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Scene 1
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Saint Joan, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Institutions and the Corruption of Integrity
Gender
Sanity vs. Madness
The Quest for Personal Knowledge
Summary
Analysis
It’s March 8, 1429. At Chinon, the Archbishop of Rheims, whom Shaw’s stage directions paint as an imposing but not altogether pious-looking figure, and the Lord Chamberlain, Monseigneur de la Trémouille wait for the Dauphin in the anteroom of the throne room in the castle. La Trémouille grows impatient and insults the Dauphin, who owes him money. A court page appears in the doorway and tells them that Monsieur de Rais is on his way, accompanied by Captain La Hire.
Shaw’s description of the Archbishop emphasizes his power and downplays his piousness, suggesting that figures of authority don’t always subscribe to the values their institutions espouse—in other words, the Archbishop is powerful first and pious second. Likewise, the Dauphin might be the assumed heir to the French throne, but his position renders him neither powerful nor respected.
Active
Themes
Gilles de Rais enters. He is a smart and confident young man whose blue-dyed beard earns him the nickname “Bluebeard.” Bluebeard tells the Archbishop and La Trémouille that earlier that day a man called Foul Mouthed Frank had fallen into a well and begun to swear profusely. A soldier addressed Frank, advising him not to swear when he was on the verge of death and, miraculously, Frank died moments later: the soldier had predicted Frank’s drowning. La Hire, a soldier, enters to announce that it wasn’t a soldier who predicted Frank’s fate, but “an angel dressed as a soldier.” La Hire explains that the angel has come from Champagne, accompanied by a pack of loyal followers.
La Hire’s insistence that Joan is “an angel dressed as a soldier” reinforces her role as an individual who outside of the temporal, institutional realms of the Church or state—it imbues her with a unique, otherworldly sort of power. La Hire’s willingness to see Joan’s prediction about Frank’s death as a miracle—despite the fact that it could have been a mere coincidence—shows that people accept miracles only when they are convenient and useful to them. As a soldier, La Hire recognizes France’s dire military situation, so he’s more willing to believe in Joan’s miraculous qualities if they will help France achieve victory in battle.
Active
Themes
Literary Devices
The Dauphin, carrying a letter from Robert de Baudricourt, enters the room excitedly: an “angel” has come to see him. The Archbishop condemns the Dauphin’s excitement to see the “crazy wench,” and La Trémouille shares this sentiment. The Dauphin refuses to let them bring him down: his own grandfather spoke to saints, and so he will, too. The Archbishop scoffs at this. The girl is hardly a saint—she doesn’t even wear women’s clothing.
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Themes
Literary Devices
The men arrange to put the girl’s sainthood to the test: Bluebeard will disguise himself as the Dauphin. If the girl can differentiate the royal Dauphin from Bluebeard, a commoner, they will accept her holiness. If she cannot, they will know she is only pretending to be God’s messenger. The Archbishop insists that the girl not be admitted, but the Dauphin is still determined to see her, as De Baudricourt says she will stop the siege of Orleans and conquer the English. Seeing as how the highly regarded Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, hasn’t been able to drive out the English, the Dauphin sees the girl as their only hope. The men eventually agree that France needs a miracle to defeat the English, so they send for Joan. The Dauphin and Bluebeard leave to assume their disguises.
Active
Themes
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Alone, the Archbishop and La Trémouille muse over miracles. The Archbishop laments that the test is useless: Joan will easily be able to identify the true Dauphin through context clues, therefore passing the test won’t be proof of a miracle. To the Archbishop, a miracle is only “an event which creates faith.” Miracles merely confirm what people want to believe, thus even fraudulent events—if they result in faith—may be deemed miracles. The Archbishop compares spiritual miracles to La Trémouille’s experience as a soldier: like churchmen, La Trémouille also encourages his citizens to believe in falsehoods and exaggerations in order to maintain their loyalty to the government.
The Archbishop and La Trémouille go to the throne room to join the others. Bluebeard, dressed as the Dauphin, sits on the throne. Joan enters and accurately identifies the Dauphin. She then announces that she has come to Chinon to drive away the English and crown the Dauphin king. The Dauphin is elated but tells Joan she must first gain the Archbishop’s approval. Joan approaches the Archbishop and asks humbly for his blessing. Her humility wins the Archbishop over, and he decides she is pious, after all. Joan requests to talk with the Dauphin alone and everyone else leaves the throne room.
Active
Themes
Joan addresses the Dauphin—whose name is Charles—colloquially as “Charlie” and comforts him as he admits that he isn’t much of a fighter: he’d rather be comfortable, safe, and not have to kill people. Joan still wants Charles to fight, however, and she says she can inspire him to be courageous. She insists that they pray for victory. Annoyed, Charles tells Joan to mind her own business. Joan counters this, asserting that they are both here to do “God’s business.” Charles ultimately decides to join forces with Joan and gives her command of his army. The others return to the room. “Who is for God and His Maid?” asks Joan, victoriously. “To Orleans!” the knights exclaim. The Archbishop offers his reluctant support, and La Trémouille, who had previously commanded the army, curses.
