Arms and the ManIn the play Arms and the Man, by Bernard Shaw, Major Sergius Saranoff is certainly one of the roundest characters. Sergius has many distinct characteristics that set him apart from the other characters in the play. Many of these qualities were accumulated through his military experience; this is obvious to anyone with this military background, from his military uniform and rough face. Major Saranoff is an extremely important character in the play due to his engagement to Raina, the only child of Bulgaria's richest family, the Petkoffs, and his highly regarded military status. Sergius is shown to be a rounded character as he shows three main qualities throughout the play: bravery, spontaneity, and deception. The army has always been a tool to show bravery and this is how Sergius proved how brave he was. The Bulgarian army he led consisted mainly of heavy cavalry, which charged a machine-gun battery. This action, in itself, is true bravery, or sheer stupidity. Fortunately, the wrong ammunition was sent to the Swiss army and Sergius and his cavalry gained the upper hand. Two conclusions can be drawn from this foolish action: either Sergius knew the ammunition was faulty, or Sergius decided they were going to be shot anyway and should risk charging. Regardless, Major Saranoff demonstrated an extremely brave and courageous action. As the beginning of the first act shows, all the characters in the play recognized Sergius as a war hero, except Bluntschli. “…led a charge on his own responsibility – he led it himself – was the first man to sweep away their weapons” (p. 307). Bluntschli considered him... middle of paper ...... happy that Catherine is mad, for two main reasons, the first because Sergius has sworn to marry Raina, and the second because he chooses a servant rather than Raina. . Of the three main qualities that Sergius demonstrates throughout the play, courage, impulsiveness, and infidelity, he is proven to be a well-rounded character. The cause of Sergius's particular actions and emotions is not certain, although after passing through the near-death stage on the battlefield, Sergius most likely stopped thinking about the worries of the world and certainly did not care not too much of anything. This is the most logical explanation for the cause of this change. Although it is not apparent, one has to wonder if, after the emotions Raina shows towards Sergius throughout the play, Raina loved him at some point and this new image of himself changed the Raina's opinion about it..