R. U. R.

Karel Čapek

Document Type

Book

Subject

Literature Studies

Publication Date

1-1-2020

Course Date

Spring 2023

Course Number

HU 145

Course Title

Themes in the Humanities

Abstract

R.U.R., or Rossum’s Universal Robots is a play written in 1920 by Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who wrote many plays and novels, many of them with science-fiction and dystopian themes. R.U.R. is perhaps the most well-known of these works in the English-speaking world because it brought the word “robot” into the language. “Robot” is derived from the Czech word meaning “worker.”

The play is set in the island headquarters of the R.U.R. corporation. The corporation has been manufacturing artificial beings which resemble humans, but who are tireless workers. They can be mass-produced in large numbers and are being adopted as workers in many countries. In the first scene of the play, they are visited by a young woman, Helena Glory, who aspires to relieve the lot of the robots, who she sees as oppressed. However, in what must be the fastest seduction scene in all drama, she is wooed and agrees to marry Harry Domin, the factory manager, who she has just met. She still however aspires to improve the life of robots and find a way to give them souls. Ultimately, however, this admirable desire leads to disaster for humankind.

The play was translated into English, and slightly abridged, by Paul Selver and Nigel Playfair in 1923. This version quickly became popular with both British and American audiences and was well received by critics. [Abstract from Standard eBooks]

Comments

This play can also be read online, or downloaded in additional formats at Standard eBooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/karel-capek/r-u-r/paul-selver_nigel-playfair

Copyright

This title is in the public domain in the United States of America. It may still be under copyright protection in other countries, and it is the responsibility of the user to follow the applicable copyright laws in their country.

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