INTRODUCTION

Shaw was already a celebrity arts critic and socialist lecturer when he wrote Arms and the Man
in 1894. One of Shaw's earliest attempts at writing for the theatre, it was also his first
commercial success as a playwright. Although it played for only one season at an avant-garde
theatre, thanks to the financial backing of a friend, it was later produced in America in 1895.
Accustomed to the melodramas of the age, however, even sophisticated audiences often did not
discern the serious purpose of Shaw's play. Thus, Shaw considered it a failure.

True success did not come until 1898, when Arms and the Man was published as one of the
"pleasant" plays in Shaw's collection called Plays: Pleasant and Unpleasant, and it subsequently
gained popularity as a written work. Included in this collection of plays are lengthy explanatory
prefaces, which note significant issues in the plays and which have been invaluable to critics. In
place of brief stage directions, Shaw's plays also included lengthy instructions and descriptions.
Another unique aspect of Arms and the Man was its use of a woman as the central character.

Set during the four-month-long Serbo-Bulgarian War that occurred between November 1885 and
March 1886, this play is a satire on the foolishness of glorifying something so terrible as war, as
well as a satire on the foolishness of basing your affections on idealistic notions of love. These
themes brought reality and a timeless lesson to the comic stage. Consequently, once Shaw's
genius was recognized, Arms and the Man became one of Shaw's most popular plays and has
remained a classic ever since.

Signifiacne

The division of plays into “acts” has three functions: the social need for pauses in the
entertainment experience, both physical and psychological; the theatrical necessities of costume
change, set change, actor breaks, and the like; and, most importantly, the division of the
“narrative” into parts whose relationship is part of the artistic experience. It is not quite accurate
to say that plays are “usually” divided into five acts; history has shown that the stage has favored
three acts ever since the 19th century, and ever since the 20th century the two-act play is more
common. The important difference is what the playwright was trying to do: the five-act play is a
full historical account, as in Shakespeare’s English histories. The three-act play subtly follows
the Socratic method of argument, with a thesis (Act I), an anti-thesis (Act II) and a conclusion
(Act III). Arms and the Man follows this pattern. In modern times, starting with Beckett’s
Waiting for Godot, playwrights have found the 2-act play structure best, to illustrate the dualities
presented by Existentialism and other dualistic views of the world. The whole argument is
complicated and requires study in both philosophy and dramaturgy.

The play unfolds in Bulgaria in 1885, towards the end of the Serbo-Bulgarian War. Raina
Petkoff and her mother Catherine have received news that Raina’s fiancé Sergius led a victorious
cavalry charge against Serbian forces. Louka, the household maid, enters to announce that the
windows must be locked, as fleeing Serbian troops are being hunted down in the streets. Later
that night a Serbian officer climbs the drainpipe outside Raina’s balcony and breaks into her
room. Bulgarian soldiers arrive, asking to inspect the room, and Raina, overwhelmed by a
moment of compassion, hides the enemy soldier behind her curtains. Louka is the only one who
sees through the deception, but she only smirks and leaves in silence.

Once safe, the soldier comes out from hiding and explains he is a Swiss mercenary for the
Serbian army. He admits to Raina that he does not carry cartridges for his gun, only chocolates,
as these are more practical for a starving soldier. Thinking him childish, Raina offers the soldier
some chocolate creams, which he devours hungrily. He explains that the cavalry charge led by
Raina’s fiancé Sergius was only successful as a result of dumb luck. Angered, Raina finally
demands he leave, yet the Swiss mercenary claims to be too exhausted to move. Feeling pity,
Raina agrees to shelter him and runs to find her mother. When the two women return, the
chocolate cream soldier, as Raina calls him, has fallen asleep in her bed.

The second act begins with Nicola, an older servant, lecturing his fiancée Louka on appropriate
conduct toward their employers. As they speak, Major Petkoff, Raina’s father, returns from the
front. He announces that the war has ended with a peace treaty, upsetting his wife Catherine who
believes Bulgaria should have annexed Serbia. Shortly afterward, Raina’s fiancé Sergius arrives.
The once idealistic man has grown cynical, resigning from the military and complaining about
the lack of honor and bravery among professional soldiers. He recounts an anecdote about a
fleeing Swiss mercenary escaping into the bedroom of a fascinated Bulgarian woman, alarming
Raina and Catherine. Once alone, Raina and Sergius speak of their love for each other in
reverential and somewhat ridiculous tones.

