Realism in Arms and the Man: A Comparative Study – Realism and Idealism
Dr. Shahzad Ahmad Siddiqui, Dr. Syed Asad Raza

Abstract
This Research Paper aims to highlight the elements of realism in George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man (1894) which is an anti-romantic comedy. Through comedy, Shaw tries to present the real picture of his time and society. Shaw was an iconoclast who attacked the romantic notions of war and love. Toward the middle of the nineteenth century, there can be traced a significant development from romantic and historical themes to more realistic themes, and this movement toward realism received considerable impetus from the work of T.W. Robertson, ( 1829-71 ), who introduced in his plays the idea of a serious theme underlying the humor, characters and dialogue of a more natural kind. This play is a satire on the foolishness of glorifying war, as well as on basing affections on idealistic notions of love. These themes brought reality and a timeless lesson to the comic stage of the time. The present paper attempts to present the two contrasting ideas—realism and idealism, where the idea of the realist trumps over the idealist.

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