human quality or with
Arms and the
man as a Conflict of his plays:
problem play
Introduction:
Bernard Shaw was a
dramatist with a purpose.
His purpose was to build up
a kingdom of heaven on the
face of the earth. He
believes that God has
given us a beautiful world
that nothing but our folly
keeps from being it a
paradise. People entertain
airy notion and fantastic
emotion regarding all
temporal things. He wants
to drive out all these rotten
ideas from the mind of men
with the help of the west
wind. That is why he took
up the current social
political problems as the
subject-matter of his plays.
Shaw’s Problem plays:
He discussed the
problem of prostitution in
“Mrs. Warren’s profession,
London’s slum in
“Widower’s House”, the
profession of doctors in
“Doctor’s Dilemma”, war
and marriage in “Arms and
the man” and love and
marriage in “Candida”. So
his plays are problem plays.
In fact his plays are more
than problem plays. They
are concerned with innate
Bluntchli as an anti-hero or
human nature itself. un heroic hero, who
exposes the false romantic
ideas of war. He is radically
Shaw’s character rational and logical in his
are always seen sitting actions and views about life.
round a table and Instead of going to the
discussing this or that battlefield with arms and
ammunition, Bluntchli
problem. His plays lack
carefully loads his cartridge
physical conflict. In Arms
belt with chocolates.
and the Man , a battle is
Bluntchli’s action poses a
being fought vigorously by
question on morality of
both the sides. But we do
wars. The love of the
not see anybody fighting
country that makes
there. When we dive deep
individuals such as Saranoff
in his plays, we find that his
to kill and main his
plays do not lack conflict. In
‘enemies’ but his love for
fact, he has replaced
humanity and the
physical conflict by mental
sacrosanct of life makes
conflict. That is why his
Bluntchli act otherwise.
characters fight a battle of
Definitely, there will be
ideas with the help of logic
problem to judge the
and argument. They try to
morality of wars for
defeat their opponent on
themselves.
the plane of mind. They are
not independent of the
Unconventional
author. It is truth that Shaw Resolution:
expresses his ideas through
the mouth of his characters. Shaw deliberately
allows the war to end in a
Arms and the Man: peace treaty to show that
Problem play:- there could be peaceful
alternatives to war and
Arms and the Man
violence. Like Catherine
is a critique on Serbo-
Petkoff, who is not happy at
Bulgarian War of 1885. In
the peaceful resolution of
the play, Shaw attempts to
the war, there are
satirize the romantic notion
expectations for spectacular
about war. A drama of
celebration of heroic victory
ideas concerns itself with
after the enemies have
the problems of life-the
been crushed. Again, this
maladies of society. Its
unconventional resolution
often called as problem
qualifies the play as a
play. In the play Shaw
problem play. Another
intentionally creates
social and controversial
issue raised in the play,
which qualifies it a material gain. The morality
representative of the genre
of problem play, is the issue
of class. That’s poor
oppressed and the affluent
oppressors.
Class struggle:-
Arms and the Man
is a class struggle. The
marriage between Raina
and Bluntchli, Louka and
Saranoff leaves the
debatable social issue of
marriage and the right of a
woman to marry a man she
loves. Moreover, Louka
being desperate for an
upper class does not waste
any time in agreeing to
marry Saranoff. As a
technique in problem plays,
Shaw, attempts to impose a
relationship and connection
between poverty and the
moral issue of materialism.
Critique on Materialism:-
The play is also a
critique on materialism
which was the product of
Industrial Revolution.
Because of his obsessed
mental disposition to
material wealth caused by
poverty, Nicola,
acquiescence with Louka
her betrothed to marry
Bluntchli who has promised
to employ him. Nicola’s
action presents the social
problem of materialism.
Nicola sacrifices his love for
Louka on the altar of a believer in realism Shaw
carefully ends the play with
of the quest for materialism a message that realism will
becomes more complex always win over idealism.
when we discover that
Catherine Petkoff only
changes her mind and
acquiesces to Raina
marrying Bluntchli only
when she learns now rich
he is after his father’s
death. Because of the
subtle relationship between
class and wealth, Mrs.
Petkoff wants her daughter
to mary man from an upper
class.
Romanticism of love:
debatable:-
The romanticism of
love presented in the play is
also debatable. Both Raina
and Sergius Saranoff
courtship is not based on
true love but on societal
status. Both Paul and
Catherine want their
daughter to marry Saranoff
because of their idealized
notion of love. The love
expressed here is not true
love but a façade to meet
the moral standard of the
aristocratic society.
Conclusion:-
Thus the plot of the
play there by making it a
representative of problem
plays. The plot begins with
an exposition, followed by a
complication, then a climax
and finally a resolution. As

Prothalamion
The poem
“Prothalamion” it’s a rewards from Queen’s
spousal versre. The word
Prothalamion we can divide
two parts ‘pro’ which
means before, thalamion
which means wedding. All
over the word has a
meaning a song which is
sung before the wedding.
