R.U.R.

Alquist, a builder and chief of construction, is “older than the rest, carelessly dressed, with long, grizzled hair and whiskers” (2). Čapek explores what it means to be human through his character. A central question in the play is whether work diverts or enables humanity to achieve meaning. Alquist believes work is a virtuous act: People are not meant to simply live a life of leisure, and labor is a way of deriving fulfillment.

The robots spare Alquist’s life during the revolution; of all the humans, he is the most similar to them. Radius says Alquist “is a Robot. […] He builds houses. He can work” (70). Alquist is also the most religious of the directors, and quotes the Bible in his final monologue. His attitude is akin to a Protestant work ethic—God rewards work, specifically manual labor, with an immortal soul. Čapek suggests that standing with the workers is the morally correct choice; he makes Alquist the main character of Act III and the play’s sole human survivor.

Domin, as he is referred to in the dialogue tags, is a corporate director of Rossum’s Universal Robots. He is “thirty-eight years old in the Prologue, tall, clean-shaven” (2). He is the first character to appear and speak on stage, and dies at the end of Act II. He is a main character for most of the play, his death unexpected.

Domin and Alquist are foils, or characters that highlight one another’s traits through contrasting qualities. Unlike Alquist, Domin does not believe that people should have to work. He holds that leisure, rather than labor, elevate the individual. He is a villain, treating the robots as unpaid and enslaved laborers. His cruelty suggests that his worldview is incorrect.

There are 11 robots, named and unnamed, as well as “numerous other Robots” (2). Of these, Radius, Helena, and Primus are the most significant. Radius rebels in Act I, acting out of “defiance, rage, revolt” rather than the malfunction called Robot Palsy (38). Gall, at Helena’s request, give him and Robot Helena more of a human personality. Radius’ sense of rebellion grows throughout the play. He leads the robot revolution in Act II, killing humans, ordering that humans be killed, and sparing Alquist’s life. In Act III, he remains a leader among the robots, working with Damon, who is dubbed the Ruler of the Robots.

The hierarchy in robot society mirrors that found in human society, with leaders and followers. This shows how the robots have humanlike qualities. R.U.R. echoes George Orwell’s Animal Farm. In the novel Animal Farm, the animals revolt from the tyrannical humans, only to replicate their pecking order. Similarly, the robots revolt against humanity and end up mirroring them.

We see this in the way that Robots Helena and Primus demonstrate romantic love, a human trait. They each try to sacrifice themselves to save the other. This proves to Alquist that robots have souls and are the ones who will continue life on earth. It also shows that robots—and humans—are nuanced: They kill one another but they also are capable of loyalty and devotion.