Arms and the Man 💜 By George Bernard Shaw FULL Audiobook

Arms and the Man. By George Bernard Shaw FULL Audiobook
"Arms and the Man" is a play written by George Bernard Shaw, first performed in 1894. The play is set in Bulgaria during the brief Bulgarian-Serbian war in the 1880s. The story revolves around the young romantic Raina Petkoff and her mother Catherine, who are thrilled about a successful cavalry charge led by the handsome and heroic Sergius, to whom Raina is betrothed. They are thrilled at his success. Their defiant young servant Louka comes in and tells them that there will be fighting in the streets soon, and that they should lock all of their windows. Raina’s shutters do not lock, and shortly after the gunshots start that night, she hears a man climb onto her balcony and into her room. He is a Swiss professional soldier fighting for Servia. Though he fights for the enemy and is not in the least heroic (he fears for his life, threatens to cry, and carries chocolates instead of ammo) Raina is touched by his plight. He angers her when he tells her that the man who led the cavalry charge against them only succeeded because he got extremely lucky—the Servians were not equipped with the right ammo. Raina indignantly says that that commander is her betrothed, and the man apologizes, holding back laughter. Raina nevertheless agrees to keep the man safe, saying that her family is one of the most powerful and wealthy in Bulgaria, and that his safety will be ensured as their guest. She goes to get her mother and when they return he has fallen asleep on Raina’s bed.

The play explores the idea that love and war don’t always mix. Raina takes great pride in the Bulgarian army's recent victory over the Serbians. She unexpectedly takes in a Serbian soldier named Bluntschli, who fled the battle. Raina and Bluntschli gradually fall in love. In the final act, in the library, it comes out that Louka, though she had been assumed to be engaged to the head servant Nicola, is in love with Sergius, and he is in love with her. Raina eventually admits she has fallen for Bluntschli, who is at first hesitant, believing her to be much younger than she is.

The play satirizes the romantic notions of war and heroism prevalent in the society of that time. It also explores the idea that love and war don’t always mix. The play is a comedy about the love between two young people who are on opposite sides of a civil war. The play is set in Bulgaria when the country was fighting for independence from the Ottoman Empire. Shaw uses this setting to explore the idea that love and war don’t always mix. The play is a satire on the foolishness of glorifying something so terrible as war, as well as a satire on the foolishness of basing your affections on idealistic notions of love.
More: Arms and the Man, George Bernard Shaw, comedy
Serbo-Bulgarian War, Raina Petkoff, Sergius Saranoff
Bulgarian victory, Captain Bluntschli, Swiss mercenary
Serbian army, chocolate creams, Louka
Nicola, Major Petkoff, Elizabeth Klett

00:00:00 Introduction
00:09:26 Dramatis Personae. Arms and the Man
00:57:35 Act II
01:53:09 Act III