As soon as Raina leaves to get her hat, Sergius embraces Louka and complains about how
exhausting his relationship with his fiancée is. Louka claims not to understand the hypocrisy of
the upper class, saying that both Sergius and Raina pretend to love each other while flirting with
other people. Demanding to know whom Raina has been seeing, Sergius grabs Louka and bruises
her arm. Louka asks that he kiss it in apology but Sergius refuses just as Raina enters the garden.
As the couple prepares to leave for a walk, Catherine calls Sergius to the library to help Major
Petkoff arrange some troop movements.

Catherine and Raina discuss the significance of Sergius telling the anecdote about the escaping
mercenary. To her mother’s chagrin, Raina expresses a desire for Sergius to learn of her part in
the story, wishing to shock his faux propriety. As Raina exits, Louka enters and announces that a
Swiss officer is at the door. Captain Bluntschli, the chocolate cream soldier, has come to return
the coat that was used to smuggle him out of the house. As Catherine attempts to send him away,
Major Petkoff recognizes him from the peace negotiations, greets him warmly, and asks him to
help coordinate Bulgarian troop movements. Raina sees him in the hallway and gasps that it is
the chocolate cream soldier. Thinking quickly, she explains to her father and fiancée that she
made a chocolate cream decoration in the shape of a soldier, but that Nicola has clumsily crushed
it.

Later that afternoon, Captain Bluntschli makes short work of the administrative tasks. Major
Petkoff wonders about the fate of his old lost coat. At Catherine’s request, Nicola fetches the
coat that had previously disappeared, astounding the Major. The Major, Sergius and Catherine
leave to implement Bluntschli’s orders, leaving the Captain alone with Raina. Raina begins
posturing, complaining how morally wounded she is by having to lie for him. The Captain sees
through her act and confronts her; he is the first person to see her pretentious behavior for what it
is. Raina admits to behaving theatrically and suspects Bluntschli must despise her. On the
contrary, Bluntschli is charmed by her posturing but cannot take it seriously. Suddenly,
Bluntschli receives a telegram informing him of his father’s death and his large inheritance.

Raina and Bluntschli exit as Louka and then Sergius enter. Sergius inspects Louka’s arm and
offers to kiss her bruise but is rejected. Louka questions his notions of bravery, arguing that
anyone may be brave in battle but few are able to stand up to social expectations. She asks
Sergius if he would marry someone below his station for love. Sergius claims he would but uses
his engagement to Raina as an excuse. Hurt, Louka teases him with the knowledge that
Bluntschli is Raina’s true love.

Sergius challenges Bluntschli to a duel. Raina enters and argues with Sergius, announcing that
she saw him embracing Louka. Bluntschli explains to Sergius that Raina only let him remain in
her room at gunpoint. Somewhat deflated, Sergius withdraws from the duel. When Bluntschli
suggests that Louka join the conversation, Sergius leaves to look for her, only to find her
eavesdropping in the hallway. Having understood that something is awry, Major Petkoff enters
and demands to know who the chocolate cream soldier is. Bluntschli admits that it is he. Raina
explains that she is no longer engaged to Sergius, as he loves Louka. Sergius kisses Louka’s
hand, committing himself to marry her. Louka’s original fiancé Nicola gracefully bows out.
Bluntschli follows Sergius’ lead and asks for Raina’s hand. The Captain’s new inheritance - a
successful chain of hotels - persuades Major Petkoff to agree to the marriage. Bluntschli leaves
to take care of his father’s estate with promises to return in a fortnight.

Conclusion

The title, of course, is from the opening line of Virgil’s Aeneid—“Of arms and the man I sing”
and refers to the contrast between the political forces of war versus the human traits that war’s
participants bring to it. The man can be warm, loving, supportive, etc. while war itself is its
opposite. The Aeneid itself is both the story of the aftermath of the Trojan War and the
subsequent wars of acquistion, the conquering...