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Robot face

Critical Questions

Many critics of the day asked questions about the play that seemed futuristic then, but are now very real:

From theatre critic Ashley Dukes (essay date 1923):

"Day-to-day work is stamped with a certain fleeting character that cannot be disguised. So it is with the work of Karel Capek, and with R.U.R. in particular.

The sensations of his play are epic, magnificent. What headlines they would make! What headlines, in fact, they do make!;Rossum's Universal Robots -- Men Manufactured -- Too Old at Twenty -- Seekers After Souls -- the Fight for the Formula -- Revolt of the Robots -- Nature Set at Naught.

And how absorbing, too, are the questions that the author raises!

  • Are Robots right or wrong?
  • Is Progress wrong?
  • Should Robots fight for men or only work for them?
  • Should Robots vote?
  • Should Robots have a soul?

The play may be 75 years old, but the ethical questions it raises are important ones to be asking today.