Arms and the Man – G.B.Shaw

George Bernard Shaw is most well-known for penning the comedic play “Arms and the Man.” The first performance of this play took place on April 21st, 1894, and it was published for the first time in 1898 in George Bernard Shaw’s collection of plays titled “Pleasant and Unpleasant Volume.”

It is a comedic play as well as a social satire that presents a realistic account of war and demonstrates how foolish it is to idealise war as something noble. Both of these elements contribute to the play’s overall humour. In addition to that, it is a parody on idealistic and romantic conceptions of love.

The play gets its name from the first lines of Virgil’s Aeneid, which is a Roman epic that extols the virtues of war and the valorous acts of those who fight in it. The play is about a Roman general named Aeneas. The play is a satire on the absurdity of glorifying something as horrific as war, hence the title should be interpreted in an ironic manner as the play is about that subject. 

Themes of the Play

The reality of war

This is the play’s primary focus throughout its whole. One of the characters, Captain Bluntschli, is responsible for revealing the truth about war. On the other hand, every single one of the other characters extols the virtues of fighting. The characters Raina and Catherine begin the play with a naive and idealistic perspective on war. Both the mother and the girl have a romanticised view of war in which they see it as something really noble and heroic. Because of his triumph over the Serbian Army, they regard Sergius as a valiant hero who deserves praise.

The play takes a humorous look at the reality of war and how it affects people. This concept is broken down by a Serbian officer named Captain Bluntschli. He enlightens Raina on the harsh realities of battle, including the fact that some warriors are honoured as heroes. He is relieved to have made it out of the battlefield unscathed and tells her that he prefers to carry chocolates rather than weapons in his pockets during combat. His perspective on warfare stands in stark opposition to the traditional feudal outlook of Bulgarian aristocrats. He is of the opinion that war is both a foolish and horrible thing. 

Reality of love

This is another key element that emerges during the play. Several of the characters, including Raina, Sergius, and Louka, investigate it. The play is a satire on romanticism as well as the concept of the ideal love relationship. The main character of the play, Raina, is a dramatic woman who has romanticised both love and conflict. She has this idea in her head that she loves her fiancé very much, but the truth is that she is more in love with the concept of being in a relationship than she is with him. When she first encounters Bluntschli, she is struck by an overwhelming feeling of attraction toward him. In the end, she decides to take him up on his offer.

On the other hand, Sergius also asserts that he loves Raina, despite the fact that he is not completely devoted to his relationship with her. In spite of the fact that he is engaged to Raina, he begins to have sexual relations with Louka. The revelation of his affair with Louka comes at the conclusion of the play. 

Class struggle

In addition to that, it serves as one of the play’s primary themes. This idea is specifically investigated by the antagonist, Louka, who works as a maid at Petkoff’s home. She has aspirations of marrying into royalty and joining a more privileged social group in the future. In spite of the fact that she is engaged to Nicola, she begins an affair with Sergius due to the social status of the latter. In the end, she is able to achieve her goal by getting married to Sergius.

Shaw shows how members of higher social classes in Bulgarian society looked down on those from lower social classes. This distinction between the top and lower classes is also reflected in the characters of Major Petkoff, Catherine, and Raina. Because Bluntschli was born into the middle class, he is not regarded as a gentleman in polite society. When Raina and her parents find out about the hotels that he has received from his father, however, they readily agree to his proposal for Raina and accept it without hesitation. After that, people think of him as wealthy and in a gentlemanly manner. 

Critical Analysis of the Arms and the Man

The brilliant writer George Bernard Shaw tackles in his play “Arms and the Man” the hypocrisies that humans are capable of as well as romantic notions of love and conflict. Even the title of the play is ironic because it is borrowed from the epic poem “The Aenied,” which was published in 19 BC by the Roman poet Virgil – “Of arms and men I sing…” – in which Virgil extols the virtues of conflict, whereas Shaw does not miss an occasion to ridicule the concept of war. He makes a funny allusion to the way in which love and war become entangled with romantic illusions, which ultimately result in tragic wars and unhappy marriages. 

Conclusion

The play examines the causes of war, the tactics used during battle, and the negotiations that take place after hostilities have ended. In point of fact, the title of the play is a direct quote from Virgil’s Aeneid, which is a Roman epic that extols the virtues of warfare. By employing irony in his use of this quote, Shaw was drawing attention to the fact that war should not be seen as romantic.