Arms and the Man: Wit and Humour

“Arms and the Man” is not merely a farce but a true comedy. The purpose of a comedy is to ridicule and expose human or social folly or weakness and to drive that folly out of courts. Though there is ample of farcical, loud laughter in the play, but the laughter has a serous purpose and this differentiates the play from a mere farce. Shaw laughs, but his laughter has a serious purpose. Besides provoking mirth he also provokes thoughts.

Shaw is one of the greatest humorists in English literature the other humourist are Shakespeare and Dickens. However, Shaw’s is different from both Shakespeare and Dickens as his humour arises from the difference between instinctive conduct, or social institutions and social codes of conduct. This is Shaw’s contribution to the art of comedy.

“Arms and the Man” is rich in humour. There is enough of humour of characterin the play. Major Petkoff, Catherine Petkoff, Sergius and Captain Bluntschli are all humorous as in their thoughts, words and actions they are below the normal level. Catherine Petkoff’s pride in the electric bell, in two staircases and library is the rich sources of humour. The confusion of Catherine amuses us, as Bluntschli decides to stay with them as their guest while Catherine wants him to go away, at once, to avoid a disclosure of their sheltering Bluntschli. There is much fun and humour in the play, with Bluntschli’s carving for chocolate creams and shying like a frightened horse and nervous like a mouse. He creates loud laughter when he judges Raina to be a “school-girl of seventeen”, or when he lists the various items of his enormous wealth.

Nor is humour of situation lacking in the play. There is the very first scene in the bedroom of Raina. The humour arises from the conflict of the natural conduct of Bluntschli with the conventional conduct of Raina. He is an intruder, a fugitive and an enemy, whereas Raina is the daughter of one of the most influential man in Bulgaria. It is expected that he would be perturbed, while she would remain self-possessed. But the contrary happens. The instinctive Bluntschli, is self-possessed, while the lady, who has nothing but romance, is perturbed. Finally, the intruder converts the lady to her own point of view. Numerous other examples of the humour of situation may be easily cited from the play.

Shaw’s humour often verges on the farcical. The coat-episode, the photograph-episode, and the chocolate-cream episode are all sources of farcical humour. Shaw’s habit of deflating big names or giving people nicknames is another source of broad humour in his plays. Raina nicknames Bluntschli as, “chocolate-cream soldier”, because he loves to eat chocolates.

“The higher love of Raina and Sergius, the military heroism of Sergius, the servility of Nicola and
his looking a fool and taking all the blame on himself are overdone and verge on the farcical”.

Shavian wit, too, are scattered all up and down the play. As Goad puts it:

“Shaw revels in puns paradoxes, retorts and repartees”.

He has great skill in of saying fine sparkling things. Sometimes, Shaw’s wit is light and innocent, and at other times it has rapier-like thrust and is sharp and biting. When Petkoff returns from the front, Catherine proudly tells him that she has got fitted an electric bell in their home, because civilized people do not shout for their servants. At this Petkoff resorts,

“Civilized people do not hang out their washing to dry where visitors can see it so you would better have all that part somewhere else.”

But it is Petkoff, who gets the worst of it for Catherine silences him with her clever repartee,

“I do not think really civilized people notice such things”.

When Sergius asks Louka,

“If you were in love with me, would you spy out of windows on me”,

Louka wittily replies,

“Well you see, Sir, Since you are half a dozen gentleman all at once, I shall have a great deal to look after”,

And Sergius is obliged to praise her,

“Witty as well as pretty”.

Louka’s wit is sharp and biting when she retorts to Sergius,

“whatever clay I made of, you are made of the same”.

In Arms and the Man, Shaw’s intentions are comic and through the use of bathos or anti-climax he attains his intention. Sergius and Raina become comic figures, as the hollowness of their romantic love, and their romantic attitudes and poses are exposed and the essential inner self is revealed. Both come down to the level of Louka and Bluntschli.

Shaw shows that war is not heroic, but something horrible and brutal; soldiers are not heroes but fools and cowards, who fight only because they are bound to fight. Sergius’ heroic victory appears in a comic light, when it is discovered that he could win only because that Serbian gunmen had the wrong ammunition with them.

“…he ought to be courtmartialled for it.… He and his regiment simply committed suicide – only the pistol missed fire.”

Sergius makes love to Louka soon after ‘the higher love scene’. Similarly, Raina wishes to scandalize Sergius, and half wishes that he should find out about her having sheltered in her bedroom her chocolate-cream soldier.

Thus Shaw has demonstrated the folly of romantic ideals of love and war, his purpose in writing the plays. He has provided ample of fun and humour for his readers and audience, but he has also achieved his serious purpose.