Arms and The Man has been called a drama of ideas. Discuss the manner in which the ideas on War, Love, and Social Status are dealt with in the play.
To
Shaw, drama was preeminently a medium for articulating his own ideas and
philosophy. He enunciated the philosophy of life force which he sought to
disseminate through his dramas. Thus Shavian plays are the vehicles for the
transportation of ideas, however, propagandizing they may be. Shaw wanted to
cast his ideas through discussions.
Out
of the discussions in the play Arms and the Man, Shaw
breaks the idols of love and war. The iconoclast Shaw pulls down all false gods
which men live, love admire and adore. By a clever juxtaposition of characters
and dialogues, Shaw shatters the romantic illusions about war and war heroes
Shaw’s message is that war is no longer a thing of banners and glory, as the
nineteenth century dramatist saw it, but a dull and sordid affair of brutal
strength and callous planning out. The dialogues of Bluntschli, Riana and
Sergius go to preach this message with great success. Here to quote Sergius who
says, “War is a hollow sham like love.” One thing however be remembered that
in Arms and the Man, Mr. Shaw does not, as some imagine attack war. He is not Tolstoy an in the
least. What he does is to denounce the sentimental illusion that gathers around
war. “Fight if you will”, says he ‘but for goodness’ sake don’t strike
picturesque attitudes in the limelight about it. View it as one of the
desperately irrational things of life that may, however, in certain
circumstances be a brutal necessity. Bluntschli is the very mouth piece of the
play that exposes the dreamful reality of war. There is a lot of learning in
the disillusionment of Riana and Sergius.
Out
of the discussions in the play Arms and the Man, Shaw
breaks the idols of love and war. The iconoclast Shaw pulls down all false gods
which men live, love admire and adore. By a clever juxtaposition of characters
and dialogues, Shaw shatters the romantic illusions about war and war heroes
Shaw’s message is that war is no longer a thing of banners and glory, as the
nineteenth century dramatist saw it, but a dull and sordid affair of brutal
strength and callous planning out. The dialogues of Bluntschli, Riana and
Sergius go to preach this message with great success. Here to quote Sergius who
says, “War is a hollow sham like love.” One thing however be remembered that
in Arms and the Man Mr. Shaw does not, as some imagine attack war. He is not Tolstoy an in the
least. What he does is to denounce the sentimental illusion that gathers around
war. “Fight if you will”, says he ‘but for goodness’ sake don’t strike
picturesque attitudes in the limelight about it. View it as one of the
desperately irrational things of life that may, however, in certain
circumstances be a brutal necessity. Bluntschli is the very mouth piece of the
play that exposes the dreamful reality of war. There is a lot of learning in
the disillusionment of Riana and Sergius.
To Shaw, drama was preeminently a medium for articulating his own ideas and philosophy. He enunciated the philosophy of life force which he sought to disseminate through his dramas. Thus Shavian plays are the vehicles for the transportation of ideas, however, propagandizing they may be. Shaw wanted to cast his ideas through discussions.
Out of the discussions in the play Arms and the Man, Shaw breaks the idols of love and war. The iconoclast Shaw pulls down all false gods which men live, love admire and adore. By a clever juxtaposition of characters and dialogues, Shaw shatters the romantic illusions about war and war heroes Shaw’s message is that war is no longer a thing of banners and glory, as the nineteenth century dramatist saw it, but a dull and sordid affair of brutal strength and callous planning out. The dialogues of Bluntschli, Riana and Sergius go to preach this message with great success. Here to quote Sergius who says, “War is a hollow sham like love.” One thing however be remembered that in Arms and the Man, Mr. Shaw does not, as some imagine attack war. He is not Tolstoy an in the least. What he does is to denounce the sentimental illusion that gathers around war. “Fight if you will”, says he ‘but for goodness’ sake don’t strike picturesque attitudes in the limelight about it. View it as one of the desperately irrational things of life that may, however, in certain circumstances be a brutal necessity. Bluntschli is the very mouth piece of the play that exposes the dreamful reality of war. There is a lot of learning in the disillusionment of Riana and Sergius.
Out of the discussions in the play Arms and the Man, Shaw breaks the idols of love and war. The iconoclast Shaw pulls down all false gods which men live, love admire and adore. By a clever juxtaposition of characters and dialogues, Shaw shatters the romantic illusions about war and war heroes Shaw’s message is that war is no longer a thing of banners and glory, as the nineteenth century dramatist saw it, but a dull and sordid affair of brutal strength and callous planning out. The dialogues of Bluntschli, Riana and Sergius go to preach this message with great success. Here to quote Sergius who says, “War is a hollow sham like love.” One thing however be remembered that in Arms and the Man Mr. Shaw does not, as some imagine attack war. He is not Tolstoy an in the least. What he does is to denounce the sentimental illusion that gathers around war. “Fight if you will”, says he ‘but for goodness’ sake don’t strike picturesque attitudes in the limelight about it. View it as one of the desperately irrational things of life that may, however, in certain circumstances be a brutal necessity. Bluntschli is the very mouth piece of the play that exposes the dreamful reality of war. There is a lot of learning in the disillusionment of Riana and Sergius.
