4 (i) : Major Paul Petkoff had asked his wife, Catherine, to accompany him. Paul had been asked my Bluntschli to go after Sergius to ensure that Sergis talks to the soldiers who were to take the orders for the movement of three cavalry regiments to Phillipopolis. Paul had felt that the soldiers would "be far more frightened" of Catherine than they would of him ! and thus do their assigned duty well.
(ii) : Catherine refers to her husband Major Paul Petkoff as "you" in the first line of the extract. She feels that Paul would only splutter at them i.e. speak fast and incoherently as he would be uncertain and would lack confidence when he would issue the commands that Bluntschli wanted the soldiers who were to deliver the messages Bluntschli had written out, to have. Catherine feels that Paul would not be confident because she probably knows him very well. Paul seems to know himself and thus he asks for his wife's presence with him when he was ordering the soldiers !
(iii) : We had been told at the very beginning of the play that Catherine was an "imperiously energetic" person. We have seen that Catherine takes command of even very tricky situations in the play - she knows how to react appropriately - thus she subdues an otherwise aggressive Russian officer who had come to search her daughter's room. In this situation, too Catherine does not balk at an assignment which is definitely beyond her experience - she takes up the challenge.
Regarding Catherine's relationship with Paul, Paul may be the "man' of the house" but Catherine definitely "wears the pants" in the home. Catherine is the person who gets the necessary done. Paul prefers to relax in the comfort of his home. This suits Catherine very well as she knows her abilities. Catherine, though, seems to dominate Paul and her remark about his blustering expresses this.
(iv) : Bluntschli refers to the soldiers of the Bulgarian army when he uses the word "they".
Cannons were sometimes made out of wood when metal was not available. However, these wooden cannon were notoriously weak and broke after one or two shots. Thus, Bluntschli conveys his poor opinion of the preparedness of the Bulgarian army to wage battle.
(v) : When Bluntschli says that "the officers send for their wives to keep discipline" he is referring to Paul requesting his wife to accompany him to ensure that the soldiers who were to take the messages which Buntschli had made out understand the urgency of their work. Paul had admitted quite frankly that the soldiers would be "far more frightened" of Catherine that might be of him, even though he was the highest ranking Bulgarian officer in their army !
(vi) : Satire is the use of humour, irony or exaggeration to expose or criticize people's stupidity or vices. Thus, Catherine uses satire to criticize her husband, Paul, for the lack of ability to command his soldiers - "you will only splutter at them". However, it is Bluntschli who uses satire most cuttingly here to criticize the Bulgarian army, here represented by Sergius and Paul Petkoff, of which he was so recently an enemy sand against whom he had fought a war. His satire is expressed in the remark "What an army ! They make cannons out of cherry trees; and the officers send ffor their wives to keep discipline !".
(ii) : Catherine refers to her husband Major Paul Petkoff as "you" in the first line of the extract. She feels that Paul would only splutter at them i.e. speak fast and incoherently as he would be uncertain and would lack confidence when he would issue the commands that Bluntschli wanted the soldiers who were to deliver the messages Bluntschli had written out, to have. Catherine feels that Paul would not be confident because she probably knows him very well. Paul seems to know himself and thus he asks for his wife's presence with him when he was ordering the soldiers !
(iii) : We had been told at the very beginning of the play that Catherine was an "imperiously energetic" person. We have seen that Catherine takes command of even very tricky situations in the play - she knows how to react appropriately - thus she subdues an otherwise aggressive Russian officer who had come to search her daughter's room. In this situation, too Catherine does not balk at an assignment which is definitely beyond her experience - she takes up the challenge.
Regarding Catherine's relationship with Paul, Paul may be the "man' of the house" but Catherine definitely "wears the pants" in the home. Catherine is the person who gets the necessary done. Paul prefers to relax in the comfort of his home. This suits Catherine very well as she knows her abilities. Catherine, though, seems to dominate Paul and her remark about his blustering expresses this.
(iv) : Bluntschli refers to the soldiers of the Bulgarian army when he uses the word "they".
Cannons were sometimes made out of wood when metal was not available. However, these wooden cannon were notoriously weak and broke after one or two shots. Thus, Bluntschli conveys his poor opinion of the preparedness of the Bulgarian army to wage battle.
(v) : When Bluntschli says that "the officers send for their wives to keep discipline" he is referring to Paul requesting his wife to accompany him to ensure that the soldiers who were to take the messages which Buntschli had made out understand the urgency of their work. Paul had admitted quite frankly that the soldiers would be "far more frightened" of Catherine that might be of him, even though he was the highest ranking Bulgarian officer in their army !
(vi) : Satire is the use of humour, irony or exaggeration to expose or criticize people's stupidity or vices. Thus, Catherine uses satire to criticize her husband, Paul, for the lack of ability to command his soldiers - "you will only splutter at them". However, it is Bluntschli who uses satire most cuttingly here to criticize the Bulgarian army, here represented by Sergius and Paul Petkoff, of which he was so recently an enemy sand against whom he had fought a war. His satire is expressed in the remark "What an army ! They make cannons out of cherry trees; and the officers send ffor their wives to keep discipline !".
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