Riassunto
Trama e riassunto di R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love ideas wrapped in a fast story, the roots of robots in fiction, and theater that asks what work and being human mean.
Che cos’è questo libro
R.U.R. is a play in three acts and an epilogue by the Czech writer Karel Čapek. He wrote it in 1920, and it was first staged in Prague in 1921. The title stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, the name of a company that makes artificial workers and sells them across the world. Čapek's brother Josef suggested the word robot, which comes from a Czech word for forced labor. Through this play the word entered English and many other languages.
The story is set on a remote island, in a factory where living machines are built by the thousand. Čapek uses that setting to ask what happens when labor costs nothing and no one has to work. You meet managers, engineers and one visitor who is not sure the whole business is right. The play is short, quick and often darkly funny. It gives you a story, a set of sharp arguments and the origin of a word you use today. First, you need to see the island and the young woman who steps onto it.
In questo riassunto
- 1A visitor arrives at the robot factoryFree
- 2Old Rossum dreamed and young Rossum sold
- 3Helena asks for souls and meets resistance
- 4Ten years of ease bring quiet decay
- 5What the play says about work and being human
- 6How Čapek builds the play
Punto chiave 1 di 6
A visitor arrives at the robot factory
The play opens in the central office of Rossum's Universal Robots, on a distant island. Harry Domin, the general manager, sits at his desk when a young woman is announced. She is Helena Glory, the daughter of a president, and she carries a letter of introduction. Domin receives her with great courtesy, and the audience soon sees he is a man who enjoys his own importance.
Helena has come with a purpose she does not hide at first. She belongs to the Humanity League, a group that believes the robots are being treated badly. She has pictured the factory as a place of suffering, and she wants to see for herself.
The office has a human-looking secretary who is, in fact, a robot named Sulla. Helena speaks to her kindly and is shocked to learn what she is. Sulla looks and talks like a person, which is the first sign that the line between human and made thing is thin here.
Domin offers Helena a tour and answers her questions with practiced charm. He knows the account by heart, and he tells it well. The scene sets up the world, the company and the question that drives the play. It also sets up a quiet danger, because Domin is so sure that he is right and that no one will ever contradict him.
That’s 1 of 6 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Harry Domin
- The factory's confident general manager welcomes Helena and believes artificial workers will release humanity from labor.
- Helena Glory
- A president's daughter visiting Domin's factory, Helena challenges the managers and asks them to treat robots kindly.
- Alquist
- The head of construction works with his hands and questions the confidence of his fellow managers.
- Dr. Gall
- The factory's research chief experiments with robot physiology and discusses their human possibilities with Helena.
- Fabry
- The chief engineer works alongside Domin and proudly defends the factory's achievements against Helena's doubts.
- Busman
- The company's business manager shares Domin's confidence but approaches the factory's problems through accounts and profits.
- Radius
- A robot under the factory managers' authority, Radius speaks forcefully and questions his relationship with human masters.
- Sulla
- Domin's robot secretary looks so convincingly human that Helena initially takes her for a fellow person.
- Dr. Hallemeier
- Responsible for training the robots, Dr. Hallemeier joins the other company heads in discussing Helena's concerns.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 23,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 30 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots)
What is R.U.R. about?
R.U.R. is about a factory that makes artificial workers called robots and sells them worldwide. The play follows the managers, a visitor who questions the business, and what happens when cheap labor changes the world and the robots.
What does R.U.R. stand for?
R.U.R. stands for Rossum's Universal Robots, the name of the company in the play. The name recalls old Rossum and the young engineer Rossum, who develop artificial workers on a remote island.
Did R.U.R. invent the word robot?
Yes, the play brought the word robot into general use. Karel Čapek's brother Josef suggested it, and it comes from the Czech word robota, meaning forced labor or drudgery.
When was R.U.R. written and is it a true story?
It is fiction. Karel Čapek wrote it in 1920, and it was first staged in Prague in 1921. It was written as a warning about mass production and the cost of treating workers as tools.
Are the robots in R.U.R. made of metal?
No. The robots in the play are made of artificial living matter and look like human beings. This is quite different from the metal machines most people picture when they hear the word robot.