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58th out of 289 books
—
368 voters
Arms and the Man
Arms and the Man is a comedy written by George Bernard Shaw, and was first produced in 1894 and published in 1898, and has become one of the most popular plays of George Bernard Shaw. Like his other works, Arms and the Man questions conventional values and uses war and love as his satirical targets. This edition of Arms and the Man is in the form of a paperback book.
Paperback, 116 pages
Published
January 27th 2007
by Filiquarian Publishing, LLC.
(first published 1894)
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Teaching Bernard Shaw
Paper presented at Kerala University, Trivandrum
March 1999
Teaching the plays of George Bernard Shaw to the undergraduate students of
Kerala state, India is not an easy task. Taking into consideration the poor
exposure to English literature that the students have got during the twelve
years of their schooling, any piece of literature poses a serious challenge
before the teacher.
The undergraduate students of Kerala are not very well exposed to English
literature. In the high s...more
Paper presented at Kerala University, Trivandrum
March 1999
Teaching the plays of George Bernard Shaw to the undergraduate students of
Kerala state, India is not an easy task. Taking into consideration the poor
exposure to English literature that the students have got during the twelve
years of their schooling, any piece of literature poses a serious challenge
before the teacher.
The undergraduate students of Kerala are not very well exposed to English
literature. In the high s...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Jun 17, 2013
Joy H.
marked it as watched-film-only
Added 6/16/13.
I watched "Arms and the Man" via a Netflix DVD (1987). It stars Helena Bonham Carter. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862646/
I did not read the original a play (a comedy) by George Bernard Shaw:
Arms and the Man (1894).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_and...
The story takes place during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War."
Bonham's character hides a soldier in her "chambers" and the story goes on from there. It's a bit wordy and melodramatic but I suppose that was the style back in the 1890's...more
I watched "Arms and the Man" via a Netflix DVD (1987). It stars Helena Bonham Carter. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0862646/
I did not read the original a play (a comedy) by George Bernard Shaw:
Arms and the Man (1894).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arms_and...
The story takes place during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War."
Bonham's character hides a soldier in her "chambers" and the story goes on from there. It's a bit wordy and melodramatic but I suppose that was the style back in the 1890's...more
In the opening scene of Arms and the Man, which establishes the play’s embattled Balkan setting, young Raina learns of her suitor’s heroic exploits in combat. She rhapsodizes that it is “a glorious world for women who can see its glory and men who can act its romance!” Soon, however, such romantic falsifications of love and warfare are brilliantly and at times hilariously unmasked in a comedy that reveals George Bernard Shaw at his best as an acute social observer and witty provocateur.
– From th...more
– From th...more
Oh yes... now the Nobel prize seems adequate.
It is awesome to see how Shaw has honed his skill considerably (both "Widower's Houses" and "Mrs. Warren's Profession", written a few years before this one, are slightly more pedantic and the characters are less likeable, albeit, antiromantic/real). "Arms and the Man" is finally where we see the full roundedness of all the immoral characters--though this one finally has a man who is less interested in war than surviving it--who is dashing and brave......more
It is awesome to see how Shaw has honed his skill considerably (both "Widower's Houses" and "Mrs. Warren's Profession", written a few years before this one, are slightly more pedantic and the characters are less likeable, albeit, antiromantic/real). "Arms and the Man" is finally where we see the full roundedness of all the immoral characters--though this one finally has a man who is less interested in war than surviving it--who is dashing and brave......more
I have yet to read anything by Shaw that I didn't like and this play was no exception. There were several parts of this play that had me laughing out loud. One of my favourites is when Raina is trying to show Bluntschli that she is not an ignorant country girl, but a civilized person:
Raina: You shewed great ignorance in thinking that it was necessary to climb up the balcony...There is a flight of stairs inside to get up and down by.
The Man (Bluntschli): Stairs! How grand! You live in great luxur...more
Raina: You shewed great ignorance in thinking that it was necessary to climb up the balcony...There is a flight of stairs inside to get up and down by.
