Shaw employs irony in the title of his play, taken from the opening line of the epic poem "The Aeneid" written in 19 BC by the Roman poet Virgil - "Of arms and the man I sing..." - in which Virgil glorifies war. Shaw's purpose in this play, however, is to attack the romantic idea of war.  The conflict in Arms and the Man is between opposing beliefs and ideas: the romantic or idealistic notions of war and love which are held by Raina and the realistic picture of war drawn by Bluntschli, as well as the practical side of love and marriage as expressed by Louka. The comedy of the play depends on the contrasts of characters, unexpected turns of events, mistaken identities, surprising opinions, irony, wit and satire.