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Raina Petkoff
Bluntschli is a Swedish professional soldier who fights with the Servians during the war. He has none of Raina or Sergius’s romantic notions about war. He thinks courage is overrated and that war is more often ugly than noble. He carries sweets with him rather than extra weapons, which leads Raina to (affectionately) call him the “chocolate cream soldier.” He is an excellent soldier, much more sensible and experienced than Sergius or Major Petkoff, and seems as sensible and cynical as Raina is romantic. However, he is touched by the fact that she takes care of him when he climbs up her balcony, and eventually admits that he is also somewhat of a romantic, and declares his affection for Raina at the end of the play.
Captain Bluntschli Quotes in Arms and the Man
The Arms and the Man quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Bluntschli or refer to Captain Bluntschli. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Act 1
Quotes
I am a Swiss, fighting merely as a professional soldier. I joined Servia because it came first on the road from Switzerland.
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There are only two sorts of soldiers: old ones and young ones.
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Oh you are a very poor soldier—a chocolate cream soldier! Come, cheer up.
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Act 3
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I want to be quite perfect with Sergius—no meanness, no smallness, no deceit. My relation to him is the one really beautiful and noble part of my life.
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Do you know, you are the first man I ever met who did not take me seriously?
You mean, don’t you, that I am the first man that has ever taken you quite seriously?
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I could no more fight with you than I could make love to an ugly woman. You’ve no magnetism: you’re not a man, you’re a machine.
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My rank is the highest known in Switzerland: I am a free citizen.
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Captain Bluntschli Quotes in Arms and the Man
The Arms and the Man quotes below are all either spoken by Captain Bluntschli or refer to Captain Bluntschli. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Act 1
Quotes
I am a Swiss, fighting merely as a professional soldier. I joined Servia because it came first on the road from Switzerland.
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There are only two sorts of soldiers: old ones and young ones.
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Oh you are a very poor soldier—a chocolate cream soldier! Come, cheer up.
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Act 3
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I want to be quite perfect with Sergius—no meanness, no smallness, no deceit. My relation to him is the one really beautiful and noble part of my life.
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Do you know, you are the first man I ever met who did not take me seriously?
You mean, don’t you, that I am the first man that has ever taken you quite seriously?
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I could no more fight with you than I could make love to an ugly woman. You’ve no magnetism: you’re not a man, you’re a machine.
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My rank is the highest known in Switzerland: I am a free citizen.
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