Romantic war vs Practical / Real war or Romantic love / Higher Love vs Real love in Arms and the Man

The romantic notion of various sectors of life—love, soldiering and war—is criticized strongly in .Arms and the man.Again in this play, Shaw has exposed and ridiculed the hollowness of romantic love and the heroic ideals of war with a view to making his readers see the truth about love, war and soldiering.

In the beginning of the play, Raina, a romantic girl, stands on her balcony to enjoy the beauty of the Bulgarian night. When Raina is told by her mother Catherine that Raina’s fiancee Sergius won a victory against the Serbians by charging cavalry attack, Raina tells her mother that her romantic ideas about war have proved true.

Afterwards, when Sergius returns from the battlefield, Raina adoringly calls him her ‘hero’ and ‘king. Sergius also addresses Raina as his ‘queen’ and his ‘inspiration’. So, both Raina and Sergius are living in a world of higher love. Their idea about war is also romantic.

Bluntschli, a Serbian fugitive, enters into Raina’s bedchamber in order to take shelter there. In the conversation with Raina, Bluntschli exposes the real fact about Surgius’scavalry charge. Bluntschli tells Raina that the charge ordered by Sergius could be suicidal for them if the Serbian army had right kind of ammunition in their machine-guns. So, Sergius should not be awarded for the charge, rather he should be court-martialed for the blunder. Bluntschli also exposes the real fact of soldiering to Raina. He says “It is our duty to live as long as we can.” He says that “nine soldiers out of ten are born fools” and that experienced soldiers carry chocolates in their pockets. This remark of Bluntschli comes as a shock to Raina’s romantic notion of soldiering and war.

Similarly, Sergius is disillusioned by war, and realizes that soldering is a trade like any other trade:

“… soldering has to be a trade like any other trade. “

It is not heroism, but the, “coward’s art”, of mercilessly attacking when a personis strong and having enemy at a disadvantage.

Again, Sergius finds to his great disappointment that behind his back Raina made love to Bluntschli, and Raina discovers that her hero can flirt with her maidLouka at her back. Their romantic concepts of “the higher love” is shattered.Bluntschli’s practical ideas attract her more than the high talks of Sergius.