The mood throughout Arms and the Man remains jovial and lighthearted, in keeping with the comedic genre. This comedy and the accompanying humorous mood are not, however, indicative of aimless fun; rather, Shaw pairs this mood with important historical events and social criticism. The efficacy of his social commentary hinges on his ability to avoid a more didactic or instructive mood, which, while effective under certain circumstances, can alienate the more casual viewer. The joviality of Arms and the Man helps to make it more endearing and approachable to a general audience, widening the scope and spread of Shaw's message.
The humorous mood used in Arms and the Man relies on irony and contradiction, both techniques that complement the play's satirical aims. By generating amusing situations and conversations for the characters to engage in, Shaw transfigures the somber topic of wartime into the punchline of a joke. Through mood, the audience is made more receptive to Shaw's satirical goal: drawing attention to the needless violence and inane, vacuous politics of war. Humor, here, serves the function of a spoonful of sugar taken to help the bitter medicine go down: if an audience is more at ease, they are more likely to be receptive to a radical critique of militarism.
