Sketch the Character of Raina in ''Arms and the Man''.

Raina in the heroine of the play "Arms and the man". She is a beautiful young lady of romantic temperament. She is polite and gentle in her manners. She is witty, lively and cheerful in her conversation. Shaw illustrates in her his main theme of the play - the conflict between Romance and Reality and the ultimate victory of Reality over Romance.

Character of Raina in ''Arms and the Man'':

Raina is romantic and sentimental. She is full romantic illusions about love and heroism. To her, war is a matter of glory. Raina becomes very happy when her mother speaks of Sergius's brave cavalry charge at the battle of Slivnitza. Raina at once takes Sergius's photograph, looks up at it and murmurs "My hero!" "My hero!” This display of felling on the part of Raina is highly sentimental.

After her meeting with the fugitive Swiss officer in her bedroom, Raina awakes to the realities of war. Her romantic notion about Sergius's heroic deeds in the battle-field disappears when she hears everything about his cavalry charge from the mouth of the Swiss officer. Her romantic illusions are now shattered. Through her contact with Bluntschli she now understands that war is a dreadful reality. Raina sometimes poses to be an idealist. In a serious tone, she tells Sergius's, "I think us to have found the higher love." But soon she finds out Sergius's secret love with Louka, the servant girl. Her dream of “higher love" is shattered. In the earlier part of the drama romanticism dominates her character and in the latter part reason influences her much more than anything else. The romantic girl is now transformed into one who believes in reason and understandings. Raina is ultimately to be married to Bluntschli and she agrees to marry the Swiss officer not in consideration of his vast wealth but because he in her chocolate-cream soldier.

Raina has vanity. She has ready wit and presence of mind. She boasts to Bluntschli that she belongs to the family of the Petkoffs, "The richest and best known in our country". She also tells him that her father is a Major that her family has a library and that people of her position "wash their hands nearly every day". Her ready wit comes out when she tells a lie that the chocolate pudding made by her has been spoiled by the careless Nicola. This she does in order to hide the truth about the nickname of the "chocolate-cream solider given by her to the Swiss officer.

Raina is essentially feminine. She has nice qualities. Everyone who comes in contact with her praises her. She has a woman's natural pity and kindness.