Saint Joan Character List

Joan of Arc
Joan is the protagonist of the play. She is born the daughter of a humble farmer, but,
inspired by divine visions, she becomes an important military leader who plays a
decisive role in the 100 Years' War.
The Dauphin (Later King Charles VII of France)
Charles is the expected heir to the French throne (hence the title "Dauphin"), but at the
start of the play, he has not been officially crowned and has been declared illegitimate.
With Joan's help, Charles is crowned as Charles VII and goes on to become a good
leader.
The Inquisitor (Brother John Lemaitre)
A French monk who plays a key role in Joan's trial.
Peter Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais
Cauchon is a Frenchman but is part of the Burgundian faction, which means he is allied
to the English. He works with Warwick to ensure that Joan will be turned over to the
English if she is captured.
Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick
An English nobleman and Joan’s primary opponent on the English side of the war.
Though not nearly as concerned about Joan’s heresy against the Church as he pretends,
he sees the value of paying lip service to this offense as a means of protecting his real
interest: the continuation of the aristocratic entitlement that benefits him.
John de Stogumber (the Chaplain)
An English priest who acts as chaplain to the Cardinal of Winchester and the Earl of
Warwick. Initially, he has a passionate hatred of Joan, but after he witnesses her
execution, he has a change of heart. De Stogumber goes on to dedicate his life to serving
the poor and advocating for religious tolerance.
The Gentleman from 1920
A man dressed in clothing of the 1920s who appears in the epilogue. He has traveled
back in time to 1456 to tell the other characters that Joan will eventually be canonized
as a saint.

Robert de Baudricourt
A French nobleman who gives Joan soldiers and arms so that she can travel to the
Dauphin.
Robert's Steward
A household servant who encourages Robert to meet with Joan.
Bertrand de Poulengy
A French nobleman and soldier who is friends with Robert de Baudricourt. He believes
in Joan and offers to go with her to the Dauphin.
Georges, Duc de la Tremouille, Constable of France
A French nobleman who is close to the Dauphin.
Regnault de Chartres, the Archbishop of Rheims
A French Churchman who crowns Charles as King and later rebukes Joan for being
proud and stubborn.
Gilles de Rais (Bluebeard)
A French nobleman and military leader.
Captain La Hire
A French soldier who strongly believes in Joan.
Duchess de la Tremouille
A French noblewoman and the wife of Tremouille.
Jean, Comte de Dunois, Bastard of Orleans
A French military leader who is in charge of the attack of Orleans.
John d'Estivet, Canon of Bayeux
A French Church official who plays a key role in Joan's trial.
Thomas de Courcelles, the Canon of Paris
A French church official involved in Joan's trial.
Brother Martin Ladvenu
A monk present at Joan's trial; he will go on to become a strong advocate to have her
reputation restored.
The Executioner
The man who carries out Joan's execution and later appears in the epilogue.
English Soldier
A common English soldier of lower-class origins; he gives Joan a cross made out of
sticks during her execution, and later appears in the

QUESTIONS

• What are the themes in the play Saint Joan by George Bernard
Shaw?

• Examine critically the character of Joan of Arc in Shaw's play Saint

Joan.

• Did Saint Joan receive a fair trial? Why, at the end, was Joan
excommunicated and burnt?
* Using the following points, frame a character sketch of Joan of
Arc, in your own words. Suggest an attractive title
. confidence - courage -optimism- determination- patriotism

* Why was Joan of Arc killed?

 • In Bernard Shaw's Saint Joan, how do Joan's struggles relate to the
struggles we face in today’s modern age society?

• How is Joan of Arc relevant today?

Even after being captured defending Compiegne, her faith did not
Waver. She refused to deny her faith and connection to God,
knowing that she would be killed for it. Thus, she died bravely as a
martyr. The story of Joan of Arc teaches us the importance of
faith she fought with little more than her faith.
Joan of Arc was outraged by the notion that England believed (it) could simply
come in and make of France a colony for (its) economic and political advantage.
What Joan of Arc stands for today is precisely against the same political, military
and economic push that countries are making— for their own financial advantage.

Q: How does her role in that story resonate for people?

A: It shows the impact or the power of an individual, indeed of an unlikely

individual. She must not be thought of as the sole military leader who changed the
course of the Hundred Years’ War; she worked closely with experienced military
strategists. But she provided the force of moral suasion, she provided the
charisma. She had ability to attract the loyalty of the men.

Q: Her position in society as a young woman made her “unlikely?”

A: In the late Middle Ages and the early Renaissance, consecrated virgins —
virgins who remained so for religious purpose — were held in very high regard.
Joan was unquestionably unique in history — because she was illiterate, because
she was so young — but at the same time, she was sort of a peaked example of
what a late medieval and Renaissance devout woman could be.

Q: How do you view Joan’s visions of God?

A: People have dismissed them as the wanderings of a lunatic mind, or a diseased

mind, or physical illness. Well, it’s simply impossible to account for this woman’s
extraordinary military and strategic achievements, and dismiss her as a lunatic.
Lunatics, and people who were deranged, don’t survive in history.

Q: What was it she heard then?

A: What do we say in our time? We say, “Dorothy Day really spoke to me.” We
don’t mean that we heard her voice speaking to us in our physical hearing. But we
mean that something profound in their person, in their writings, in their spirit and in
their achievement affected and transformed us in the core of our being. It is the
only way that it’s possible throughout history to describe a transcendent
experience, to use pictorial, dramatic language.

Q: Why didn’t Joan’s accusers understand that during her trial?

A: Because from the start this was a political game. It was the pro-English bishops
who wanted to curry favor, who wanted to get the French out and be rewarded with
political, ecclesiastical positions. Remember that the main reason to do away with
Joan was that this was the way to completely discredit the coronation of Charles
VII, which she managed and achieved.

Q: Do you see Joan’s story as one primarily about betrayal?

A: Of course she was betrayed — she was betrayed by the French, she was
betrayed by the institution of the church. But primarily, to put it positively, this is the
story of awesome fidelity. “Don’t you believe,” the bishops ask her, “that it’s
absolutely important for you to obey us, that our voices are the voices of the will of
God for you?” She says, “It is better to obey God than man.” This is uncanny for an
illiterate girl. Theologically, she was very sophisticated. And where did that come
from? It came from an inner experience of God, who was raising her to an
unimaginable mission.