Arms and the Man

Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw. Published by MobileReference (mobi). This is witty, subtle, and surprising treat from the author of Pygmalion. Shaw fashions the subjects of false ideals, heroism, romanticism, and the fake glories of war into a well-constructed farce which sustains through the very last line.

One of the most important times,if not the most important,in English literature history was the 19th. century when a plethora of genres of fiction writing were flourishing with gay colours. Victorian literature was perceiving society and its swelling decay from various perspectives,stretching from Charles Dickens's depiction of destitutes and middle-class people to George Eliot's rustic illustration and even as far as Anthony Trollope's revelation of the dark end of the parliamentary tunnel. But a major fraction of the myriad distinguished novelists employed humour and comedy to focus on the social unstability and on conventions and traditionalism. Be it Jane Austen in "Pride and Prejudice" or Oscar Wilde in "The Importance of Being Ernest",humour always plays a distinct role in taming reality and simultaneously mocking it when other means of attack prove futile. George Bernand Shaw might not be the most serious of prechers of the application of comedy to prove a grave point but in this drama,"Arms and the Man",by the late Victorian playwright,there's a vivid usage of sardonic humour and playful comedy to convey the futility and harm of old-fashioned social analysis. The theme is effectively that of war and love---and by extension marriage---and a combination of both. "Arms and the Man" is a short play of three acts that endeavours to decipher te compatibility between love and war and to portray how these apparently diametrically opposite truths of life are interwoven with each other. The action takes place in Bulgaria in 1885 against a backdrop of war between bulgarian forces and Serbian and Austrian coalition army. Raina Petkoff is the young,beautiful and dreamy daughter of the Bulgarian Major Petkoff and is engaged to Major Serguis Saranoff who is out in the battles. She is standing on the balcony of their house near the Dragoman Pass and is conjuring up heroic images of her lover and seems to feel the "romance" of war and heroism herself. But then an enemy soldier,Captain Bluntschli,takes refuge in her room and this is what makes the whole drama happen. Bluntschli and Raina at first exchange certain comments of sceptism towards each other between them but then Raina's sympathy and compassion overcome her nad she protects him from his enemies. Next morning she and her mother Catherine see him off but consequences of sheltering an enemy soldier are not to be waved off so easily. As the play shifts from one act to another,so does the focus;from war to love and then to the amusing connection between them. Raina's "hero" Serguis comes back from the war with the aura of heroism and gallantry and victory firmly round his head,and so does her father,Major Petkoff. And from this act onwards other characters of the play,namely the servant maid Louka and the manservant Nicola---who's actually engaged to Louka---are called into action and the plao now commences to branch out. the numerous dimensions of human nature are poignantly penned down into word

Comedies are often stuck with the unfortunate reputation of having little real depth. Arms and the Man, however, is one of those comedies that proves that notion to be false. Shaw's play is quite the masterpiece of comedic drama, combining an utterly entertaining plot with true philosophical depth. On the plot level, Arms and the Man is a successful, and somewhat unique, romantic comedy. The young, melodramatic, and rather superficial Raina comes from a military family deeply involved in a war, her fiancé and her father both being officers. She is surprised, though, one night by the arrival of an enemy soldier. She rescues him, knowing that she'll have to keep the episode a secret from her family forever, and the soldier eventually leaves. Of course, once the war is over, that soldier comes back, forcing each of the primary characters to reevaluate their values and their relationships. It's really quite surprising how Shaw layers meaning within the somewhat standard comedic plot. Shaw manages to comment philosophically on class constructs, on the absurdity of war, and even on the nature of love. And, of course, he does so quite wittily and within a satisfying plot. A lot of times, Arms and the Man is thought of as one of Shaw's lesser plays, but that's really not accurate. There is so much here to think about that I think a lot of people miss. Arms and the Man is truly a masterpiece of comedic theater and is definitely one of Shaw's very finest works.

Another of Shaw's great masterpieces. To fully understand this play, you should have a basic understanding of Fabian Socialism and the conditions under which Shaw was writing. A very important play of his era and one which still speaks volumes about society today.

This play particularly wins you over if you see it performed live with a particularly acerbic, not too tall Bluntschli--it is a romantic farce that critiques Romanticism (but ends up in love with it, although in a roundabout way) and embraces early 20th c Realism and Capitalism, all through some fairly simple but very captivating characters. Good social sendup, a Shaw for people who still have soft hearts and want a quick read.