Works of

GEORGE BERNARD SHAW

(Short Summary)

ARMS AND THE MAN

Produced in 1894, the three-act play Arms and the Man, by George Bernard Shaw, begins at the height of the Serbo-Bulgarian War, with the scene set
in Raina Petkoff's chambers. Raina, an immature young lady with delusions of grandeur and romantic conquest, is settling into bed when a war fugitive
slips in through her window. The shadowy intruder half-heartedly threatens Raina's dignity if she gives him up when a search party comes around,
and she consents. She feeds the starving man some chocolates, and upon discovering the exhausted soldier passed out on the bed, Raina and her
mother Catherine agree to help get him out of the house to safety.

By the time the second act has begun, the war is over and a peace treaty signed. The servants, Louka and Nicola, are half-heartedly discussing their
own impending marriage when Major Paul Petkoff, Raina's father, returns home. After a reunion and some chitchat with his family, he welcomes his
daughter's fiancé, Sergius, a young Bulgarian soldier whom Catherine and Raina hold as the perfect hero. When Raina comes out to greet her
betrothed, the couples split off, and the younger pair decides to take a walk.

As Raina readies herself, Sergius finds Louka clearing the table. He makes several advances at her, which she rejects after toying with him and mocking
the relationship he and Raina have. He then becomes physical with her, bruising her arm with his grip in his frustration.

Meanwhile, Raina and Catherine discuss the girl's growing distaste for Sergius and are confronted with the surprising presence of the soldier they
helped escape, who has come back to return a coat they loaned him. Eventually, we learn the man's name is Bluntschli and that Paul and Sergius met
him during troop exchanges. The men beg Bluntschli to stay, and the women follow suit to avoid suspicion.

In the final act, Bluntschli is helping the men move regiments. With Sergius and the rest off to see to the orders he's drawn up, the soldier and Raina
have some time to talk. Bluntschli finally confronts Raina about her affected heroic superiority, forcing her to face her own hypocrisy.

Things seem as though they're about to escalate out of control when Major Petkoff discovers the relationship between his daughter and Bluntschli,
and Sergius' pursuit of Louka. However, Nicola quickly lies and says his engagement to Louka is for show and convenience, and Bluntschli has suddenly
become even more popular with the Petkoffs given his newfound inheritance. This, combined with his witty charm and Nicola's selfless denial of any
claim of betrothal to Louka, smoothes the whole situation over, leaving both couples to live happily ever after.

Characters in 'Arms and the Man'

Raina Petkoff is the play's comedic heroine. She has a tendency to think too highly of herself; for instance, proudly pointing out the family's 'library,'
which consists of a single shelf of battered books. Her world comes crashing down when Bluntshcli makes her see that she's been living a lie.

Bluntschli is the play's hero and a Swiss mercenary who fought for the Serbs. He's neither disillusioned with war nor does he romanticize it, but he
is definitely a realist and considers himself a 'professional' soldier. Bluntschli tells Raina, 'You can always tell an old soldier by the inside of his holsters
and cartridge boxes. The young ones carry pistols and cartridges; the old ones, grub.'

Sergius Saranoff is a Bulgarian soldier engaged to Raina. Everyone in Bulgaria (including himself) holds Sergius up as a national hero for his 'brave'
cavalry charge that sent the Serbs running. Bluntschli later reveals, though, that the Serbian regiment Sergius was charging had the wrong ammo -
otherwise, his whole squad would've died.

Louka and Nicola are the foils to Raina and Sergius. A foil is a character that contrasts with others in order to illustrate certain characteristics. For
example, despite being a servant, Louka takes charge of herself and doesn't rely on ideas of chivalry or servitude to dictate how she thinks she should
be treated. Likewise, Nicola doesn't allow feelings of entitlement to mandate what he thinks his love deserves; therefore, he's given up the claim of
engagement he had to Louka to ensure her happiness and advancement in the world over his own, asserting that they were only ever 'together' to
keep Louka in a favorable light with the family.
 Works of
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
(Short Summary)

PYGMALION
Characters

Eliza Doolittle is the main character in the story. She is first introduced as an unpolished, foul-mouthed flower girl but is transformed into a beautiful
woman.

Professor Higgins is a linguist who believes he can transform Eliza Doolittle into a duchess in six months. He is an intelligent man but is also
disrespectful to others despite their social class and extremely arrogant.

Colonel Pickering is a linguist who challenges Professor Higgins to transform Eliza Doolittle into a duchess. Colonel Pickering funds Professor
Higgins' work with Eliza and is considerate and kind to her.

Alfred Doolittle is Eliza's materialistic father who tries to obtain money when he learns Professor Higgins is working with Eliza.

Mrs. Higgins is Professor Higgins's mother, who disagrees with Higgins' and Pickering's plan to try to change Eliza into a duchess.

Freddy Eynsford Hill - Freddy first meets Eliza during a meeting with his mother and sister at Mrs. Higgins' house. He falls in love with Eliza and
writes letters to woo her.