The Man (Bluntschli): Stairs! How grand! You live in great luxur...more
This was my first exposure to Shaw, years and years ago, and i have to admit I only know bits and pieces outside of it. This is a fantastic comedy, one with bite and whip sharp satire. As an actor I think that all of the roles are to die for, even the old man Louka has enough complexity and depth to make him interesting to play.
I am directing this one right now, and on the second day of rehearsals. We have relatively short rehearsal time so today was Read Through day 2. Tomorrow we begin blocki...more
I am directing this one right now, and on the second day of rehearsals. We have relatively short rehearsal time so today was Read Through day 2. Tomorrow we begin blocki...more
One of the best books I've ever read, with more than 4 wonderfully-trued charterers and more than an unbelievable story-boarded based-on actions.
It does not only support you to have more "reads" but also to keep up "needing" the most of it all.. It has that special feeling that keeps you wanting more and more of it.. Lets you confused whether to move forward in pages so you can finish or to -spectacularly never finish!
As this work was my first George Bernard Shaw "to-read" and my first read on...more
It does not only support you to have more "reads" but also to keep up "needing" the most of it all.. It has that special feeling that keeps you wanting more and more of it.. Lets you confused whether to move forward in pages so you can finish or to -spectacularly never finish!
As this work was my first George Bernard Shaw "to-read" and my first read on...more
The best compliment that I can give George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man is that, when I assigned it at the beginning of May, most of my Honors British Literature class read it. I suppose you can only really understand the weight of that compliment if you have attempted to teach high school seniors a few weeks before graduation. (They generally don't have the attention span to finish writing "Don't ever change" in their friends' yearbooks.) But Shaw's play somehow got and kept their attention....more
Arms and the Man is a play in three acts. It is comparable to Shakespeare's comedies, Comedy of Errors, Twelveth Night, and Mid-Summer Night' Dream, in that society's rules for courting have the characters confused until a voice of reason (The Man--Bluntschli, a hired soldier from neutral Switzerland) returns. He adeptly uncovers their lies and reveals where each character's true heart lies. Because of its brevity and the modern lanugage (compared to the Bard), this script is much easier read th...more
This can still be a fun, charming little story, but with a much deeper meaning. Shaw's intentions were to mock the English with a subtle unveiling of truths behind war and class warfare. This seems a bit far-fetched, sure, but if you keep in mind who the playwright was and what he stood for while reading it, I'm sure you'll find it more than a "light" read. Shaw was nearly masking his true agenda and was booed in English theaters once it was realized. Which, personally for me -- my rebellious t...more
This is a very light, absurdist, quick-read of a drama that's a little too ridiculous for my tastes. On the one hand, it's too short to develop any of the characters sufficiently, making it impossible to sympathize with anyone. But on the other hand, its shortness is an advantage since it lessens the amount of time you have to waste reading it. It's the 3rd Shaw play I've read, and for a light relationship study I would recommend Candida over this one; it's not nearly as superficial.
The plays have a special effect on the readers. We imagine them as plays while we read understanding the dialogues the feelings the expressions. it is as if we are acting all the acts and our heart goes along with the play.
And i should assure everyone this play of GB Shaw is a remarkable one, with adventure, beautiful turn of events and above all the sweetness of an English romance. I am not good in rating a play, but i can't give anything less than the best to this.
Thank you, GB Shaw and to my...more
And i should assure everyone this play of GB Shaw is a remarkable one, with adventure, beautiful turn of events and above all the sweetness of an English romance. I am not good in rating a play, but i can't give anything less than the best to this.
