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Arms and the Man is a comedy by G. Bernard Shaw. Its title comes from the opening words of Virgil's Aeneid: "Arma virumque cano" (Of arms and the man I sing). (PP A.1.1)

The play was first produced in 1894 at the Playhouse Theatre, and published in 1898 as part of Shaw's Plays Pleasant volume, which also included Candida, You Never Can Tell, and The Man of Destiny. This link is to the play's full text.

Shaw's plays often question conventional values, and Arms and the Man is no exception. Its satirical targets are false notions of both war and love.

Contents 1 Plot summary 1.1 Act I 1.2 Act II 1.3 Act III 2 Film, TV and theatrical adaptations 3 External links

The play takes place during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War. Its heroine, Raina (rah-EE-na), is a young Bulgarian woman engaged to one of the heroes of that war, whom she idealizes. One night, a Swiss voluntary soldier to the Serbian army, Bluntschli, bursts into her bedroom and begs her to hide him, so that he is not killed. Raina complies, though she thinks the man a coward, especially when he tells her that he does not carry pistol cartridges, but chocolates.

During the course of the play, Raina comes to realize the hollowness of her romantic idea and her fiancé's values, and the true nobility of the "chocolate-cream soldier." The play concludes with her renouncing her idyllic love and proclaiming her love for Bluntschli.

The play begins in Raina's bedroom. It is an odd mix of the expensively grand and tastelessly cheap. Raina stands out on her balcony enjoying the idea that she makes the lovely evening even more so. She wears a fur dressing gown worth three times the room's furniture. Catherine, her mother, enters and tells Raina that there has been a great battle.

The war between Bulgaria and Servia may have been decided by this great victory. Leading the daring charge was Raina's fiancée: Major Sergius Saranoff. The routed forces of the enemy are being hunted through the streets of the city. Their maid servant, Louka, enters and informs the rejoicing mother and daughter of orders that the windows must be kept shuttered and barred, lest escaping soldiers or errant bullets get in. Raina's window does not bolt, but she closes the shutter and hides from the gunfire under her covers. It is then that a bedraggled-looking Servian officer climbs in her window.

Raina is not about to be intimidated and the two talk for quite a while. An officer of the Bulgarian army requests to search the room, as some people reported seeing a man climb in. Raina hides the Servian officer and convinces the other soldiers that there is nobody there.

The soldier reveals that his gun has no cartridges and that, in fact, he generally carries chocolates where they should be. He is a professional soldier and knows that chocolates and food are more important in the long run than bullets. Raina contemptuously gives him the last of her chocolate cremes and he gratefully eats them. Rather than allowing him to take the chance of capture and execution, Raina convinces the Officer (he isn't hard to convince) to rely upon her and her mother's good will. She leaves to enlist the help of her mother and when Raina and Catherine return to the room, the Officer has fallen asleep from stress and exhaustion

In the courtyard of the Petkoff house, Nicola is lecturing Louka about her insolence towards her employers. She scorns Nicola for his servility, but he knows the way things are and talks to her of practicalities and the real world. She will hear none of it.

Major Petkoff comes into the garden. He has just returned from the newly finished war. Treaties have been signed, and the two sides have begun diplomatic relations again. Petkoff is very glad to be home. Catherine runs out to greet him and they talk about the state of the two nations and of their own social status.

Sergius Saranoff arrives. Before he is brought around to the courtyard, Catherine presses Petkoff to arrange a promotion for their daughter's fiancée, but Petkoff assures her that it will not be very likely. Though his charge was brave, and worked, it was only through luck. It was actually a foolish move that only succeeded because of a technical problem in the enemy's machine guns. Nobody will give Saranoff a higher rank which would mean even more men to risk.

Saranoff realizes that his charge was "the cradle and the grave" of his military career and he announces his intention to retire. Raina arrives right on cue (Catherine remarks that her daughter waits for such moments).

