Raina is a protegonist. She one of Shaw's most delightful heroines from his early plays. In the plai ‘Arms and the Man’ Shaw presents her as a being a romantically idealistic person in love with the noble ideal of war and love; yet, she is typical middle class in its philistinism and ridiculous in aptitude. In fact she has extra ordinary charm but her attitude towards life is abnormal. In the bigininig and the middle she is presented as to only sing a song of romantic nation and regarding life and things.
Her Romantic Idealism:
In beginning we find that Raina lives in realms of romantic idealism. She is fear from the grim world of reality. She adores Sergius as an ideal hero. She loves Sergius as he is one of the Knights of the Ancient days of chivalry. She expresses her love to Sergius by addressing him – “My Lord!.. My King!..” when she get the news of Sergius’ attack on the enemy, she is overwhelmed (Abhibhut - in Gujarati). Her concept of war, love and marriage is deeply romantic.
Like Medieval Madonna:
Besides being Excessively romantic and idealistic, she is poetic too. As she likes to live in the world of dreamy idealism, she thinks that her own beauty is a part of nature……
Character of Raina in ‘Arms and the Man’ is presented as a medieval Madonna, whose only aim is only to worship and adore a hero romantically. When she is with the Sergius, she find him as ‘a hero and worship him’ She feels deep love for Sergius as she says-
“And you have never been absent from my thoughts for a moment. (Very solemnly.) Sergius: I think we two have found the higher love. When I think of you, I feel that I could never do a base deed, or think an ignoble thought.
………
“I trust you. I love you. You will never disappoint me,…..”
In the beginning of the play. She contempt to Bluntschli. She mokes him and calls him ‘a chocolate cream soldier’. But gradually he realize his true worth. At the end of the play She is happy with her ‘a chocolate cream soldier!’ and accepts him as a husband.
Having a typical Womanly Quality:
Raina has all qualities and weakness of woman. She is a snob and proud to be a Petkoff; and so she has feeling of superiority. She is very much worried to appear civilized and fashionable and posing. She is spoiled child. She is jealous when her mother praise Sergius; and in Looka’s affair her jealousy clearly seen. She has all, the venoms of viper and ferocity of tigress. She is showy and pompous, artificial and hypocrite also; yet dignified at end.
Alert minded Person:
Raina, after being romantic and poetic, she is alert minded person. She is able to adjust herself in the change circumstances. Her alertness is responsible to get herself became a realist from a romantic. At the end of the play, we find Raina as a shrewd and wise. She is able to recognize the hollowness of her romantic attitude toward love and war. She is able to recognize Sergius and reject him. She is also able to realize true worth of Bluntschli and accepts him. She is brave and courageous. She is not afraid of when a pistol aimed at her. She is very tender hearted and pitiful to the persons who are suffering.
Conclusion:
In short we can say that, Raina is perhaps a combination of all the above qualities. She is romantic, for example, when she remembers an opera (Verdi's Ernani) in which a member of the aristocracy shelters an enemy; thus, she shelters Bluntschli, since it is "chivalrous" to protect him. She does possess exalted ideals, but she is also pleased to step down from her pedestal and enjoy life directly; finally, in spite of her aristocratic background, she marries a person with "the soul of a hotel keeper."
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