabry, myself⁠— Domin Are you accusing us? Turning on him. Busman Oh, do you suppose the management controls the output? It’s the demand that controls the output. Helena And is it for that we must perish? Busman That’s a nasty word, Madame Helena. We don’t want to perish. I don’t, anyhow. He