Talking to Petkoff, Saranoff mentions an odd Swiss soldier they met during a prisoner exchange. He was an interesting fellow and definitely got the better of them in the trade. He told them a very interesting story about a spectacular escape from the Bulgarian forces. It involved crawling in the window of a young lady's bedroom and, with the assistance of the young lady and her mother, his escape in an old house-coat. This shocks Raina and Catherine, but both hide it well.

The major heads to the library to finish some plans for the military movements as they head back home. Saranoff and Raina are left alone. They trade romantic endearments and mutually worship each other's qualities. Raina convinces Saranoff to go for a walk with her and runs into the house to change dresses for the walk.

Saranoff takes the opportunity to drop his façade of courtly love and flirts with Louka. He is conflicted about the propriety of his own actions and varies between loving Louka and chastising himself, flirting and then apologizing. She is attracted to him, but also insulted by his actions. She hints that Raina isn't as innocent as Saranoff thinks, and he becomes angry, bruising her arms in his grip.

Raina enters to take Saranoff for a walk, but Catherine interrupts them, telling Saranoff that the Major needs his help with figuring out the troop movements. Saranoff promises to return in five minutes and runs into the Library. Raina admits to her mother that she isn't really as taken with Saranoff as she pretends to be.

Raina leaves as Louka re-enters to inform Catherine that a Servian Officer named Bluntschli has come to visit. It quickly becomes clear that this is the "Chocolate Crème Soldier"- the man they helped to escape. He has come to return the old house coat. Catherine sees him secretly in the courtyard and asks him to leave as quickly as possible.

He says he understands and begins to leave as Major Petkoff and Saranoff enter. Recognizing the soldier, they greet him warmly and insist that he stay at the Petkoff home. He tries to back out, but they are insistent. Raina runs in and, recognizing Bluntschli, calls him her "Chocolate Crème Soldier" in shock. She and Catherine have to cover quickly for her slip. Finally, with Raina insisting that he stay as well, Bluntschli agrees to prolong his visit for a few days.

The library, later that afternoon. It really isn't much of a 'library' but the Petkoffs are enormously proud of it as a symbol of their wealth. Major Petkoff sits reading a paper. Bluntschli is studiously focused on writing the orders for troop movements that Petkoff and Saranoff couldn't figure out. He hands each completed order to Saranoff to sign. Saranoff is at once awed and jealous of Bluntschli's military knowledge. Catherine sits working on sewing, while Raina poses gazing out the window.

The major complains that he misses his old house-coat. He can't find it anywhere. Little does he know that his wife gave it to Bluntschli in his escape. Now returned, Catherine tells Petkoff to look in an upstairs closet, but the major insists that he's checked the closet a dozen times. He sends a servant to check once more, and Nicola enters with the house-coat. Amazed and a bit confused, the major happily dons his favorite garment.

Finishing the orders, Bluntschli sends the Major and Sergius out to dispatch them to the troops. Left alone, Raina teases Bluntschli about the coat and his escape. The conversation becomes serious as she blames Bluntschli for forcing her to tell the only two lies she has ever told- one to the officer searching her room in Act I, and the other to her father to cover for calling him her "chocolate crème soldier". Bluntschli laughs at the idea that she could be so innocent. Indeed, she is not. Once she is through raging at him, she admits that he's right. She is impressed- he is the only person to actually take her so seriously.

She asks him if he liked the portrait she sneaked into the pocket of the house-coat, but Bluntschli has never seen it. He did not go through the pockets of the coat when he escaped. Raina realizes that the portrait, which she inscribed "to my chocolate crème soldier" is likely still in the pocket of the coat.

Louka enters with mail for Bluntschli. He receives a telegram informing him of his father's death and his inheritance. He exits to pack, as he must be leaving very soon to take care of the arrangements. Louka compares him unfavorably to Saranoff and Raina leaves, offended.

Nicola again tries to curb Louka's ambition and insolence. They are engaged, and he would like her to be content with the life ahead of her. If she can not be, she will quickly be discharged. She keeps getting more and more insolent with Raina. Louka, however, just despises Nicola's servility all the more.

