Discuss Shaw as a realistic, moralist and propagandist.

Shaw’s Arms and the Man’ is his excellent drama ever he wrote. He infused in it the true sense of realism, moralism and propagandism. This play also has the farcical elements but its real aspect can’t be avoided. All the eight characters including Russian officer of the play have their own demerits. The main theme of the play is love and war, actually the romantic attitude of love and war. Which is rebuked by Shaw. He actually breaks the romantic notion of love and war. This is his iconoclast.

Shaw has used humour, laughter, farce and mild satire so much that critics suspect this is a comedy or a farce. Shaw broke the victorian tradition to teach and preach while narrating with sarcasm and humour mixed with wit.

Army is necessary to defend one nation but it should not fights romantically and uselessly. Sergius and Bluntschli are two notable soldiers in this drama. Bluntschli joins war, fights on the battle front, fails to retalite due to wrong ammunitious and runs away from the battle field to save his life. On account of wrong ammunition, he was defeated. Sergius is extremely romantic and a timid soldier. He become the hero of the battle at Silvinitza. Sergius tells Catherine, Soldiering is the coward’s art of attacking mercilessly when you are strong and keeping out of harm’s way when you are weak.’ Bluntschli keeps chocolates with them in place of chocolates. Shaw’s view is that eatable things are necessary to keep the soldiers a ive and healthy. There is no use of cart ride without man. Chocolates are symbol to the position aspects of life while cartridges are symbol of the negative aspects. Shaw says when there is no true bravery there is no true soldiering and the fraud soldier like Sergius may be victorious in the battlefield. Shaw explain the stupidity and indisciplined activities of soldiers when Russian officers could not see pistol of the fugitive while Louka observes it. Hence, Bluntschli rightly says that nine soldiers out of ten are born fool.

Bluntschli comments on Major Petkoff’s timidness before his wife Catherine. “They make connons out of cherry trees, and the officers send their wires to keep discipline.”

Sergius and Raina boast of thier higher love but it is romantic. They have actually have love for other persons. Sergius after his loveful conversation with Raina, flirts with Louka, the maid servant. Raina loves Bluntsch and Nicola is in love with Louka. Nicola decorates Louka’s beauty, eyebrows, nails, lips and tresses. This is climax of flattery whether he is a lover or a beautician. Sergius is a romantic lover and defines higher love’, Very fatiguing to keep up for any length of time. One feels the need of some relief after it. “Nicola’s flattery and Sergius’s romanticism full of higher love’ with Raina and flirtation with Louka shelter and both these lovers could not marry therir pretty lovers. Afterwards Sergius marries with Louka. Raina marries with Bluntschli. According to shaw love and marriage should not be taken on the basis of wealth and status. The reality is that mental harmony is the basic fact or to matrimony.

Shaw elevates the themes of love and war in this drama. It casts satire on different other activities. He rewards the real morals. Catherine is proud of her library, electric bell, Arabic mare and rich status. Bluntschli breaks her pride by narrating his possessions as a legate. These high class people do not know where to dry their clothes. They do not know how and what to wear and what to talk and what to do. Catherine could not check her daughter in picking up intimacy with a Swiss soldier, cannot cure her throat’s pain but she can make Prince Alexander the emperor of Balkans Petkoff does not know how to eat, where to eat. He is the chief of Bulgarian army yet he seeks assistance of his wife to keep discipline in army. Nicola is a man of moral obedience and serves with cool mind. So he is rewarded by Bluntschli no matter he is not married with Louka as she was not suitable for him.

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