William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return (11 page)

[
to Ewoks:
] No gosh, no gosh,

I yami bosh,

I uzzee prahnkh,

E boomabosh.

[The Ewoks stop momentarily and then resume their preparations.

O, see’st thou, Master Luke? They paid no heed,

As I suspected they would not, the brutes!

[
aside:
] Now Force, come flow within, around, above.

Raise up the droid upon his wooden throne,

And let these creatures think he is their god,

A’raging in his anger. Let them shrink

And cower in their fear, and be so mov’d

That they shall do his every command.

C-3PO lifts up above the ground

And is quite terrified to be so high.

But frighten’d as they are, they do not see

Their god is yet more petrified than they.

They scatter to and fro and up and down,

For here’s a sight they ne’er have seen before:

A being flying sans the use of wings.

O work thy power, Force, be thou my aid

And constant strong companion in our need.

Success! The creatures now are quite convinc’d,

And move with haste to free us of our bounds.

C-3PO doth lower into place,

And now we all are free—O thank the Force,

That mov’d in me so I could move the droid,

And move these creatures to release us all.

[
aside:
] Now come ye back, ye scurvy, furry things,

I’ll shock ye all for your abuse of us.

O mistress mine, to see thee brings me joy!

Draw nigh and plant upon my lips a kiss.

Luke hath secur’d your safety with his ploy—

No sweeter meeting can I wish than this!

[Han Solo and Princess Leia kiss. Wicket approaches R2-D2.

W’goodo, goodo,

Whoosah yoodo,

Yoosah speccul,

Hoodo, hoodo.

[
to C-3PO:
] My gratitude profound, C-3PO.

Forsooth, I never knew ’twas in me, Sir.

These little creatures may have value yet

If they our allies in this fight become.

I need thine aid now to convince them so—

I prithee, 3PO, make known to them

Our dire adventures ’gainst the Empire vile.

I know not, Master. I am not a bard

Who can with skillful tongue his story tell.

But try, C-3PO—the tale relay

In their own language.

[The Ewoks gather and listen.

—All the world’s at war,

And all the rebels in it are the heroes;

They have their battles and their skirmishes,

And rebels in these scenes have play’d their parts,

Their story being seven ages. First,

Our princess that was captur’d was then sav’d,

But Alderaan did pay the costly price.

And then the Death Star battle, with its guns

And awful loss of life, like speeder bikes

We flew unto the final vict’ry. Then

To Hoth, so barren, with a woeful ballad

Compos’d for our lost comrades. Then to Bespin,

Full of strange imps and fearful twists of fate.

My master fac’d Darth Vader, quick in quarrel,

While Lando, Chewie, and the princess just

Escap’d the cannon’s mouth. But then our Han—

In fair trim belly with good humor lin’d,

With eyes severe and hair of scruffy cut,

Full of harsh tongue and modern instances—

Was plac’d in carbonite. The sixth age shift’d

To Tatooine, a lean and lonely place,

With Jabba there to give us all a fright.

The sarlacc vicious was a world too wide

For us to spend eternity within.

We turn’d again to Master Luke, who with

The Force did save our lives. Last scene of all,

That ends this brave eventful history,

Shall be the Empire’s fall t’oblivion,

Sans pow’r, sans hate, sans fear, sans ev’rything.

[The Ewoks discuss the story.

What do they say?

—I do not know.

[
aside:
]    —I sense

The keen nobility within their hearts;

These small but mighty creatures shall yet be

Our help as we make battle ’gainst our foes.

Na doonga doonga,

Tymee soonga,

Weesa hilpuh,

Loonga, loonga.

’Tis wonderful! A sign of deep respect

The group has given us, for we have been

Made members of their honorable tribe.

Moreover, they shall aid us in the fight

Against the Empire and its bunker here.

[All embrace, and an Ewok hugs Han Solo.

’Tis verily a dream come true for me.

[
Aside:
] And now, unhand me, teddy, ere I scream.

Beep, whistle, squeak!

[
aside:
]    —This joyous scene doth stir

My soul, for since my presence here is but

A danger to my friends, I must depart.

[Exit Luke Skywalker.

But wherefore doth Luke flee when we should all

Be celebrating? I shall follow him.

[Exit Princess Leia.

Egh.

—So the proverb says, Chewbacca: “Help

That is but short is better than no help

At all.” Though how the furry beasts will help

I cannot yet imagine or conceive.

The Ewok chief reports the scouts shall show

Us to the place that generates the shield

For the new Death Star. There we may fulfill

Our plan: deactivate the shield anon.

Well done, C-3PO, now quickly heed

Mine every command: first have them tell

Us how far distant is the place. Then be

Thou sure that, second, thou dost ask for fresh

Supplies. And fin’lly, get our weapons back.

But wherefore dost thou wait, thou simple droid?

Unto my tasks—I shall not wait for thee!

[Exeunt Han Solo and Chewbacca.

He cannot wait, but will not let me do’t!

[Exeunt.

I prithee, say: what is the matter, Luke?

