27 (i) : Sergius is welcoming Captain Bluntschli, a Swiss mercenary who had fought on the Serbian side in the recent war the Bulgarians had fought with the Serbians. Captain Bluntschli had been in the very cannon regiment Sergius cavalry regiment had attacked and defeated. Thereafter, Sergius and Paul Petkoff had met Bluntschli at Pirot after the peace-treaty had been signed between the Bulgarians and the Serbs where they had to negotiate the terms for the exchange of fifty Serbs taken prisoner of war.It was there that though Sergius had fought Bluntschli as an enemy, they had become friends and Bluntschli had told them the story of how he was protected and saved by two Bulgarian women.
(ii) : Pretkoff hopes that the man had come as a friend as Bluntschli had proved to be a cunning opponent and had tricked them into a very uneven exchange at Pirot. Thus Petkoff would like Bluntschli to be on his side and be an advantage to him rather than be someone who would leave him the poorer.
Earlier, that is, at Pirot, when Bluntschli was working for the Serbians, he had got Sergius and Paul to agree to the exchange of fifty Serbian prisoners "able-bodied men", for two hundred "worn out chargers" who were "not even eatable" and who caused them additional problems as they had to take care getting fodder for them seeing to their movement.movement. Sergius and Paul had realised that they had been "two children in the hands of that consummate soldier".
(iii) : Catherine does not really want Captain Bluntschli to stay for lunch. Just before Sergius and Paul Petkoff had rushed into the garden to meet him, Catherine she had told him that he had to leave the house "at once". Her reason for wanting Bluntschli out of the house at the earliest was that she feared that if Paul (her husband) found out "the secret" - the secret shared by Catherine, Raina and Bluntschli - that Catherine and Raina were the two ladies who had given Bluntschli refuge from their won army when Bluntschli was still the enemy, her husband would never forgive her and Raina's life would "hardly be safe"
(iv) : Sergius and Paul Petkoff needed to find a way to send three regiments back to Philippopolis by another route as there was no forage for them on the Sofia route. They were at their wits end as to how to do so. They were, thus, delighted to have Bluntschli to help them.
This, their delight to see Bluntschli and their thinking that he is able to help them, and his immediate understanding of the problem - that the "forage was the problem" tells us that he is a knowledgeable and efficient person when it comes to such matters.
(v) : Through the play we have been brought to understand that ability has nothing to do with class or rank. Louka definitely thinks so and has shown by her attitude and discussion with Nicola that she believes that just because she is a servant that does not make her any less of a person. Sergius has seen that even in the army his leading his country to victory did not bring promotion to him. On the other hand two Cossack generals who had their regiments routed on the most correct principles of scientific warfare were promoted as major-generals - he had thus resigned from the army. Now, Bluntschli is only a captain and Sergius and Paul are of a higher rank than he is but he is far ore efficient than they are in matters of war !.
(ii) : Pretkoff hopes that the man had come as a friend as Bluntschli had proved to be a cunning opponent and had tricked them into a very uneven exchange at Pirot. Thus Petkoff would like Bluntschli to be on his side and be an advantage to him rather than be someone who would leave him the poorer.
Earlier, that is, at Pirot, when Bluntschli was working for the Serbians, he had got Sergius and Paul to agree to the exchange of fifty Serbian prisoners "able-bodied men", for two hundred "worn out chargers" who were "not even eatable" and who caused them additional problems as they had to take care getting fodder for them seeing to their movement.movement. Sergius and Paul had realised that they had been "two children in the hands of that consummate soldier".
(iii) : Catherine does not really want Captain Bluntschli to stay for lunch. Just before Sergius and Paul Petkoff had rushed into the garden to meet him, Catherine she had told him that he had to leave the house "at once". Her reason for wanting Bluntschli out of the house at the earliest was that she feared that if Paul (her husband) found out "the secret" - the secret shared by Catherine, Raina and Bluntschli - that Catherine and Raina were the two ladies who had given Bluntschli refuge from their won army when Bluntschli was still the enemy, her husband would never forgive her and Raina's life would "hardly be safe"
(iv) : Sergius and Paul Petkoff needed to find a way to send three regiments back to Philippopolis by another route as there was no forage for them on the Sofia route. They were at their wits end as to how to do so. They were, thus, delighted to have Bluntschli to help them.
This, their delight to see Bluntschli and their thinking that he is able to help them, and his immediate understanding of the problem - that the "forage was the problem" tells us that he is a knowledgeable and efficient person when it comes to such matters.
(v) : Through the play we have been brought to understand that ability has nothing to do with class or rank. Louka definitely thinks so and has shown by her attitude and discussion with Nicola that she believes that just because she is a servant that does not make her any less of a person. Sergius has seen that even in the army his leading his country to victory did not bring promotion to him. On the other hand two Cossack generals who had their regiments routed on the most correct principles of scientific warfare were promoted as major-generals - he had thus resigned from the army. Now, Bluntschli is only a captain and Sergius and Paul are of a higher rank than he is but he is far ore efficient than they are in matters of war !.
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