I'm not boring you, am I?

Helena No, quite the opposite, this is fascinating.

Domin So young Rossum said to himself: Man is a being that does things such as feeling happiness, plays the violin, likes to go for a walk, and all sorts of other things which are simply not needed.

Helena Oh, I see!

Domin No, wait.  Which are simply not needed for activities such as weaving or calculating.  A petrol engine doesn't have any ornaments or tassels on it, and making an artificial worker is just like making a petrol engine.  The simpler you make production the better you make the product.  What sort of worker do you think is the best?

Helena The best sort of worker?  I suppose one who is honest and dedicated.

Domin No.  The best sort of worker is the cheapest worker.  The one that has the least needs.  What young Rossum invented was a worker with the least needs possible.  He had to make him simpler.  He threw out everything that wasn't of direct use in his work, that's to say, he threw out the man and put in the robot.  Miss Glory, robots are not people.  They are mechanically much better than we are, they have an amazing ability to understand things, but they don't have a soul.  Young Rossum created something much more sophisticated than Nature ever did - technically at least!

Helena They do say that man was created by God.

Domin So much the worse for them.  God had no idea about modern technology.  Would you believe that young Rossum, when he was alive, was playing at God. 

Helena How was he doing that!

Domin He started to make super-robots.  Working giants.  He tried to make them four meters tall - you wouldn't believe how those monsters kept breaking up.

Helena Breaking up?

Domin Yes.  All of a sudden, for no reason, a leg or an arm would break.  This planet just seems too small for monsters like that.  So now we just make them normal size and normal proportions.

Helena I saw my first robot in our village.  They'd bought him so that .... that's to say they'd employed him to ...

Domin Bought it, Miss Glory.  Robots are bought and sold.

Helena ... they'd obtained him to work as a road sweeper.  I watched him working . He was strange.  So quiet. 

Domin Have you seen my typist?

Helena I didn't really notice her.

Domin (rings ) You know, RUR, Ltd. has never really make individual robots, but we do have some that are better than others.  The best ones can last up to twenty years.

Helena And then they die, do they?

Domin Yes, they get worn out.

(enter Sulla )

Domin Sulla, let Miss Glory have a look at you.  

Helena (stands and offers her hand ) Pleased to meet you.  It must be very hard for you out here, cut off from the rest of the world. 

Sulla I do not know the rest of the world Miss Glory please sit down

Helena (sits ) Where are you from?

Sulla From here, the factory

Helena Oh, you were born here.

Sulla Yes I was made here.

Helena (startled ) What?

Domin (laughing ) Sulla isn't a person, Miss Glory, she's a robot.

Helena Oh, please forgive me ...

Domin (puts his hand on Sulla's shoulder ) Sulla doesn't have feelings.  You can examine her.  Feel her face and see how we make the skin.

Helena Oh, no, no!

Domin It feels just the same as human skin.  Sulla even has the sort of down on her face that you'd expect on a blonde.  Perhaps her eyes are a bit small, but look at that hair.  Turn around, Sulla.

Helena Stop it!

Domin Talk to our guest.  We're very honoured to have her here.

Sulla Please sit down miss.  (both sit )  Did you have a good crossing.

Helena Er, yes, yes, very good thank you.

Sulla It will be better not to go back on the Amelia Miss Glory.  The barometer is dropping fast, and has sunk to 705.  Wait here for the Pennsylvania, that is a very good and very strong ship.

Domin How big is it?

Sulla It is twelve thousand tonnes and can travel at twenty knots. 

Domin (laughing ) That's enough now, Sulla, that's enough.  Show us how well you speak French.

Helena You speak French?

Sulla I speak four languages.  I can write  'Dear Sir! Monsieur! Geehrter Herr! Ctěný pane!'

Helena (jumping up ) This is all humbug!  You're all charlatans!  Sulla's not a robot, she's a living girl just like I am.  Sulla, you should be ashamed of yourself - why are you play-acting like this?

Sulla I am a robot.

Helena No, no, you're lying!  Oh, I'm sorry, Sulla, I realise ... I realise they force you to do it just to make their products look good.  Sulla, you're a living girl just like I am - admit it.

Domin Sorry Miss Glory.  I'm afraid Sulla really is a robot. 

Helena You're lying!

