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What is the significance of the play’s title?
The title Arms and the Man is an allusion to Virgil’s epic poem The Aeneid, a classic work which glorifies the Trojan War and the birth of Rome. Shaw uses this phrase from the poem ironically as his play aims to challenge such idealized depictions of violence and emphasize the senselessness of war. While “arms” refers to weaponry in The Aeneid, it also serves as a reference to the exploration of love and relationships that occurs alongside discussions of war in Shaw’s play.
Why does Raina refer to Bluntschli as her “chocolate cream soldier”?
Raina refers to Bluntschli as a “chocolate cream soldier” during their first interaction as well as throughout their blossoming relationship. While the phrase comes to serve as a term of endearment, it initially stems from Bluntschli’s confession that he keeps chocolates in his revolver case instead of bullets. This detail, which shocks Raina, inspires her to give her last three chocolate creams to the starving soldier that she shelters in her bedroom. Until she discovers Bluntschli’s true identity, Raina gives him the nickname “chocolate cream soldier” as a way of remembering their shared moment.
How do the characters’ perceptions of love and war change throughout the play?
When the play begins, the Petkoff family views the war through a particularly romanticized lens. Raina and Catherine celebrate Sergius’s heroism on the battlefield, blissfully unaware of the pointless nature of his cavalry charge. Similarly, Raina and Sergius proclaim they have found a “higher love” but have little authentic evidence to prove it. These grand visions fall apart as the play progresses and the truths about the war and the characters’ relationships emerge. In the end, the characters allow themselves to move past the glorified images they once believed in and find happiness as a result.
