Arms and the Man Group at eNotes

Raina is readying for bed in the darkness of her chamber when she sees...

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:59:28 PST

Raina is readying for bed in the darkness of her chamber when she sees her shutters open and close and hears ragged breathing in her room. A match is briefly lit and then put out, and a man's voice warns her not to shout out or she will be shot. The man instructs Raina to strike a light, and when she does she sees "a man of about 35, in a deplorable plight, bespattered with mud and blood and snow". The man reveals that he is a...

This line is spoken by Sergius to Louka, a maid in the Petkoff...

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 16:33:10 PST

This line is spoken by Sergius to Louka, a maid in the Petkoff household, in Act II. The "thing" that fatigues him is "higher love", and the need to keep up a pretense of it "for any length of time". Sergius, who has just returned from the war, has been reunited with Raina, with whom he is engaged. The two have just had a rather silly conversation in which they declare how much they have missed each other...

This quote is spoken by Bluntschli to Sergius in Act III. Bluntschli...

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:00:26 PST

This quote is spoken by Bluntschli to Sergius in Act III. Bluntschli is referring back to a conversation he had had with Raina in Act I, when he was a fugitive soldier hiding out in her room. Bluntschli, who had been fighting for the Servians at that time, had just escaped from a battle in which his side had been beaten. He explained to Raina that the Servians should have won that confrontation, except for the fact that they had been...

What is the mistake spoken of in this quote from "Arms and the...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:10:09 PST

What is the mistake spoken of in this quote from "Arms and the Man"?

What is the "thing" that fatigues the speaker in this quote...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:05:14 PST

What is the "thing" that fatigues the speaker in this quote from "Arms and the Man"?

Give a brief account of Raina's first meeting with Bluntschli in...

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:00:35 PST

Give a brief account of Raina's first meeting with Bluntschli in "Arms and the Man".

This line is spoken by Louka, a maid in the Petkoff household. She is...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:26:35 PST

This line is spoken by Louka, a maid in the Petkoff household. She is speaking to Nicola, a servant. Nicola has warned Louka to mind her manners in front of the mistress, and Louka, who knows "some family secrets", responds, "Let them quarrel with me if they dare!" (Act 2).Louka's words give the impression that she is a brash, confident young woman with a rebellious spirit. She appears to be resentful of her...

Interpretation of "Let them quarrel with me if they dare!" from "Arms...

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 04:18:09 PST

Who is the speaker of this line from "Arms and the Man", and what impression of the speaker do you get from the line..."Let them quarrel with me if they dare!"

Bluntschli is speaking to Raina in this scene as he classifies the two...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:12:01 PST

Bluntschli is speaking to Raina in this scene as he classifies the two types of soldiers: "old ones and young ones." The young ones actually think that cartridges will save them in battle, he relates to her ironically. The old solders know that "grub" is what they must keep in their belts.The reality of war, he explains, is that a soldier will probably starve to death before he is shot, so an experienced soldier carries...

This quote is from Act I, and the man referred to here is Sergius, the...

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:01:36 PST

This quote is from Act I, and the man referred to here is Sergius, the dashing young calvaryman who is, ironically, viewed as brave but described by the Man (Bluntschli) as a fool who almost got everyone killed in the calvary charge.Bluntscli is a mercenary who is experienced in battle, fourteen years, yet he does not take himself as seriously as Sergius. Unfortunately, at the opening of this play, appearances seem to be everything as Raina...

"What uses are cartridges in battle?"--Why does the speaker...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:47:03 PST

"What uses are cartridges in battle?"--Why does the speaker say so? What does he carry instead and why?

"...That man must be the very maddest."--Who is the...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:43:20 PST

"...That man must be the very maddest."--Who is the "man" referred to here? And what compels the speaker to wonder?

The weapon is a cloak, and the speaker objects because it does not...

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 09:21:39 PST

The weapon is a cloak, and the speaker objects because it does not conform to her romantic ideas about warfare.Raina Petkoff, a young Bulgarian, makes this statement to a Serbian soldier who has entered her bedchamber. The soldier is fleeing from a Russian officer, and wants Raina to hide him in her room. Unsure of Raina's loyalties, the soldier wryly notes that she probably wouldn't want the Russians in her bedroom because she is...

Louka is a maid in the house who desperately wants to improve her status...

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 20:04:01 PST

Louka is a maid in the house who desperately wants to improve her status in society by marrying above her class. Nicola, also a servant, tells Louka she shouldn't try to be more than what she is, but Louka doesn't accept his fatalistic attitude. Louka sees a chance to rise above her servant status when she and Sergius, Raina's fiance, find themselves attracted to each other. Sergius is a member of the gentry, an officer and a gentleman, so...

I want to know more about Louka, the maid in "Arms and the Man."

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:32:55 PST

I want to know more about Louka, the maid in "Arms and the Man."

In this quote from "Arms and the Man", what is the weapon and...

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:49:40 PST

In this quote from "Arms and the Man", what is the weapon and why does the speaker object to it?

I believe that is one of the most important theme in the play is...

Sun, 15 Jun 2008 14:53:03 PST

I believe that is one of the most important theme in the play is Modernism , and this theme could be clarified through some points mentioned in the play as follow :The writer represents to us the nature of war which is destructive , and he also tries to domenstrate the rights of women , women can choose their husbands, despite the class distinctions.The writer also mentions some inventions for example , photography , electrical bell.

Bluntschili is a realistic man,honest and straightforward while Sergius...

Sat, 5 Apr 2008 03:30:34 PST

Bluntschili is a realistic man,honest and straightforward while Sergius has just a name of honor and being hero.He is known like that however actually we see that he is not.I think the aim of Shaw is to bring the people down to the earth.He wants to make us see the realities beyond the accepted realities of the society.

In Arms and the Man, how are Sergius and Bluntschli different from one...

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:41:02 PST

In Arms and the Man, how are Sergius and Bluntschli different from one another? Why did Shaw use them to contrast each other?

A romantic comedy about war, this play subverts both romance and war,...

Thu, 29 Nov 2007 03:18:11 PST

A romantic comedy about war, this play subverts both romance and war, which the subtitle, "An Anti-romance," indicates. Not only does Shaw make fun of romance between men and women but he also satirizes the so-called noble reasons countries go to war. As he does in other play, Shaw connects social issues, such as war and relationships between men and women, to capitalism, showing how the latter drives the former. At the time he...