The poem has some
mythological characters,
and we can say it’s a auto-
biographical poem because
he says about his some
personal incidents of
himself. Then he had made
some comparisons in this
poem.
Theme of the poem
is celebration of marriage
around the river thames.
The poet writes the
poem to honour the double
marriage which is going to
happen in the London. The
poet sets the poem around
the river thames each and
every incidents were
happened around the river.
In the I stanza, poet
says it’s a fine and clam day,
the breezes were blowing
softly and gentle with
pleasant smell. This breezy
wind less the sun’s heat.
Spencer says he was very
disappointed so that he
need some relief for his
mind so he takes walk along
the river thames. Reasn of
his disappointment is he
expected high post and
Court’s but it didn’t happen.
It made him worry. In that
river side there were many
flowers with multicolour.
While he seeing the flowers
he thought that these
beautiful flowers were very
fit to in the hand of
beautiful brides and
bridegrooms. Then he
ended the 1st stanza with a
line Thames run softly and
sweetly until he end the
poem. He requesting the
thames to run softly till he
ended the poem.
In the 2nd stanza,
the poet says about the
beauty of nymphs which
were all mythological
charaters they look like
beautiful creatures their
hair was greenish, their
hands were very soft and
smooth fingers, they were
collected the flowers which
were prim roses, tulips, and
multicoloured beautiful
flowers. They carry that in
their baskets. The nymphs
might be divine spirits and
watery spirits. Then he
ended 2nd stanza to
requesting Thames run
softly until he ended the
poem.
In the 3rd stanza,
the poet says about nymphs
amazed about the two
swans. The nymphs they
looked the two swans
swimming in the river “Lee”
which was tributary river of
Thames. The two swans
were very purer like mount
pindus. The swans
whiteness made river shy
because waves of its won’t
pollute the beauty of swans.
Then he ended with line he
requesting the thames run
softly until he ended the
poem.
In the 4th stanza the
poet says about swans
beauty, the nymphs were
very wondered about the
swans, swans in the river
look a like divine creatures.
They like chariot in skies.
They were very bright.
Then he ended the fourth
stanza, thames run softly
until he ended the poem.
In the 5th stanza, the
poet says that, two nymphs
were made garland for
swans spread the flowers
upon them. That time the
river looks like mythological
river ‘pineus’ which flows
through the valley Thessaly,
the surface of river looks
like floor of bridal champer.
And the nymps were made
wreathe with the beautiful
flowers. And the one nymp
sund the bridal song. Then
the poet ask the river
thames to run softly and
smoothly.
In the 6th stanza, the
poet says about the bridal
song, the song is about
blessing the marriage
couples. They should lead a
happy life with peace and
prosperity and their
generation will be blessed
with Venus and Cupid (God
of love). Then the poet ask
the river to run softly and
smoothly.
In the 7th stanza, the
poet says that other nymps
of the group gather and
sung the chorus, and many
birds cheering up the two
swans. At that time the
swans were looking very
bright like “Cynthia” moon
goddess. Then he ask the
river thames to run softly
and smoothly until he end
the poem.
In the 8th stanza, the poet
said about his past life, the
two swans were reached
London by swimming in the
river, London it’s a city
where Spencer born and his
family lived. But now, his
family didn’t live there. His
family was very famous
with the name “Spencer
Althrope”. He remembered
that the tower which was
occupied by Templar
knights and then its owned
by students of law. There
was a big palace near the
tower once upon a time Earl
of Leicester. Leicester who
was a patron of the poet.
He felt that after the
Leicester there were
nobody to help him. But he
don’t want to spoil the The poet conclude
occasion mood, so that he the poem he says very soon
turned his view to wedding the beautiful marriage
atmosphere. Then the poet function is going to happen
ask the river thames to run in London. That happiness
softly and smoothly until he will be spread all over the
ended the song. places. Then he ended the
poem a line he requesting
In the 9th stanza, he the thames to run softly
says about Earl of Essex, he
until he ended the poem.
make many achievements
for England and Queen
Elizabeth. He was very bold
and brave. Then he ask the
river thames to run softly
until he ended the poem.
In the 10th stanza,
the poet said about
marriage couples, Lord
Essex came out from the
mansion he was look like
“Hespar” (bright evening
star). Then among
courtiers, two handsome
young knights were there,
they are, Henry Gilford and
William Peter. They had
skills and talents, they
handsome too. They were
qualified to marry a
beautiful princess, they
walk along the river side of
Thames. They seems like
twin sons of Jupiter and
Leda. Knights walk with
majesty like wise “castor”
and “pollux” who were the
twin sons of Jupiter and
Leda. At that time the
beautiful white swans
changed in to two brides
they are Lady Katherine and
Lady Elizabeth. They joined
to the knights as their
bridegrooms.