NON-AFRICAN DRAMA
BERNARD SHAW: Arms and the Man
Assess the character of Raina Petkoff
Explanation
Raina, the only daughter of Paul and Catherine Petkoff, is a very beautiful lady of about twenty-three years old. She appears in the play as a lively and articulate lady. But one who is also given to fantasizing about love and war. For example, she is attracted to Sergius precisely because she believes war is a theater for heroic exploits. Similarly, she is drawn to Bluntschil for about the same reason, he being a soldier. Raina is also very intelligent and brave; she allows Bluntschli, a total stranger into her room and shield him, a great personal risk, from being discovered by the search party. Her taking to Bluntschli partly reflects her intelligence and her capacity to argue, as well as accommodate opposing view.
Apart from being intelligent and brave; there is spontaneity in her nature that enables her to adapt more readily to changing situations. In that she is in sharp contrast with the more calculating Louka. Raina is also an attention-seeker. She knows how to make use of opportunities that project her in a positive light. When, for instance. Sergius returns from the war, she times her appearance to coincide with his asking after her. It is to Raina's credit that her character develops in the play. She is increasingly seen as one who is honest enough to recognize her mistaken ideals about war and love. She is able to come to terms with the mutual attraction between Sergius and Louka and this allows him to follow his hearts desire. In equal measure, she accepts the fact that her relationship with Sergius is based on social class, which excludes her own feelings, thus she is able to welcome Bluntschli's proposal of marriage.