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MonkeyNotes-Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw
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KEY LITERARY ELEMENTS
SETTING
Prince Alexander I, the Regent of Bulgaria, led the Bulgarian
army against the Serbs who had declared war in November 1885.
The Bulgarian army was helped by the Russians whereas the
Serbs were led by Austrians. The Swiss supplied a large number
of mercenaries and Captain Bluntschli is one such soldier
fighting on the Serbian side. Such mercenaries had no feelings.
At a crucial point Russia called back her officers and Bulgaria
was left to fend for herself. In spite of such mishaps the
Bulgarians were victorious in the Battle of Slivnitza in
November 1885.
The title of the
play "Arms and the Man" comes from the
opening lines of "The Aeneid", Virgil's epic-poem describing
the
adventures of Aeneas, the Trojan Prince. Shaw calls it an "Anti-
Romantic Comedy". The term romantic, according to Shaw,
meant untruth. Romance refers to a kind of fiction, which did not
concern itself with real life; it gave greater importance to
idealization. The same trend was followed by drama. Scribe and
Sardon in Paris wrote well -made plays which had well-
constructed plots with several well-known devices. Audiences
were used to such drama, therefore, when Ibsen's plays "The
Doll's House" and "Ghosts" were performed, people were
shocked. Shaw was inspired by Ibsen who tackled real issues and
made people think.
Like Ibsen, he tackled real issues that Englishmen were made to
think about.
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