Between who?

—Nay, the matter on your heart.

Say, dost thou of thy mother yet retain

A memory? I fain would hear thee tell.

But little, Luke, for I was all too young

When she departed to her resting place.

Yet what dost thou remember? Wilt thou share?

’Tis mostly images I see within

My mind when I do think on her, just as

The reds and oranges that one doth see

When one hath look’d upon the shining sun.

She was a woman of great beauty who

Was kind, yet nurs’d some sadness deep within.

Now tell me, wherefore dost thou ask me this?

No mem’ry have I of a mother’s touch,

Nor kindness, sadness, smile, or any speech.

’Twas not until but recently I thought

Upon my state of being motherless.

What troubles thee, dear Luke?

—Darth Vader’s here,

E’en now, upon this very forest moon.

How dost thou know?

—I felt his presence here.

He cometh seeking me, for he can feel

When I am near. This is why I must leave:

As long as I remain I do the group

And our good mission put at risk. Instead,

My destiny it is to face the man.

But wherefore?

—He, e’en Vader, is my father.

Thy father? What base trick of Fate is this?

This news is but the prologue to the rest

That I shall tell thee, Leia. This shall not

Fall easily upon thine ears, but thou

Must hear’t: if I do not return, then thou

Shalt be the only hope for the Alliance.

Nay, say not so, dear Luke! Thou hast a pow’r

I do not comprehend, and never could

Obtain. ’Tis far beyond my skill and means.

But there thou art mistaken, Leia: thou

Dost have that pow’r within thee, and, in time,

Shall learn to use it as I have. The Force

Is strong and certain in my family.

My father has it, I have it as well,

And also doth my sister have it. Aye,

’Tis thee, dear Leia, sister of my soul.

[
aside:
] A brother! What strange circumstance is this?

My friend, this Luke, doth claim a brother’s place?

And is Darth Vader thus my father, too?

What of the father that I once did know—

Organa, he for whom I have been nam’d?

Shall I, now fully grown, begin anew

And learn to love another family?

I thought my kinfolk all had been dispatch’d

When Alderaan was cruelly destroy’d.

Yet Luke doth tell me that the man who stood

And watch’d with joy whilst Alderaan was blown

Apart is he whom I should “Father” call?

It shall take time and thought to reconcile

My heart unto this news. But with what joy

Already I do welcome Luke into

My life as brother—there I have no qualms,

For he hath been a brother unto me

Since first we met. A brother! O, what news!

[
To Luke:
] It is as if I did already know—

Within my heart ’tis like I’ve always known.

Then canst thou see why I must face him now?

Nay, that I cannot see. If he can feel

Thee here, then flee anon and save thy life!

It is no shame to fly from danger, Luke.

I wish that I could fly with thee.

—Nay, say

That not, for thou e’er wert the strongest one.

But wherefore needest thou confront him, Luke?

Methinks the man hath good within him still,

And shall not basely render his own son

Unto his cruel and vicious Emperor.

Methinks I still can save the man who gave

Us life, and turn him to the good once more.

Methinks I must endeavor so to do,

Or else my path is darker e’en than his.

Methinks so many things, dear Leia, but

The most important of them all is this:

My father is my duty to reclaim,

E’en though he has a vile existence led.

His heart, his soul, his life can be redeem’d,

’Tis now my mission and, I hope, thine too.

And now farewell, for I must take my leave.

[Exit Luke Skywalker.

O, what a noble mind is here reveal’d:

My brother young, yet speaking like a man

Imbu’d with ev’ry honorable trait.

To take upon himself the role of nurse

To heal our wayward, troubl’d father. Ah!

And I, of ladies most profoundly bless’d,

To have a brother such as this good Luke—

His swift return unto our loyal band

I shall with pride await. O joy is mine,

T’have seen what I have seen, see what I see!

What ails thee, Leia?

—Nothing, Han. I’ve grown

More full of deepest feeling than I e’er

Thought possible. I would remain alone

Till I have time to ponder this affair.

’Tis “nothing”? Prithee, tell me what is wrong.

Thou dost not see—I cannot tell thee yet.

But Luke, couldst thou tell Luke in whisper’d song?

Then shall I leave thee.

—O!

[Han Solo begins to leave, but then returns to Princess Leia.

—Beg pardon, pet.

Forgive this latest outburst of my pride,

I am but worried for thy state of mind.

Embrace me, Han, and here with me abide:

Thou art a man of substance, strong and kind.

[They embrace.

Although thou causest me to fret and groan,

My love is thine and thou shalt ne’er be lone.

[Exeunt.

E’en now my son doth come to me, I feel’t.

Thus is the moment near when I bring him

Unto my Lord and, in so doing, bind

Together those two forces of my life:

My skillful son and my true Emperor.

The two become one: ’Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wish’d. I’ll see Luke turn’d

Toward the dark side of the Force, and we

Shall rule the galaxy—the father, son,

And mighty Emperor. O make it so,

Most slippery and cunning Fate, for great

Shall be the combination of our pow’rs.