Theme of Love in Arms and The Man

Raina and Sergius, the young aristrocratic couple in the play, seem to be very much in love. They talk and they behave like characters in a heroic romance. the gallant young hero, much like a knight in a romance, dedicates his millitary achievements to his lady love;’ dearest: all my deed have been yours. You inspired me. I have gone throgh the war like a knight in Their love seems to be an ideal love. They refer to it as ‘The higher love’. Their lovw seems to have attained a spiritual plane of perfection, where he represents all the manly virtues and she symbolizes all the womanly graces. in such a love thre can’t be no meanness, no smallness, no deciet.

However we soon see that the moment Raina’s back is turned Sergius begans flirting with louka, Raina on her part, declares that she longs to ‘Do or say something dreadful to him’ and is attracted to the stranger who took refuge in her room during the war. We realized that they are both being hypocritical. Raina plays the role of a virtuous upper class lady, while sergious plays a role of a noble hero. They do so because they been tought to admire such models. They fall in love with each other for the very same reason. The brave and noble hero is expected to fall for the beautiful and virtuous lady,and vice versa: hence, sergious and raina believed that they are destined to be together. But they are only acting a part;and since these roles are not who they really are,they are not truly so much in love with each other as they are in love with the idea of the other. They are in love with the outward appearance of excellence that the other projects,without even knowing the real person beneath the facade. Both of them have put on a peersona which they believe will impress the world; the pressure of maintaining this persona can be quite exhausting,and they are therfore happy to cast it off when they can safely do so withoyt being found out. As Sergious says,’Higher love’ is a’ very fatiguing thing to keep up for any length of time…. one feels the need of some relief after it’. It is the same with Raina: When Sergious is out of site, she walk ‘with a perceptible relaxation of manner’.

Raina and Sergious gets so caught up in playing a role which they find attractive, that they are no longer true to themselves. Shaw encourages us to be honest with ourslves instead of seeking some ideas of divine perfection based on falacious notions. Sergious and raina must face the fact that there ideals about love and false,and they donot really love each other. It is a Bluntschli who makes Raina understand herself and the truth,even as louka makes sergious’s self-realization possible. When they are forced to examine their feelings,they discovered within themselves the courage to follow their ghearts instead of attempting to meet social expectations.