William Shakespeare's The Jedi Doth Return

[Luke Skywalker fights Darth Vader passionately.

For Leia shall I strike thee down, thou brute!
For Han and all my friends I do attack!
For Ben, whom thou didst slaughter sans remorse,
For all thou hast destroy’d, I vengeance bring!

[Luke Skywalker strikes Darth Vader and cuts off his hand.

Vader

Ah!

Emperor

—Good, my young apprentice. Thy strong hate
Hath made thee powerful, indeed. Fulfill
Thy destiny, and take thy father’s place
Beside me. Strike him down, and rule with me!

[Luke Skywalker looks at the stump of Darth Vader’s hand, and at his own gloved hand.

Luke

[ aside:

] My father’s hand, of wires and circuits made,I have in fury sever’d quite. And here,
My hand, of wires and circuits also made,
For in another duel, another place,
He hath the living one dismemberèd.
’Tis plain to me what is transpiring here:
I do become like him. Torn up by hate,
More like machine than man with ev’ry scar,
Fulfilling the foul Emperor’s base will.
Shall this obsess’d, derang’d, and wicked man
Lead yet another Skywalker unto
A path of dark and evil? Shall it be
That I become the thing that I despise?
Protect me, Jedi ancestors, from such
A mangl’d Fate, so hopeless, grim and bleak.
[ To Emperor:] I never shall be turn’d unto the dark.
Thy plan hath fail’d, thy Highness; I am Luke
Skywalker, Jedi Knight, just like my brave
And noble father.

Emperor

—Then so be it, Jedi.
Thy proclamations foolish change not this:
I still control thy final destiny.
If thou shalt not be turn’d, then thou shalt be
Destroy’d! Bear witness to the terror and
The torment of the dark side of the Force!

[Emperor Palpatine strikes Luke Skywalker with lightning that flows through his hands. Luke falls. Darth Vader rises.

Luke

O agony!

Emperor

—Young fool, ’tis only now
In this, thy final living moment, thou
Dost comprehend thy folly and my might.

[He continues to strike Luke with lightning.

Thy feeble skills are nothing when compar’d
To all the power of the dark side. Thou
Dost pay the rightful price for thy severe
And utter lack of vision. Aye, thy debt
Is due, and I am both thy creditor
And thy collector, too. What thou hast not
Repaid with thy belief I shall exact
From thine own flesh. And O, what joy it brings
To charge thee thus—my payment justly earn’d.
To wound thee, hurt thee, break thee, and, at last,
To bring to thee the death that I am ow’d.

[The Emperor continues to assault Luke with lightning.

Luke

O, Father, please, do not stand idly by—
Assist me, if thou ever mercy knew!

Emperor

And now, young Luke Skywalker, thou shalt die.