Q.

Catherine/Raina Encounter in Act I Describe the scene

between Riana and Catherine at the beginning of the play and
its dramatic significance.

The opening Act of Arms and the Man has been rightly claimed as
one of the finest contributions of Shaws dramatic art . It is extremely theatrical
and is typically Shavian. Out
of an atmosphere , quite romantic and
melodramatic , Shaw builds up something really serious and truly dramatic.
The scene is set in Bulgaria in November of 1885 during the
Serbo-Bulgarian war. In a small town near the Dragoman Pass a young lady ,
named Raina Petkoff , loiters on the balcony of her bedroom . She is dressed in a
nightgown but covered by a costly fur mantle. Looking out at the romantic night
in the Balkan mountains she is intensely conscious that her own youth and
beauty are a part of it.
Her thoughts are interrupted by the entry of her mother , Catherine Petkoff "a
woman over forty , imperiously energetic with magnificent black hair and eyes ,
who might be a very splendid specimen of the wife of a mountain farmer , but is
determined to be a Vienesse lady and------------------------- on all occasions. The
Battle of Slivnitza is over and she gives the news to Riana that the Bulgarian
forces have just won the battle against the Serbians and the hero of the hour is
none other, than Rianas fianc , Sergius Saranoff. She then describes how
Sergius boldly led a cavalry charge into the midst of the Serbs, scattering them
in all directions and winning the battle. Our gallant splendid Bulgarians with
their swords and eyes flashing , thundering down like an avalanche and
scattering the wretched Serbs and their dandified Austrian officers like chaffs.
Catherine then scolds Raina for keeping Sergius waiting for a year before
agreeing to get betrothed to him. She further chastises Riana by saying if she
has a drop of Bulgarian blood in her veins then she should worship him when he
comes back.
Riana then wonders if such a popular hero will care any longer for her affections.
What will he care for my poor little worship after the acclamations of a whole
army of heroes? Nonetheless she is glad about the news. She feels that
Sergiuss victory over the Serbs has proved that her doubts Sergiuss bravery
were wrong and her heroic ideals gained by reading the works of Byron and
Pushkin were all true.She had many ideas of her lovers heroism before his
departure for the field of action. The report of Sergiuss unique heroism has now
proved that the Sergius is as great as the Sergius of her vision. Riana now fully
realizes that her ideas are not unreal. She now feels that the world is full of
glories- glories for men and women. According to Riana men materializes the
romance that women have in their minds and through their heroic acts.

The conversation between Riana and her mother is interrupted by the entry of
Louka, the maidservant in the house of the Petkoffs. She announces the
likelihood of shooting taking place in the street below as fleeing Serbs being
chased by the Bulgarians may enter the neighbourhood. So all the doors and
windows must be closed. To this Riana expresses her indictment for the
Bulgarians as she finds no necessity of killing those fugitives and is of the opinion
that her countrymen should not be so brutal and cruel as to chase the wretched
Serbs and kill them. She frankly tells her mother that there is no glory in such an
act of killing. But Catherine who is a narrow-minded aggressive nationalist,
supports the killing of Serbs, retorts her daughters viewpoint and points out that
the Serbs would have also killed them in a similar manner. The Serbs ,Catherine
argues would have killed or done worse to Riana if they were in a better position
and could have them in their possession.
Finally before leaving, the mother advises Riana to close the shutters as she
might drop off to sleep leaving them open. Riana assures her mother not to be
anxious about her, for the moment she hears a shot she will blow out the candles
and roll herself up in bed with her eyes well covered.
The short scene between the mother and the daughter is fraught with dramatic
significance. It throws light on the characters of Riana and Catherine and gives
us much information about the enveloping action of the play and about Sergius.
Both Riana and Catherine are victims of romantic illusions. They hold war to be a
splendid thing, offering opportunities for display of patriotism, heroism and
valour. So the mother speaks ecstatically about the Bulgarians having flashing
eyes as they charge the enemy. Indeed their raptures over the news of Sergiuss
victory are extremely comical and make the audience laugh. Riana and Catherine
are also contrasted. Riana has doubt about her romantic ideas and she has an
uneasy fear that Sergius might cut a poor figure in front of the clever Russian
officers. So she questions if her ideas are real. This prepares us for Rianas
change at the end. Again indirectly we gather much information about the
romantic hero, Sergius who leads the cavalry charge in utter defiance of the
orders of the Russian officers. When Riana argues with her mother regarding the
useless killing of the wretched Serbs we see despite her romantic adoration of
war she has every distaste for the cruelty of war . But Catherine who is swayed
by a strong chauvinistic sentiment finds nothing wrong in the act of cruelty done
to the Serbs who are the enemies if her country. Thus the conversation besides
giving much knowledge of the characters also contributes to the atmosphere of
romance of war which is Shaws purpose in play to expose.
Dramatic significance of the scene between Riana and the fugitive.
The scene is a highly dramatic one and indicates the action of the play in a most
effective manner. It is a scene that surpasses in its romance even the most
romantic scenes in tales of adventure. The entrance of the fugitive soldier under
the most trying circumstances , his body bespattered with mud and blood and
snow, the fusillade coming at irregular intervals and all these create an
atmosphere of romance. It produces a sense of suspense in the mind of the

audience who await the development with curiosity and anxiety. Then in a vivid
dialogue the purpose of exposition is served and we get information about the
fugitive soldier. The fugitive soldier is a realist and he puntures many of the
cherished ideals of romance. He says that all soldiers are afraid to die. Self
preservation is the fundamental instinct of man and soldiers are men. The idea
that the soldiers march willingly and gladly to the mouth of canon is false. He
shows how the cavalry charge was a foolish affair. Riana sees a real soldier, tired,
hungry and bespattered with mud. She assumes a stern attitude but she
gradually yeilds to this courageous, frank , outspoken, intelligent man. The scene
also throws a good deal of light on the character of the prosaic , unconventional
professional soldier. But the main importance of the scene lies in that it sets in
motion the conflict of the play. The play has it for its dramatic essence the
collision of romantic illusion with prosaic reality.