Domin (stands erect ) What's that? - (rings ) If you'll allow me, it seems I'll have to convince you.

(enter Marius )

Domin Marius, take Sulla down to the dissection room to have her opened up. Quickly!

Helena Where?

Domin The dissection room.  Once they've cut her open you can come down and have a look.

Helena I'm not going there!

Domin If you'll forgive me, you did say something about lying.

Helena You're going to have her killed?

Domin You don't kill a machine.

Helena (arms around Sulla ) Don't worry, Sulla, I won't let them take you.  Do they always treat you like this?  You shouldn't put up with it, do you hear, you shouldn't put up with it.

Sulla I am a robot.

Helena I don't care what you are.  Robots are people just as good as we are. Sulla, would you really let them cut you open.

Sulla Yes.

Helena And aren't you afraid of dying?

Sulla I do not understand dying, Miss Glory.

Helena Do you know what would happen to you then?

Sulla Yes, I would cease to move.

Helena This is terrible!

Domin Marius, tell the lady what you are.

Marius Robot, Marius.

Domin And would you take Sulla down to the dissection room?

Marius Yes.

Domin Would you not feel any pity for her?

Marius I do not understand pity.

Domin What would happen to her.

Marius She would cease to move.  She would be put on the scrap heap.

Domin That's what death is, Marius.  Are you afraid of death.

Marius No.

Domin There, Miss Glory, you see?  Robots don't cling to life.  There's no way they could do.   They've got no sense of pleasure.  They're less than the grass. 

Helena Oh stop it!  Send them out of here, at least!

Domin Marius, Sulla, you can go now.

(Sulla and Marius exeunt )

Helena They're horrible.  This is vile, what you're doing here.

Domin What's vile about it?

Helena I don't know.  Why ... why did you give her the name 'Sulla'?

Domin Don't you like that name?

Helena It's a man's name.  Sulla was a Roman general.

Domin Was he?  We thought Marius and Sulla were lovers.

Helena No, Marius and Sulla were generals who fought against each other in ... oh I forget when.

Domin Come over to the window.  What do you see?

Helena Bricklayers.

Domin They're robots.  All the workers here are robots.  And down here; what do you see there?

Helena Some kind of office.

Domin That's the accounts department.  And in the ...

Helena ...lots of office workers.

Domin They're all robots.  All our office staff are robots.  Over there there's the factory ....

(just then, factory whistles and sirens sound )

Domin Lunchtime.  The robots don't know when they're supposed to stop working.  At two o'clock  I'll show you the mixers.

Helena What mixers?

Domin (drily ) For mixing the dough.  Each one of them can mix the material for a thousand robots at a time.  Then there are the vats of liver and brain and so on.  The bone factory. Then I'll show you the spinning-mill.

Helena What spinning-mill

Domin Where we make the nerve fibres and the veins.  And the intestine mill, where kilometers of  tubing run through at a time.  Then there's the assembly room where all these things are put together, it's just like making a car really.  Each worker contributes just his own part of the production which automatically goes on to the next worker, then to the third and on and on.  It's all fascinating to watch.  After that they go to the drying room and into storage where the newly made robots work.

Helena You mean you make them start work as soon as they're made?

Domin Well really, it's more like working in the way a new piece of furniture works. They need to get used to the idea that they exist.  There's something on the inside of them that needs to grow or something.  And there are lots of new things on the inside that just aren't there until this time.  You see, we need to leave a little space for natural development.  And in the meantime the products go through their apprenticeship.

Helena What does that involve?

Domin Much the same as going to school for a person.  They learn how to speak, write and do arithmetic, as they've got amazing memories.  If you read a twenty-volume encyclopedia to them they could repeat it back to you word for word, but they never think of anything new for themselves.  They'd make very good university lecturers.  After that, they're sorted and distributed, fifteen thousand of them a day, not counting those that are defective and go back to the scrap heap ... and so on and so on. 

Helena Are you cross with me?

Domin God no!  I just thought we ... we might talk about something different. There's just a few of us here surrounded by hundreds of thousands of robots, and no women at all.  All we ever talk about is production levels all day every day.  It's as if there were some kind of curse on us.

Helena I'm very sorry I called you ... called you a liar.

(knocking )

Domin Come in, lads.

(Enter, stage left, Fabry, Dr. Gall, Dr. Hallemeier, Alquist )

Dr. Gall Oh, not disturbing you, are we?

