Q.1.How does Shaw categorized his plays as ‘ Pleasant and Unpleasant’?
Ans: Shaw had deliberately made the distinction of ‘Plays Peasant and Unpleasant’ because hitherto plays were characterized as either tragedies or comedies.Life wIth all its day-to-day complications could not be portrayed in either tragic downfall consisting of blood,sweat and tears or comic incidents consisting of all fun and games.What Shaw was interested in showing was the social conditions that made life miserable for a large number of people because people were insensitive to conditions around them and hence this distinction.
Q.2. Appeal of ‘Arms and the Man’
Ans: The play ‘Arms and the Man’ has survived many others with the same message because the dialogue is crisp and to the point and therefore as fresh and up-to-date as when it was first written. What Shaw was amused at were not the temporary injustices of passing follies of his generation but certain human characteristics that were common to all and passed on from generation to generation.
Q.3. Setting of ‘Arms and the Man’/ Universality of setting.
Ans: Though the play is set in Bulgaria in 1885 with characters who are Bulgarian soldiers and their women and a Swiss hotel-keeper’s son, this setting is universal in nature. The play could be set anywhere in the world and the characters could be drawn from any country.(The play does not depend for its impact upon plot or scenery or costumes.) The Bulgarian setting was chosen to make the stage look more attractive as it was so different from an English or Irish setting.
The Essay on Of Mice And Men Loneliness
Loneliness is a basic part of human life. Every one becomes lonely once in a while but in Steinbeck's novella "Of Mice and Men", he illustrates the loneliness of ranch life in the early 1930's and shows how people are driven to try and find friendship in order to escape from loneliness. Steinbeck creates a lonely and blue atmosphere at many times in the book. He uses names and words such as the ...
Q.4. Historical background of the play.
Ans: Prince Alexander I, the Regent of Bulgaria, led the Bulgarian army against the Serbs who had declared war in November ,1885.In the war, the Bulgarian were helped by the Russians where the Serbs were led by Austrian Army. In the war the Swiss supplied a large number of mercenaries and captain Bluntschli is one such soldier fighting on the Serbian side.
Q.5. Arms and the Man as a Ruritarian play.
Ans: A Ruritanian Romance is a story set in a fictional country, usually in Central or Eastern Europe, such as the Ruritania that gave the genre its name. Anthony Hope, an English novelist , wrote a popular romantic tale called ‘The Prisoned of Zenda’ about that imaginary country, Ruritania where imaginary lands , gorgeous dress , aristrocatic lifestyle etc. were used and thereafter it was fashion. In ‘ Arms and yhe Man’ though shaw has used actual place, Bulgaria the other things were based on imagination and were like Ruritarian Tales.
Q.6. Arms and the Man is a drama of conversation.
Ans: Shaw with his eloquence tries to pen-picturise the ineffectivity of the traditional concept of love and war.With prolonged conversation , argument, detailed information with ultimate lethargic reaction in audience and thus is apt as a drama of conversation as a literary theory.
Q.7. Arms and the Man as a drama of ideas.
Ans: A drama os ideas is such a drama where the ideas of the dramatist are aired through the dramatic conflict rather than through dramatic action.The follower of Ibsenian concept Shaw, the Ruritarian playwright deals with two socio-economic concept i.e. love and war with argumentative glorification of their complicated modern concept putting every character with an idea criticizing the imbecile personal heroism and higher love and thus dramatizes drama of ideas.
Q.8. Comment on the title of the drama ‘Arms and the Man’.
Or Comment on the sources of the drama ‘Arms and the Man’.
Ans: Bernard Shaw borrowed the title from the opening line of Virgil’s great epic Aeneid, as stated by Shaw himself in the Preface of ‘Plays Pleasant’,which reads as follows: “Arma virumque cano”, meaning “Of arms and the man I sing”. Shaw’s obvious purpose was to satirise and puncture the inflated balloons—the romantic ideas about war and love while Virgil glorifies war and reckless heroism.
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Any war takes a great toll on human life in terms of death, suffering, and loss. In You Went Away, it is the marriage of Graeme and Mi that is suffering due to infidelity on both of their parts and Graeme's heavy drinking and withdrawal from his family relationships. War, however, can also thrust an individual into a new relationship with someone that happens to be in the same place at the same ...
Q.9. What is “drama of ideas”? Would you classify ‘Arms and the Man’ as a drama of ideas?
Or, Is ‘Arms and the Man’ a problem play? Or, is ‘Arms and the Man’ a radicalist propaganda?
Ans:(The term ‘problem play’ forst used by Dr. F.S. Boas in relation to the play ‘Alls Well that ens Well’ refers to the kind of play popularized by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Here, a the situation is presented by the dramatist as a representative instance of a contemporary social problem. ) A drama of ideas or a problem play concerns itself with the problems of life—the maladies of society. The dramatist presents those vividly before the audience/readers with a view to bringing about radical changes in the real situation. The dramatist manages by the use of a character who speaks for the dramatist ,or by the evolution of the plot. Arms and the Man can definitely be classified as a drama of ideas since it is concerned with the undesirable presentation of the romantic concept of love and war, the problem of conflict between romantic idealism and practical realism and Shaw propagates his own ideas on love and war.
Q. 10. Do you consider Bluntschli a Shavian hero/an anti-hero/numeric hero/anti-romantic hero?
Ans: Bernard Shaw has deliberately created Bluntschli as an anti-hero or unheroic hero, who exposes the false romantic ideas of love and war. He brings all the characters round back to the practical problems of life, doing which, he shows that he is truly heroic in the sense that happiness actually lies in that. He is radically rational and logical in his actions and views about life.
PREPARED BY PUSPENDU MAITI(M.A.,B.Ed),KAKDWIP,WEST BENGAL.
