William Shakespeare’s The Force Doth Awaken Page 12
If I forget thee, galaxies would fall,
If I recover, call me not a friend,
For naught can mend the heart that now doth break.
He was the second half that made me whole,
So I shall go unto my final rest
Imperfect, aye, and incomplete, without
The company of Han—my dearest friend.
I shall with mournful tread now walk the deck.
My captain lies, a’fallen cold and dead.
SCENE 2.
At Starkiller Base.
Enter REY and FINN, in the snow outside the base.
FINN
No time have we for ordinary grief,
No time to mourn the loss of our dear Han.
We must unto the Falcon make return;
The vile First Order’s weapon shall be set
Within two minutes, if I am correct.
Enter KYLO REN.
KYLO
Our fight is not complete—ye are for me.
I’ve just begun to sate my thirst for blood.
REY
Thou art a monster, foul and wretched beast!
Ne’er wert thou worthy to be call’d his son.
KYLO
’Tis but we three. Han Solo cannot help ye.
How shalt thou fare without his presence, eh?
REY
Though we are young, still thou shalt know our might!
Feel thou my fire—
[Rey tries to shoot Kylo Ren with her blaster, but he uses the Force to deflect the shot and pushes her back into a tree. She collapses.
KYLO
—Too simple, by my troth.
FINN
O, Rey! Sweet friend, nay. Nay!
KYLO
—Lay on, thou traitor!
[Finn turns on Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber.
Yet what is that thou holdest in thy hand?
Unwitting as thou art, hast any clue?
That lightsaber wherewith thou plann’st to fight:
It doth belong to me and shall be mine.
Unworthy art thou to unleash its pow’r.
FINN
An thou wouldst take it from me, here I stand.
KYLO
Thou hast no skill to use a lightsaber,
Particularly when thou art unfit
To wield the pow’rful weapon in thy hands.
Have at me, then, thou man of ignorance:
I’ll give to thee thy first and final lesson.
Enter CHORUS.
CHORUS
The two men dodge and parry by their light,
One inexperienc’d, the other train’d.
With savagery and brawn unfolds the fight,
Till Finn by Kylo Ren is sorely pain’d.
He falls and the lightsaber flies aside,
Rey wakes nearby—clear thoughts her pain doth smother.
Shall Luke’s lightsaber Ren withal abide,
Or shall the Force awaken for another?
[Exit Chorus.
Kylo Ren reaches for the lightsaber, preparing to use the Force to draw it to him.
KYLO
Now come, lightsaber, to the hand of Ren.
Fulfill in me thy perfect destiny:
To be constructed by Darth Vader, then
To fall into the young Skywalker’s hands,
And, at the last, be reunited to
The dark by this next generation, yea,
E’en I, call’d Kylo Ren, the grandson and
The heir unto Darth Vader’s legacy.
I feel thy pow’r: now come, for thou art bid.
[The lightsaber flies toward Kylo Ren but continues past him, landing in Rey’s hands.
REY
O, hope fulfill’d! O, unexpected Force!
Come, Kylo Ren, and feel the light of Rey.
[Rey and Kylo Ren freeze as they prepare to fight.
Enter GENERAL HUX and a TECHNICIAN above, on balcony.
TECH
But thirty seconds till the weapon hath
Reach’d full capacity, and is prepar’d.
HUX
Prepare to fire and end this vexing fight.
[Exeunt General Hux and technician.
Enter POE DAMERON, YOLO ZIFF, JESS PAVA, and ELLO ASTY in their ships.
YOLO
Black Leader, prithee, look! The oscillator
Doth sport a newfound hole and burneth strong.
Belike our comrades did their target reach,
Delivering the opening we seek.
POE
Let us descend—and strike with all our might.
This rank Starkiller Base shall fall today!
Within the oscillator we must fly,
Move swiftly to pursue our greatest hope:
The weapon wherewith they would strike us down
Shall fall upon the force of our sharp blasts.
Aim true, and our defense is made complete—
Ne’er for a nobler cause have we e’er flown:
In future times, they shall recall our deeds:
“It was many and many year ago…”
So shall they say, remembering our honor.
Thus come, my friends, and hallow’d make this day.
Pray, heed these words of Poe!
PILOTS
—We follow! Aye!
[Exeunt Poe, Yolo, Jess, and Ello. The ground shakes as the base begins to self-destruct. Rey and Kylo Ren unfreeze as she attacks him with vigor. They duel.
KYLO
[aside:] She hath more strength that I would ever guess.
Not as one train’d, but like an animal
She comes at me with brutish energy.
Still, she hath not the learning to succeed:
Her inexperience shall be her doom.
REY
[aside:] O Finn, O Han, I shall avenge ye both!
