Cover of Arms and the Man

Arms and the Man

by George Bernard Shaw

First published
1898
Reading level
Easy
Price
Free

About the book

"Arms and the Man" by George Bernard Shaw is a comedy first produced in 1894. Set during the Serbo-Bulgarian War, the play follows Raina, an idealistic young Bulgarian woman engaged to a battlefield hero, whose romantic notions are challenged when a pragmatic Swiss mercenary takes refuge in her bedroom. Shaw humorously exposes the futility of war and the hypocrisies of human nature as characters grapple with the gap between romantic ideals and reality, leading to unexpected revelations and shifting allegiances.

  • War
  • Love
  • Man-woman relationships
  • Serbo-Bulgarian War, 1885
  • Italians
  • Soldiers

Updated September 2026. Public domain in the USA. Text and summary from Project Gutenberg eBook #3618. Arms and the Man on Wikipedia.

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