R.U.R.

Helena is described as “very elegant” (2), having a “feminine” (25) style, and beautiful. She comes to the factory on behalf of the League of Humanity. She intends to rally the robots to organize for pay and better treatment. However, she is naïve, unsure of the cost of goods and easily impressed by the directors. She marries Domin, but is loved by all the men in the play and affectionate toward them all.

Before her death at the end of Act II, Helena acts rashly out of emotion. She burns Rossum’s manuscript that describes how to make robots because of how she feels about the infertility of human women. She longs for a pre-robot world. She never learns to be practical or pragmatic which Robot Helena, her robotic counterpart, mirrors.

Helena’s name is a variation of Helen, which means shining light. Her character alludes to Helen of Troy from Greek mythology. In mythological accounts, Helen is blamed for starting the Trojan War. Her beauty captivates Paris, a Trojan prince, who abducts her from her Greek husband. The Greek army fights the Trojans to reclaim her. Similarly, one can argue that Helena starts the war between the robots and humans; she longs for robots to become more human, and convinces Gall to change their programming.