This villain shall make answer for his wrongs.
KYLO
[aside:] The ground—it shakes an ’twere all nature did
Join in our battle, groan with our exertion.
Ha! Now I press my natural advantage:
She weakens—she should not have stood to fight.
None so untested and naïve as she
Shall ever overpower Kylo Ren.
REY
[aside:] The ground, it falls away from me. Alack!
The triumph of the brave Resistance doth
Mean danger and great risk for those below.
[Kylo Ren forces Rey to the edge of a precipice as the ground falls away behind her.
KYLO
I have thee now—thine end shall come anon,
Unless thou heed’st these gracious words of mine:
Though thou art strong, I can destroy thee here,
Yet do I recognize thine aptitude.
I sense thou need’st a skillful teacher, yea:
Let me show thee the power of the Force!
REY
[aside:] O, Force, almost I had forgotten thee.
Rey, let not vengeance and thine anger fierce
Keep thee from thinking on what gives thee pow’r.
Instinct alone this fight can never win,
Not by mine own ability shall I
O’ercome this man, this brute, this darkest knave.
Forsooth, ’tis with the Force that I shall live—
Once it hath call’d in Maz Kanata’s castle,
The steadfast Force hath never left my side.
Hence I did flee, its call I would not heed:
E’en was I most afeard of what it show’d,
Repulsive was the vision unto me,
Jarr’d sharply was my soul by what I saw,
Elusive visions of the darkness rising.
Distress’d by these unask’d-for mysteries,
I ran away, was ta’en by Kylo Ren.
Now I’ve the chance to make another choice:
O, Force, I swear I’ll run no more from thee,
Where thou shalt lead, from no
w I’ll happ’ly follow. 105
Fear still exists, yet only strengthens me:
Aye, courage is not made by lack of fear.
Respond unto the calling of the Force—
Go, Rey, and give this hateful little man
Occasion to respect the light, the good.
No longer scavenger, for I have found
Exactly that which e’er I did desire!
[Rey counterattacks and drives Kylo Ren backward.
KYLO
[aside:] What is this newfound potency she shows?
Whence comes this burst of vigor and resolve?
REY
[aside:] The Force is with me, sharpen’d in my mind,
It floweth through me an ’twere mine own blood.
Each move becomes transparent, almost simple,
As if I knew where Ren would parry next.
KYLO
[aside:] Alas, how mortifying in th’extreme!
My energy grows slack, I must retreat.
The end is clear, but not as I would write it:
I shall be bested by a scavenger.
[Rey strikes Kylo Ren across his face, scarring him. He falls to his knees.
REY
[aside:] The Force had led me to this victory,
Which ends in justice for the innocent.
For by the end of this most wretched base,
And by the end of this most wretched man,
Methinks the galaxy shall be secure.
E’en there, I must be careful, by my troth,
For to the dark side I would not be join’d.
If I attempt to slay this humbl’d man,
I let the dark side deep inside my heart.
Let me display the mercy he ne’er would.
[The ground splits between Rey and Kylo Ren, forcing them apart. Exit Kylo Ren.
Conclusion of this battle is delay’d—
This Kylo Ren and I must meet again.
Now let me fly or share the selfsame fate
As this bleak planet, seeming to collapse.
Enter CHEWBACCA in the Millennium Falcon.
A-ha, the bold Chewbacca hath return’d
To find both Finn and me and bear us hence.
O, Finn—poor, fallen friend, we’ll rescue thee,
And bring to thee what medicines we can
In hopes thou, peradventure, shalt recover.
Whatever future Fate for us may braid,
The Force is with me; I’ll not be afraid.
Enter POE DAMERON and other RESISTANCE PILOTS in their ships, escorting the Millennium Falcon away from Starkiller Base.
POE
Yea, presently my soul grows stronger for
They are within my sight! Our task is done,
The battle and the mission all complete.
Well done, ye company of pilots true—
Let us return anon unto D’Qar!
[Exeunt Rey and Chewbacca in the Millennium Falcon, carrying Finn. Exeunt Poe and pilots.
Enter COLONEL DATOO and a TECHNICIAN, who is running away.
DATOO
Say, wherefore dost thou flee without command,
Lieutenant? Back unto thy station, now!
TECH
Nay, we shall not survive, we are undone!
Canst thou not see the end that comes anon?
Behold, e’en Gen’ral Hux hath turn’d and fled.
[Exeunt Colonel Datoo and technician, in confusion.
Enter GENERAL HUX and SUPREME LEADER SNOKE above, on balcony.
HUX
O, Supreme Leader, pray, what shall we do?
The fuel cells have been ruptur’d past repair,
The planet shall disintegrate anon.
How it hath happen’d is beyond my mind,
But by the weak Resistance we are stopp’d.
