William Shakespeare's The Phantom Menace Read Online Free Page A

of pain,
    The agony that comes from torture cruel—
    These moments bleak shall have sway o’er your will.
    [ To OOM-9: ] And now, Commander, take and process them.
    OOM-9
    I prithee, Captain, take them to camp four.
    DROID
    Forsooth! Forsooth!
    [Exeunt Nute Gunray and Rune Haako .
    Enter Q UI -G ON J INN , O BI -W AN K ENOBI , and J AR J AR B INKS above, on balcony .
    QUI-GON
    â€”The queen—now is the time!
    OBI-WAN
    The Force we leap withal, for victory!
    [Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, and Jar Jar leap down and begin fighting the battle droids .
    QUI-GON
    [ aside, whilst fighting: ] O, with what ease these droids defeated are,
    Had they but any skill in combat we
    Would certain be outnumber’d, yet with such
    A lack of acumen, these droids are no
    More frightening than if they were but toys.
    [The Jedi destroy the battle droids .
    [ To Sabé: ] Your Highness, ’twould be best to leave the streets.
    PANAKA
    Ye courtiers, take the weapons of the droids!
    JAR JAR
    O wowsa, yousa guys so bombad.
    [The group moves aside, off the street .
    QUI-GON
    We are ambassadors and were sent here
    By our wise chancellor.
    SIO
    â€”Ambassador,
    Your effort at negotiation fail’d.
    If I were you, a new trade would I ply.
    QUI-GON
    Nay, by a Jedi’s oath, there never were
    Negotiations—only violence.
    â€™Tis urgent, now, that we make contact with
    The brave Republic. Time runs quickly out.
    PANAKA
    Communication means have been destroy’d.
    QUI-GON
    But what of transport? Is there some nearby?
    PANAKA
    Within the hangar—follow me anon!
    [The group walks to the hangar, revealing more battle droids .
    Alas, too many enemies therein;
    Like evil thoughts these droids do multiply.
    QUI-GON
    â€™Twill be no problem for we Jedi two,
    The weak shall be o’ercome by those more skill’d.
    [ To Sabé: ] Your Highness, prithee journey with we two
    To Coruscant. Belike you will be safe
    And may before the Senate plead your cause.
    SABÉ
    With gratitude I greet your proffer’d aid,
    Yet rightfully my place is on Naboo.
    QUI-GON
    Yet they shall take your life should you remain.
    SIO
    Nay, surely they would never be so bold!
    PANAKA
    They need the queen to sign their treaty, so
    To render this invasion legal. Should
    They kill her, they would lose their one defense.
    QUI-GON
    And yet I sense there may be more at play:
    What game’s afoot is still a mystery,
    No logic guides the Federation’s moves.
    My feeling is: they mean to do you harm.
    I would not have a queen become a pawn.
    SIO
    Our only hope is for the Senate’s help.
    The senator, e’en Palpatine, shall need
    Your good assistance in this matter, ma’am.

    SABÉ
    This situation grave is dangerous.
    [ To Padmé: ] Aye, dangerous for all who shall go forth.
    PADMÉ
    Yet we are brave, Your Highness. We shall go.
    QUI-GON
    If you would leave, Your Highness, ’twill be now.
    SABÉ
    Enough, I am engag’d. I’ll challenge this,
    And venture forth to plead my case before
    The Senate. Hope shall be our strength and stay.
    [They begin walking toward the transport .
    Enter BATTLE DROIDS guarding PILOTS , including R IC O LIÉ .
    PANAKA
    The pilots must be freed if we would fly.
    OBI-WAN
    â€™Twould be my joy to free them of their bonds.
    [Obi-Wan makes his way toward the pilots as Qui-Gon is stopped by a guard droid .
    DROID
    Desist at once, and take no further step.
    QUI-GON
    I am the chancellor’s ambassador.
    I tell thee I must take these people here
    To Coruscant.
    DROID
    â€”Well, where shalt thou take them?
    QUI-GON
    To Coruscant, thou brute.
    DROID
    â€”Why, you shall take
    Them, then, to Coruscant. Alack, this doth
    Go ’gainst my programming, doth not compute!
    Behold, I place you all under arrest.
    QUI-GON
    Thou shalt a ghost droid be ere I am through.
    [Qui-Gon destroys guard droid with his lightsaber. Obi-Wan destroys droids guarding pilots. Sabé, Padmé, and Captain Panaka begin to