Domin Come on in.  Miss Glory, this is Alquist, Fabry, Gall, Hallemeier.  Mr. Glory's daughter.

Helena (embarrassed ) Good afternoon

Fabry We had no idea

Dr. Gall This is a great pleasure

Alquist It's nice to see you here, Miss Glory

(Enter Busman, right )

Busman Hello, what's going on here?

Domin Come in, Busman.  This is Busman, and this is Mr. Glory's daughter.

Helena Pleased to meet you. 

Busman Oh, that's wonderful!  Miss Glory, would you mind if we send a telegram to the newspapers to say you've come?

Helena No, no, please don't do that!

Domin Please, do sit down.

(Fabry, Busman and Dr. Gall pull up armchairs )

Fabry Please ...

Busman After you ...

Dr. Gall Beg your pardon ...

Alquist Miss Glory, did you have a good journey?

Dr. Gall Will you be staying here, with us, for long?

Fabry What do you think of our factory, Miss Glory?

Hallemeier Came over on the Amelia, did you?

Domin Quiet, let Miss Glory speak.

Helena (to Domin )What am I supposed to say to them?

Domin (surprised )Whatever you like.

Helena Should I ... should I be open with them?

Domin Of course you should.

Helena (hesitant, then decided ) Tell me, do you not mind the way you're treated?

Fabry Treated by whom?

Helena Any of these people.

(All look at each other in bewilderment )

Alquist The way we're treated?

Dr. Gall How do you mean?

Hallemeier Oh my God!

Busman But Miss Glory, dear me!

Helena Do you not think you could have a better kind of existence?

Dr. Gall That all depends, Miss Glory, what do you mean?

Helena What I mean is ... (in an outburst ) ... this is all horrible, it's vile!  (standing ) The whole of Europe is talking about what's going on here and the way you're treated. That's why I've come here, to see for myself, and I find it's a thousand times worse than anyone ever thought!  How can you bear it?

Alquist What is it you think we have to bear?

Helena Your position here.  You are people just like we are, for God's sake, just like anyone else in Europe, anyone else in the world!  It's a scandal, the way you have to live, it isn't worthy of you!

Busman My word, Miss Glory!!

Fabry But I think there might be something in what Miss Glory says, lads.  We really do live here like a camp of Indians.

Helena Worse than Indians!  May I, oh, may I call you 'brothers'?

Busman Well, why on Earth not?

Helena Brothers, I haven't come here on behalf of my father.  I'm here on behalf of the League of Humanity.  Brothers, the League of Humanity now has more than two thousand members.  There are two thousand people who are standing up for you and want to help you.

Busman Two thousand people!  Dear me, that's quite a decent number, that's very nice indeed.

Fabry I always say that old Europe hasn't had its day yet.  Do you hear, lads, they haven't forgotten about us, they want to help us.

Dr. Gall What sort of help do you have in mind?  A theatre performance, perhaps?

Hallemeier An orchestra?

Helena More than that.

Alquist Yourself?

Helena Oh, never mind myself!  I'll stay here for as long as it's needed.

Busman Dear me, that is good news!  

Alquist I'll go and get the best room ready for Miss Glory then, Domin.

Domin Wait a second, Alquist, I've a feeling Miss Glory hasn't quite finished speaking yet.

Helena No, I haven't finished, not unless you mean to shut me up by force.

Dr. Gall Harry, how dare you!

Helena Thank you.  I knew you'd protect me.

Domin Excuse me, Miss Glory, but are you sure you're talking to robots?

Helena (taken aback )Who else would I be talking to?

Domin I'm afraid these gentlemen are people, just like you are.  Just like the whole of Europe.

Helena (to the others ) You aren't robots?

Busman (laughing ) God forbid!

Hallemeier The idea's disgusting!

Dr. Gall (laughing ) Well thank you very much!

Helena But ... but that's impossible.

Fabry On my word of honour, Miss Glory, we are not robots. 

Helena (to Domin ) Then why did you tell me that all your staff are robots?

Domin All the staff are robots, but not the management.  Let me introduce them: Mr. Fabry, general technical director, Rossum's Universal Robots.  Doctor Gall, director of department for physiology and research.  Doctor Hallemeier, director of the institute for robot behaviour and psychology.  Mr.