SNOKE
The fight is o’er for now, the battle lost,
Yet we shall rise again from this defeat—
The vile Resistance yet shall bear the cost.
This tempest briefly hath our vessel toss’d,
The temp’rate waters give off too much heat—
The fight is o’er for now, the battle lost.
Pray, leave the base, escape the snow and frost,
We shall, anon, plan our revenge complete—
The vile Resistance yet shall bear the cost.
My servant Kylo Ren is double-cross’d:
I sense he hath been, in this instance, beat—
The fight is o’er for now, the battle lost.
Though bitter foes our finest do accost,
When Ren is fully train’d, again we’ll meet:
The vile Resistance yet shall bear the cost.
Soon the First Order’s name shall be emboss’d
On ev’ry soul within th’Resistance fleet.
The fight is o’er for now, the battle lost;
The vile Resistance yet shall bear the cost!
[Exeunt General Hux
and Supreme Leader Snoke.
SCENE 3.
At the Resistance base on D’Qar.
Enter CHEWBACCA, carrying FINN. Enter GENERAL LEIA ORGANA, REY, C-3PO, BB-8, POE DAMERON, a MEDIC, and several RESISTANCE SOLDIERS. Enter R2-D2, aside.
MEDIC
He is alive, his heart maintains a beat.
We shall away, to save him if we can.
[Exit medic, bearing away Finn. Leia and Rey walk aside together.
LEIA
Thou hast, in thy young life, seen too much pain.
REY
Thou hast, in thy long life, seen too much pain.
LEIA
Han thought thee brave and strong, a pilot skill’d.
REY
Han thought thee strong and brave, a lover true.
LEIA
We both know sorrow and shall mourn for him.
REY
He doth know peace and shall be with us still.
I bid thee, General, give me thy hand.
LEIA
With it my heart, though rhymeless falls the world.
CHEWBAC.
Egh, auugh.*26
R2-D2
[aside, awakening:] —I wake, but what the time and place?
Ay me, for pity! What a dream was here!
Where is my master Luke? Nearby I see
C-3PO, another droid withal,
A BB unit if my sense is right.
I have so long been lock’d in slumber deep
That still I do not trust what I survey.
There is the general, e’en Leia, with
Another woman whom I do not know.
Chewbacca stands thereby, but where is Han?
The one is almost never sans the other.
This company is passing strange, indeed:
Full many characters whom I know well,
With other faces I have never seen,
And yet more missing whom I would expect.
Dull R2 is unable to make sense,
For after all, I merely am the fool.
Mayhap the fool, though, shall be follow’d yet,
For I have information they may seek.
I’ll make my presence known unto them all,
Belike to hear their tale and bring new hope.
[To all:] Meep, beep, beep, squeak, whee, whistle, whistle, nee!
BB-8
Zooz zzwablay roohblox zzwa, flewflit blavrooh
Blis bloorooq bluublip zzwazoon flirzoom flit
Roil zzwablic flew reej zzwa flliblik flig blee!
C-3PO
O, R2-D2, thou art all restor’d!
Thou comest back unto thy friends at last.
R2-D2
Beep, meep, beep, whistle, hoo.
C-3PO
—Thou foundest what?
R2-D2
Meep, beep, beep, squeak!
C-3PO
—O droid intemperate—
Shalt thou already slander me with words?
How darest thou to
call me such a name?
R2-D2
Meep, whistle, hoo, squeak, beep!
C-3PO
—Find Master Luke?
May it still be? If thou hast information,
I bid thee come and share it with us all.
[To Leia:] O, General, excuse me, General?
R2 may have some long-awaited news.
LEIA
R2, to see thee gives my spirit hope.
I bid thee, tell me what thou canst, sweet droid.
R2-D2
[aside:] I shall not tell, but show, for as ’tis said,
A picture hath more worth than words—indeed,
A thousand words can thereby spoken be.
[R2-D2 projects a portion of a map.
BB-8
Zood flit zilfrooh blox bleeblay zoomblis zzwablay blip!
[Poe rushes obtain to the data storage unit and gives it to BB-8, who projects a map that surrounds R2-D2’s projection.
C-3PO
The map, it is complete! O, blessèd day.
LEIA
O, Luke, this map—a hologram at most,
A series of faint lines and dots and points—
Yet ’tis to me a work of art profound,
For it shall lead us, at the last, to thee.
C-3PO
My lonely days perchance shall be less bleak—
My dearest friend, how I have miss’d thee.
R2-D2
—Squeak!
[Exeunt.
* * *
*26 Editor’s translation: We all are steep’d in misery and joy:
On one hand grieving for our fallen mates,
And on the other marking victory.
SCENE 4.
At the Resistance base on D’Qar.