Thank you, GB Shaw and to my...more
I like to have a "pick up/put down" book to read at all times. It isn't the book I read before going to sleep at night or to get completely lost in a story, but one when I have just a minute or two I can sit and enjoy, but can just as easily put down until a few days later. This book fell perfectly into that category. A short play about social discrepancies of the day, it mainly pokes fun at the social reasons for love instead of trust, merit, and mutual affection. Definitely a fun read to have...more
This play is in the tradition of many of the novels of Victorian England in that it is a panarama of the entire society, this isn't just a book about war. It is a play on marriage, on class warfare, and yet another time that Shaw looks with suspicion upon modern women. This is a great play with great lines, but in the tradition of Shavian humor, they mean a lot the more you think about them. I also saw this play live, and it was marvelous and got me to read other of Shaw's plays. Why these aren'...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Running an eye down the reviews on this page, I can see at a glance that the many merits Arms and the Man have been saluted - the comedy and wit, the stagecraft, the attack on the folly of idealism (esp. in love and war). No need for me to add to the chorus of praise, but I do register my disappointment that GBS has presented his critique of idealism at the expense of the Bulgarians, making no attempt to present the their moment in history (emerging as a nation from centuries of Turkish rule)....more
This is one of my favorite plays. I had the good fortune to see a pretty well done production at university, so I already knew the plot and language of the play. This is a superb comedy, right up there with The Importance of Being Earnest, among the best plays of the late Victorian period. This period seems to be (at least to me) the era when dry British humor really came to dominate English comedy and mark it as a distinct and recognizable genre, and Shaw's play definitely maes use of that kind...more
Delightfully British in that it's wittily xenophobic, but this is not Shaw's best work, nor his best characters. With stellar performers depth can be added but the roles read haltingly, to ostiff to develop any real sense of the human condition. Shaw deals with the question of nobility and heroism and the honor of common sense admirably, but after seeing his other work, it does not quite measure up.
The first time I have read this light-hearted look at the return of soliders from war by one of my favoriate authors - Shaw.
The language is typically wonderful. The female characters are well fleshed out and multi-dementional - as we have all become to expect from Shaw.
Current soliders to not have the benefit of returning home to such romantic farce and ease of adaption.
The language is typically wonderful. The female characters are well fleshed out and multi-dementional - as we have all become to expect from Shaw.
Current soliders to not have the benefit of returning home to such romantic farce and ease of adaption.
Amusing, moves well, and GBS manages to pack a fair bit of credible characterisation into the first two thirds of the play. From there though it degenerates into a kind of burlesque Smiles of a Summer's Night. I've nothing against a good bedroom farce, but here the good fellow didn't know how to pull it off.
Silly and predictable. Of course English teachers everywhere try to read too much into it.
Eh. I liked Bluntschli. But not Raina. She was silly. And Catherine was the best because I read her voice in a very goofy British accent despite the fact that they're all Bulgarian (except, of course, Bluntschli.)
Eh. I liked Bluntschli. But not Raina. She was silly. And Catherine was the best because I read her voice in a very goofy British accent despite the fact that they're all Bulgarian (except, of course, Bluntschli.)
Do you question the value of war? How do you view heroes? Do you believe a man in uniform is smarter, braver, and more manly than the one who isn't in uniform? Read how Shaw portrays wars, heroes, and the man in uniform. I found this satirical comedy by Shaw to be hilarious. Others might not. I can't wait to see it performed!
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quite enjoyable, a light but yet not completely without some decent moralizing from Mr. Shaw. The prose was east and consise I had no problem seeing the play unfold in my minds eye. I welcome short read and a change from my normal massive tomes of late.
Enjoyable read, this play has good rythm, but for me it was simply entartaining, and nothing more. Much of the wit bounces off the two most chiselled characters, the maid Louka and the Swiss soldier, but the social satire feels dated today.
I remember reading the part of the girl who had the soldier climb through the window when I was in my teens. Without saying too much, and spoiling it for other people, I loved the way it overturned expectations, and I loved the humour.
Jan 07, 2009
Gerardo
added it
The tittle is one of the greatests contributions to Western Literature. It alludes the opening lines of the Illiad. Shaw is able to capture the heroism of the characters when he makes them face issues that torment them.
This was a nice little farce of a play, but I don't think it had as much substance to it as it could have. I read it as part of my studying for the GRE subject test and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would!
worth reading: a window on a very out-dated way of thinking from the elite perspective. some quality lines/thoughts worth running across. but mostly too old-fashioned: who cares about these folks?! certainly not me.
I really liked this! It's a bit farcical, but instead of all the characters being unbelievably stupid (like in most farce) they're all just really, really bad at keeping secrets and being straightforward.
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George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright, socialist, and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama. Over the course of his life he wrote more than 60 plays. Nearly all his plays address prevailing social problems, but...more
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