Evaluate “Arms and the Man” as an Anti-Romantic Comedy.
Arms And the Man is a notable literary work by George Bernard Shaw. A complete discussion of this literary work is given, which will help you enhance your literary skills and prepare for the exam. Read the Main texts, Key info, Summary, Themes, Characters, Literary devices, Quotations, Notes, and various study materials of Arms And the Man.
Answer
Evaluate “Arms and the Man” as an anti-romantic comedy. Or, how has Shaw used Bluntschli to deromanticize popular fascination with war? Or, remark on Shaw’s philosophy about love and war in the light of “Arms and the Man”.
“Arms and the Man” (1894) is an iconic creation of G. B. Shaw (1856-1950). This play cleverly uses satire to challenge romantic ideals about love, marriage, and war. Through the characters of Raina, Sergius, and Bluntschli, Shaw shows how unrealistic these ideas can be. So, “Arms and the Man” is a successful anti-romantic play. It contrasts romantic views of the world about love, marriage, and war with life’s practical side.
Satirizing War: Shaw presents war as a cruel act, not as glorious. Bluntschli, the Swiss professional soldier, opposes Raina’s romantic image of war. Raina is thrilled when she first hears about her fiancé, Sergius’s cavalry charge. Raina imagines it as a heroic act. However, Bluntschli shatters this illusion. He reveals the silliness of the charge. Sergius led a cavalry charge against heavy machine guns. This charge was foolish and only succeeded because the enemy had the wrong ammunition.
Again, Bluntschli shatters the romantic ideals of patriotism and heroism. He reveals that he is just a professional soldier. He joins Serbia because it comes first on the way from his home. He says:
“I am a Swiss, fighting merely as a professional soldier.”
Shaw uses Bluntschli to show that war is not a noble act of bravery. It is more important to stay alive. Bluntschli says to Raina,
“It is our duty to live as long as we can…”
Soldiers are not necessarily heroic. Bluntschli reveals:
“Nine soldiers out of ten are born fools.”
Satirizing Heroism: At the beginning, Sergius seems to display the romantic ideal of a hero. However, gradually, he is revealed as a ridiculous figure. Shaw mocks the idea of heroism in war through Sergius’s remark,
“Soldiering … is the coward’s art of attacking mercilessly”.
In this line, Sergius admits theUnlock this study guide now