What Farcical Elements Do You Find in “Arms and the Man”?
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
What farcical elements do you find in “Arms and the Man”?
“Arms and the Man” (1894) by G. B. Shaw (1856-1950) is a comedy that uses farce to entertain the audience. Farce is a type of humor that includes funny/exaggerated situations. Shaw uses farce to make fun of war and love—to rectify his audience. We will find out the farcical elements below.
Raina’s Bedroom Scene: Bluntschli, an enemy soldier, climbs into Raina’s bedroom to hide. This incident is farce itself—a stranger in a lady’s room—this absurd action creates humor. As they talk about war and heroism, we find more farcical elements. Bluntschli carries chocolates instead of bullets/cartridges. When he angrily eats chocolate during arguments, it is both ridiculous and funny. Raina calls him “chocolate cream soldier”.
Sergius’s Heroism: Sergius’ heroism is also a farce. At the beginning, Raina thinks her fiancé Sergius is a war hero. Because of his bravery, the Bulgarian army wins a crucial battle. In reality, he won the battle by accident. The audience finds it funny that Raina thinks of him as a great hero. Bluntschli reveals that Sergius’ cavalry charge worked because the enemy had the wrong bullets and could not shoot. He says Sergius’ cavalry charge was like—
“Throwing peas at a window.”
Sergius acts like a dramatic storybook knight—like Don Quixote. Hence, Sergius’ heroism is a farce. Shaw uses this farce to make fun of the foolish ideals about war, heroism, and bravery.
Foolish Love: The foolish love between Raina and Sergius is also a farce. Sergius and Raina pretend to have a perfect romance, but they are both attracted to other people. Sergius flirts with Louka behind Raina’s back. Raina secretly admires Bluntschli. This leads to confusion and humorous situations.
Coat Episode: Another farcical moment is when Petkoff cannot find his coat. Catherine and Raina try to hide the truth (that they gave Bluntschli the coat). The situation becomes more ridiculous when Bluntschli returns with it at the worst possible moment.
In short, these farcical elements make the play entertaining and engaging. The characters act in silly ways, but through humor, Shaw makes serious points about war and love.