Sergius enters and Nicola leaves to let them be alone. Sergius apologizes for hurting her, but says that he is "never sorry" for anything. Again, he varies between his desires and his ideals. Louka calls him a coward. She says that he refuses to marry her simply because of station, and that is cowardly. Were she Empress of Russia, she claims, she would marry whom she pleased and show her own bravery.

Getting carried away, Louka tells Saranoff that Raina is really in love with Bluntschli and that it was Raina who helped him escape. Saranoff at first refuses to believe it, then rages. Louka continues to taunt him about his own infidelities. Incensed, Saranoff swears to Louka that if he ever holds her again, it will be as his fiancée.

Bluntschli enters and Sergius challenges him to a duel. He is shocked and hasn't any idea why, but if Sergius is determined, he will fight. Raina enters and Sergius makes his grievance clear. He accuses Raina of secretly trysting with Bluntschli. They both deny this and it is true, neither has done anything inappropriate. Bluntschli tries to help Sergius repair things with Raina, but it is too late. Saranoff's philandering with Louka comes out, and Louka is found eavesdropping on the conversation. Now both Louka and Raina proceed to berate Sergius who, while deserving, is totally incapable of defending himself.

Petkoff enters and everything comes out. The portrait addressed to "the chocolate crème soldier" is found, Sergius breaks off his engagement with Raina. Then, he takes Louka's hand and, once she reminds him of his oath, he swears to marry her. Nicola quietly gives up his claim on her. Bluntschli, recognizing Nicola's intelligence and dedication suggests that he has an excellent position running hotels for him.

Bluntschli intends to leave, but Saranoff deduces the Officer's real reason for his visit. He must be in love with Raina. Since he can not deny this, Bluntschli then tells Petkoff that he intends to court Raina for his wife. Catherine objects to her daughter marrying a poor officer in the Swiss Army. Now Bluntschli admits to his inheritance and makes it clear that he is a VERY wealthy man. Raina initially objects, saying that it was the poor officer that she was interested in, but Bluntschli makes it clear that he is quite the same man, regardless of wealth. He is her "chocolate crème soldier."

• A British film adaptation of 1932 was directed by Cecil Lewis. It starred Barry Jones as Bluntschli and Anne Grey as Raina.

• A filmed version of Arms and the Man in German entitled Helden ("Heroes") starring O. W. Fischer and Liselotte Pulver was runner up for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1958.

• Shaw sold the rights to adapt the play into a Viennese operetta, certain that it would never be produced. However, it became a phenomenal hit as The Chocolate Soldier (1908), and Shaw vowed never to sell musicalization rights again. (His estate eventually relented, allowing the production of My Fair Lady).

• A musical by Udo Jürgens, Helden, Helden, which is also based on Shaw's play, premiered at the Theater an der Wien, Vienna, Austria in 1973.

• The BBC produced a version in 1989, directed by James Cellan Jones, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Pip Torrens.

• Scholarly article on Arms and the Man
• Study guide for Arms and the Man

The Plays of George Bernard Shaw

Plays Unpleasant : The Philanderer, Mrs Warren's Profession, Widowers' Houses Plays Pleasant : Arms and the Man, Candida, The Man of Destiny, You Never Can Tell Three Plays for Puritans : Caesar and Cleopatra, Captain Brassbound's Conversion, The Devil's Disciple Back to Methuselah, a cycle of 5 plays : In the Beginning: B.C. 4004 (In the Garden of Eden), The Gospel of the Brothers Barnabas: Present Day, The Thing Happens: A.D. 2170, Tragedy of an Elderly Gentleman: A.D. 3000, As Far as Thought Can Reach: A.D. 31,920 Other Plays : Androcles and the Lion, The Apple Cart, The Doctor's Dilemma, Fanny's First Play, Geneva, Heartbreak House, John Bull's Other Island, Major Barbara, Man and Superman, Misalliance, Pygmalion, Saint Joan