Comedy Drama Romantic comedy War and peace Romantic illusions vs. Reality Class and social hypocrisy Idealism vs. Pragmatism
Arms And The Man is a comedy written by George Bernard Shaw and first published in 1898.
The plot takes place in the context of the Serbian-Bulgarian war of 1885. It tells the story of Raina Petkooff, a young Bulgarian girl who is about to marry officer Sergius Saranoff. The young man is a war hero and Raina idolizes him.
One night Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary fighting for the Serbian army, sneaks into Raina's room through the window, hides behind a battle and threatens the young woman if she raises the alarm.
Raina is initially frightened and looks down on him. She constantly compares him to her young beloved and sees only negative things in him: fearful and unprofessional for an officer. When the Bulgarian troops come looking for him in the house, Raina saves his life by hiding him so that he cannot be found. In later conversations between the two, Raina's idealistic ideas will clash with Bluntschli's pragmatic attitude and his ideas about war...
"Night. A lady’s bedchamber in Bulgaria, in a small town near the Dragoman Pass. It is late in November in the year 1885, and through an open window with a little balcony on the left can be seen a peak of the Balkans, wonderfully white and beautiful in the starlit snow."
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Copyright info
Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading Arms and the Man in PDF or ePub.
A “war hero” with chocolates instead of bullets walks onstage and punctures romantic nonsense. Shaw’s comedy makes pragmatism charming and pretension ridiculous. Brisk, quotable, rewatchable.
Perfect antidote to glory talk: it celebrates competence, kindness, and truth in courtship and combat. Dialogue crackles; characters learn. Use it to discuss propaganda, professionalism, and how affection matures when vanity exits.
Jokes clear fog, not just entertain.
Courage includes pragmatism and care.
Respect replaces performance—and attraction deepens.
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Debate on a stage; satire and moral pressure that move people not just lines.
We have 8 books by George Bernard Shaw in the AliceAndBooks library