Ian Doescher - William Shakespeare's The Empire Striketh Back

Now under siege again! O, let us hence
Away unto the Falcon . Droid, canst thou
Release these doors that we may pass and fly?

If ever droid were worthy, R2 is.
Go to it, R2, make our good escape!

Beep, meep, beep, beep, squeak, whistle, beep, meep, meep!

We do not care about the hyperdrive—
The great Millenn’um Falcon is repair’d!

[ aside: ] Fie! This computer tells me all’s not well,
But how shall I convey this ’midst these blasts?
The doorway first; the hyperdrive shall wait.
[ To C-3PO: ] Beep, meep!

—Pray, ope’ the door, thou stupid lump!

O, R2, never did I doubt thee, thou
Art wonderful!

—I know that I should fly,
And yet for Han’s sake would I stay and slay
Each enemy that cometh from within.
Love unfulfill’d turns quickly into spite,
And vengefulness doth fill the empty place
Within my heart. O die a thousand times,
Ye basest beasts who fed upon my love.
O brutes, ye think not of the lives ye take—
You are but senseless minions who fulfill
The sordid whims of your Imperi’l lords.
Belike ’tis not your fault, for you are by
A merciless, vile Emperor controll’d.
Yet I shall strike at ye till you do fall
For ev’ry pain that you have giv’n to me:
The loss of Alderaan, of my great friends,
And now the loss of my belovèd one.
O die, ye mindless men of Empire cruel!
I shall upon the Empire be reveng’d
Until my gallant Han hath been aveng’d.

Where am I now, and where are all my friends?
Some wrong turn have I ta’en, and now am lost
Within a cavern, dark and fill’d with mist.
R2 is left behind; I am alone.
What evil lurks within this passage bleak?
What fate shall I discover in this place?
What pow’r hath brought me here—is it the Force?
If not, what messenger of darkness vile
Hath giv’n me up unto this realm of fear?
The cold I feel is as on Dagobah,
When in the cave my darkest self I fac’d.
The thoughts I thought therein do now return,
The questions that did rise and give me pause:
O, what is life, and what our purpose here?
Are living creatures made for pain and strife,
Do we but walk our days upon the ground
To perish without memory or fame?
If so, what shall we seek whilst we yet live?
Is brave adventure worthy of our time,
Or should we seek the principle of pleasure?
Are family and children noble aims,
Or is the Force itself our holy goal?
Is life a quest or is it but a farce—
A splendid journey or a fool’s crusade?
Such questions plague my soul, and make me doubt.
They draw my mind toward the darkest thoughts
That e’er I’ve known since I became a man.
And here, away from Dagobah, I have
No firm assurance of my safety, nor
The comfort of my master being here.
Thus shall I face my fortune by myself,
Without my mentors great to give me help.
The thought doth bring me trepidation, for
I have relie’d upon their counsel wise.
Be with me here in spirit, if not form,
Good Obi-Wan and Yoda—masters true.
O life, O Fate! I would I knew my place,
My time, my end, my destiny complete—
But I cannot see why or how life is.
Because the past is not a perfect guide,
And since the future still remains unknown:
My fate shall I meet in the present tense.

But soft, I hear slow footsteps drawing near.

The Force is with thee now, young Skywalker,
In troth—but thou art not a Jedi yet.

[ aside: ] ’Tis Vader, and ’tis Fate. Let it begin.

O mighty duel, O action ne’er surpass’d:
The lightsabers do clash and glow like fire.
Darth Vader in the villain’s role is cast,
While Luke’s young temper turneth soon to ire.
They flash and fly like dancers in a set,
Yet never dance did know such deadly mood.
Luke tires, and soon his brow begins to sweat,
Whilst Vader doth attack with strength renew’d.

Forsooth, young one, ’tis plain thou hast learn’d much.

Thou shalt find me full of surprises yet!

Thy destiny doth lie with me, Skywalker.
Your teacher Obi-Wan did know ’twas true.

Thou liest, O thou villain cruel and cold.

[ aside: ] ’Twas far too simple, trapping him within.
Perhaps the boy is not as powerful
As my great Emperor and I did think.

I am not captur’d yet, thou lord of hate.
Thou must another evil scheme derive
To catch me in thy snares. For I am quick,
And move with all the power of the Force.

Impressive, most impressive, worthy lad,
Thine Obi-Wan hath taught thee well, and thou
Hast master’d all thy fears. Now, go! Release
Thine anger, for thy hate alone can strike
Me down! [ Aside: ] Now ’tis the moment to provoke
His inner rage. Come walls, machines, and parts
And come at him from ev’ry side. He’ll be
Made weak, and in his weakness darkness find!

Alas, I fall—O Fate, be on my side!

The battle goes exactly as foreseen.
The boy is powerful and skill’d, ’tis true,
But his young powers are no match for mine.
It seems that Obi-Wan was weak with age,
For this boy’s training still is incomplete.
He shall be turnèd yet, for I still hold
The news that shall undo him utterly.
He thinks the speed of my lightsaber and
My power to send objects hurtling at
Him are the worst that I can muster, but
My greatest weapon yet shall break his soul,
Not touch his body. He shall know the truth.
But even as I plan to share with him
The story of his father, I must pause.
The strange confusion I before have felt
Hath come again into my mind. What is’t?
I know no better Fate for him and me
Than to be join’d in service to my Lord
And Emperor. So why am I confus’d?
Enough of this now, Vader: finish it.
The boy shall turn or he shall be destroy’d.