Now we come to the Falling action and the Resolution of the crisis into which the action fell - of course, the crisis continues and the resolution is only worked out till the very end of the play - that is so that we the audience don't leave the theater before hand !
Act III
Summary
This act shifts to the Petkoffs'
library, a setting which Shaw uses to let us know that this is a very poor
excuse for a library; it consists of only a single room with a single shelf of
old worn-out paper-covered novels; the rest of the room is more like a sitting
room with another ottoman in it, just like the one in Raina's room in the first
act. The room is also fitted with an old kitchen table which serves as a
writing table. At the opening of the act, Bluntschli is busy at work preparing
orders, with a businesslike regularity, for the disposition of the Bulgarian
army. Petkoff is more of a hindrance than a help, for he constantly interrupts
to see if he can be of any help. Finally, his wife tells him to stop
interrupting. Petkoff, in turn, complains that all that he needs to be comfortable
is his favorite old coat, which he can't find. Catherine rings for Nicola and
tells the servant to go to the blue closet and fetch his master's old coat.
Petkoff is so certain that it is not there that he is willing to make a bet of
an expensive piece of jewelry with her. Sergius is about to enter a bet also,
but Nicola suddenly returns with the coat. Petkoff is completely astonished and
perplexed when Nicola announces that it was indeed hanging in the blue closet.
At this moment, Bluntschli finishes
the last order, gives it to Sergius to take to his soldiers, and then asks
Petkoff to follow to make sure that Sergius doesn't make a mistake. Petkoff
asks his wife to come along because she is good at giving commands. Left alone
with Raina, Bluntschli expresses his astonishment at an army where
"officers send for their wives to keep discipline."
Raina then tells Captain Bluntschli
how much better he looks now that he is clean, and she inquires about his
experiences after he left her bedroom. She lets him know that the entire story
has been told so many times that both her father and her fiancé are aware of
the story, but not the identities of the people involved. In fact, Raina
believes that "if Sergius knew, he would challenge you and kill you in a
duel." Bluntschli says that he hopes that Raina won't tell, but Raina
tells him of her desire to be perfectly open and honest with Sergius. Because
of Bluntschli, Raina says, she has now told two lies — one to the soldiers
looking for him in her room and another one just now about the chocolate
pudding — and she feels terrible about lying; Bluntschli cannot take her
seriously. In fact, he tells her that when "you strike that noble attitude
and speak in that thrilling voice, I admire you; but I find it impossible to
believe a single word you say." At first, Raina is indignant, but then she
is highly amused that Bluntschli has seen through the disguise that she has
used since she was a child: "You know, I've always gone on like
that," she tells him.
When Raina asks him what he thought
of her for giving him a portrait of herself, Bluntschli tells her that he never
received it because he never reached into the pocket of the coat where Raina
had put it. He is not concerned until he learns that Raina inscribed upon it
"To my Chocolate Cream Soldier." In the meantime, Bluntschli
confesses, he pawned the coat, thinking that was the safest place for it. Raina
is furious, and she accuses him of having a "shopkeeping mind." At
this point, they are interrupted by Louka, who brings Bluntschli some letters
and telegrams, which inform him that his father has died and that Bluntschli
has inherited several hotels which he will have to manage. He must leave
immediately. Alarmed, Raina follows him out.
Nicola enters and sees Louka with her
sleeve rolled up so as to expose her bruised arm, and he reprimands her. Then
they argue over the duties and obligations of being a servant. Louka says that
she absolutely refuses to act like a servant, and Nicola answers that he is
quite willing to release her from their engagement if she can better herself.
Then, he would have another customer for his shop, one who would bring him good
business. When Sergius enters, Nicola leaves immediately, and Sergius, noticing
the bruise on Louka's arm, asks if he can cure it now by kissing it. Louka
reminds him of his place and of hers. She wonders aloud if Sergius is a brave
man and if poor people are any less brave than wealthy people. Sergius answers
that in war any man can have courage: "the courage to rage and [to] kill
is cheap." Louka then asks if Sergius has true courage; that is, would he
dare to marry someone whom he loved if that person was socially beneath him?
She asserts that she thinks that Sergius would "be afraid of what other
people would say," and thus he would never have the courage to marry
beneath him. Sergius contradicts her until Louka tells him that Raina will
never marry him, that Raina is going to marry the Swiss soldier. As she turns
to go, Sergius grabs her and holds her firmly; as he threatens her and
questions the truth of her accusation, she wonders if anyone would believe the
fact that she is now in his arms. He releases her with the assertion that if he
ever touches her again, it will be as her fiancé.