Plot Summary
Pygmalion opens with two linguists, Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering, placing a bet on whether Professor Higgins can transform the life of
flower girl Eliza Doolittle by helping her learn to speak proper English rather than her cockney dialect.

Eliza wants to learn proper English so that she can get a job in a flower shop and offers to pay Professor Higgins to teach her. Colonel Pickering decides
to pay the cost for Professor Higgins to teach Eliza and challenges Professor Higgins to present Eliza as a duchess for the ambassador's garden party.
Professor Higgins believes he can make Eliza a duchess in six months.

Professor Higgins cleans Eliza up and begins his transformation of her; however, her father wants his daughter back home, or he wants money from
Higgins, and goes to Professor Higgins' home to get her. Eliza's father, Alfred, is a poor man who has been married many times and cares more about
money than he cares about what is happening to his daughter.

Alfred leaves Professor Higgins's home without Eliza, when given money, and does not recognize his daughter when he sees her new, clean image.
After being mocked and given advice by Professor Higgins, Eliza's father later becomes rich monetarily but finds himself unhappy.

Professor Higgins spends months transforming Eliza into a respectable English woman with proper language skills. After Professor Higgins thinks
Eliza is ready to start mingling with others, he takes her to his mother's home to see how well she would do in the company of high-class people.
Higgins's mother does not agree with the way her son and Pickering are playing with Eliza's life and tells them she does not think it is a good idea to
treat Eliza this way.

At Higgins' mother's home is the Eynsford Hill family, a mother, son, and daughter. Eliza mingles with the family appropriately, but at times during
this meeting her dialect changes and she speaks cockney. Freddy Eynsford Hill, the son, is intrigued by Eliza and her cockney dialect. Freddy is
interested in a relationship with Eliza and writes letters to woo her.

Eliza's second public outing is the ambassador's party, and Eliza presents herself in a positive way and is viewed as a duchess. Professor Higgins was
successful at transforming Eliza from a flower girl into a duchess. After the ambassador's party, Professor Higgins and Colonel Pickering become
bored with Eliza and are no longer interested in helping her.

Eliza becomes upset because she does not know what to do with her life. Professor Higgins suggests she get married. Eliza does not necessarily like
that idea, but she is aware of Freddy's interest in her. Eliza threatens to become a speech teacher herself and provide competition to Professor Higgins.
Eliza and Professor Higgins say goodbye to one another, but Higgins is convinced Eliza will return to him.
 Works of
GEORGE BERNARD SHAW
(Short Summary)

SAINT JOAN

The play relates how Joan, a simple and faithful French country girl, sees visions and hears voices that she believes come directly from God. Accepting
the visions and voices as God's direction for her life, Joan successfully drives the English from Orleans and crowns the Dauphin as the King of France.
She is burned at the stake for her efforts.

Throughout the play, Joan must endure difficulties. She is mocked for dressing up like a man, judged as incapable of defeating the English, and is
considered mad for believing that God speaks directly to her. In spite of the criticism she receives, she remains true to the direction of the visions and
faithful to her God, whom she puts above the Church and the State.

Through her efforts and persuasiveness, she convinces the Dauphin to give her a horse, armor, and soldiers so she can lead a siege against the English
in Orleans. She is successful in her campaign against the enemy, freeing Orleans and winning the admiration of her soldiers and the common people.
Encouraged by them and her faith, she plans to march onward to Paris and reclaim the city from the English. Joan is given courage by her belief that
God wants her to restore order to France.

The nobility is fearful of Joan, for she is a threat to the power that they hold in the Church and the State. The Earl of Warwick is particularly afraid of
her influence and offers a reward for her capture. As a result, she is dragged from her horse, sold to the English as a prisoner of war, imprisoned, tried,
condemned as a heretic, and burned at the stake. None of her supporters come to her aid. Although she feels alone in the world, she clings to her faith.

At her trial, Joan is pictured in chains and worn by the strains of long imprisonment. She can barely speak in her own defense and often gives
incoherent answers to the Inquisition. She is finally worn down and recants her stories of the visions and voices, believing she can save herself to do
God's work. When she learns that she will be imprisoned for life, she tears up the document of recantation. As a result, she is excommunicated by the
Church and taken away to be executed. The people, even some of the conspirators, are greatly affected by the cruelty of Joan's burning at the stake
and cannot believe her courage and composure. Only the executioner seems unaffected. He comes inside to report to the Earl of Warwick that the
deed is done and that Joan's remains have been discarded in the river. He does report, however, that Joan's heart did not burn. It is symbolic of the
fact that Joan's purity and goodness will never be forgotten, as evidenced in the fact that she becomes a martyr and is made a saint.

The epilogue takes place twenty-five years after Joan is burned at the stake. Joan's case has been reconsidered by the court, and she has been freed of
all charges, totally clearing her name. On the day of the retrial, Charles VII, the previous Dauphin and now King of France, dreams about Joan and her
accusers. When they learn that she is to become of saint, the men that caused her early death now praise her; Joan denounces their hypocrisy and
threatens to come back to life to live among them. They all flee in terror at the thought, even Dunois, her best friend. Joan ends the play by asking God
when mankind will ever understand and honor its saints.