As Louka leaves, Bluntschli enters
and is immediately told by Sergius where he is to be on the following morning;
they will duel on horseback and with sabres. Bluntschli maintains that as the
challenged party, it is his privilege to choose the weapons, and he plans to
have a machine gun. But when Bluntschli sees that Sergius is serious, he agrees
to meet him with a sabre, but he refuses to fight on horseback because it is
too dangerous. Raina enters then, in time to hear their last arrangements.
Bluntschli explains that he is an expert with the sword and that he will see to
it that neither of them are hurt; afterward, he will leave immediately for
Switzerland and no one will ever hear of the incident. Sergius then accuses
Bluntschli of receiving favors from Raina which he (Sergius) has never enjoyed
— that is, she received Bluntschli in her bedroom. Bluntschli points out that
she did so "with a pistol at her head. . . . I'd have blown out her brains
if she'd uttered a cry." Sergius cannot accept the story that there is
nothing between the two because if it were true, then Captain Bluntschli would
not have come back to the Petkoff house. He could have sent the coat; he came
only to see Raina.
When Sergius makes further
accusations, Raina reminds him that she saw him and Louka in each other's arms,
and she now understands about their relationship. Sergius realizes that his and
Raina's engagement is over, and he therefore cancels the duel with Bluntschli,
who is pleased to get out of it since he didn't want to fight in the first
place. Raina, however, is furious, and she tells Bluntschli that Sergius had
Louka spy on them and that Sergius rewarded Louka by making love to her. As
they continue to argue, Bluntschli tries to get Sergius to stop because he is
losing the argument. Suddenly, Bluntschli asks where Louka is. Raina maintains
that she is listening at the door, and as Sergius stoutly denies such a thing,
Raina goes to the door and drags Louka inside; she was, in fact, eavesdropping.
Louka is not ashamed; she says that her love is at stake and that her feelings
for Sergius are stronger than Raina's feelings for the "chocolate cream
soldier."
At this point, Major Petkoff enters
in short sleeves; his old coat is being mended. When Nicola enters with it,
Raina helps him on with the coat and deftly removes the inscribed portrait from
the coat pocket. Thus, when her father reaches for the photograph to ask Raina
the meaning of a photograph of her with the inscription: "Raina, to her
Chocolate Cream Soldier: A Souvenir," the photo is missing! Major Petkoff
is confused and asks Sergius if he is the "chocolate cream soldier."
The Major responds indignantly that he is not. Then Bluntschli explains that he
is the "chocolate cream soldier" and that Raina saved his life.
Petkoff is further confused when Raina points out that Louka is the true object
of Sergius' affections, despite the fact that Louka is engaged to Nicola, who
denies this and says that he is hoping for Louka's good recommendation when he
opens his shop.
Suddenly Louka feels as though she is
being bartered, and she demands an apology; when Sergius kisses her hand in
apology, she reminds him that his touch now makes her his "affianced
wife," and even though Sergius had forgotten his earlier statement, he
still holds true to his word and claims Louka for his own. At this moment,
Catherine enters and is shocked to find Louka and Sergius together. Louka
explains that Raina is fond only of Bluntschli, and before Raina can answer,
Bluntschli explains that such a young and beautiful girl as Raina could not be
in love with a thirty-four-year-old soldier who is an incurable romantic; the
only reason he came back, he says, was not to return the coat but to get just
one more glance at Raina, but he fears that she is no more than seventeen years
old. Raina then tells Bluntschli that he is indeed foolishly romantic if he
thinks that she, a twenty-three-year-old woman, is a seventeen-year-old girl.
At this point, Bluntschli asks permission to be a suitor for Raina's hand. When
he is reminded that Sergius comes from an old family which kept at least twenty
horses, Bluntschli begins to enumerate all of the possessions (including two hundred
horses) which he owns; he fails, however, to mention that his possessions are
connected with the hotel business that he has just inherited. His list of
possessions is so impressive that it is agreed that he shall indeed marry
Raina, who is delighted with her "chocolate cream soldier." As
Bluntschli leaves, with the promise of being back in two weeks, Sergius looks
in wonder and comments, "What a man! Is he a man!"
I look forward to seeing you in the next class !
No comments:
Post a Comment