Themes
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 is now May 30, 1431. The scene opens in a castle in Rouen in a stone hall arranged for Joan’s trial. Two chairs sit side by side, raised above the rest of the court, with rows of chairs extending around them. A table is placed in the center of these chairs for the scribes. There is a wooden stool for Joan. The court is cut off from the outdoors, “shielded from the weather by screens and curtains.”
The hall is intricately and consciously arranged, which symbolizes the complex, rigorously structured court system to which Joan will be subjected during her trial. That the room is “shielded from the weather by screens and curtains” further signifies that the trial is wholly tied up in institutional power and therefore cut off from the natural, uncorrupted world. The placement of a single wooden stool for Joan in the center of her prosecutors’ chairs emphasizes how alone she is: visually and literally, it’s her against everyone else.
Themes
Warwick and his page enter the courtroom. Cauchon enters, along with a monk and a canon. The page leaves the three men alone. Cauchon introduces the monk as Brother John Lemaître, who will be deputy to the Chief Inquisitor, and the canon as Canon John D’Estivet, who will be the Promoter, or Prosecutor. It’s been nine months since Joan was captured by the Burgundians. Warwick asks Cauchon when the trial will be over, to which Cauchon responds that it hasn’t even begun, as the court has been busy holding 15 “examinations” of Joan. The Inquisitor explains to Warwick that, although he initially saw Joan’s case as political, he now has enough evidence to regard it as heresy. The trial will thus begin that morning.
The court’s thorough “examinations” of Joan reflect Cauchon’s adamance that Joan be given a fair trial. In the face of English political authorities like Warwick who are eager to see that Joan is executed, it’s crucial to Cauchon that Joan is tried for heresy so that she is interrogated by an ecclesiastical court first and, thus, be given the opportunity to repent, save her soul from damnation, and save herself from being burned at the stake. By giving Joan a fair trial, Cauchon resists Warwick’s and the English force’s political corruption.
Themes
Warwick is pleased—he’d been growing impatient. Cauchon denounces the English soldiers who threaten to drown anyone who sides with Joan. He reiterates his determination to give Joan a fair trial. D’Estivet describes how psychologically difficult it has been for him to try Joan, as he finds her punishment unjust and wants desperately to save her soul. All the same, he recognizes that authorities have gone out of their way to explain to Joan the danger she is in. In this way, he can justify trying Joan. Warwick, in contrast, doesn’t care about saving Joan’s soul and regards her punishment as a “political necessity.” With pride, Cauchon affirms that “the Church is not subject to political necessity.”
Shaw further establishes a divide between the spiritual leaders (Cauchon and D’Estivet) for whom Joan’s soul is the top priority and the political figures (Warwick and the English soldiers) who want Joan burned as a “political necessity.” Still, it’s ironic that Cauchon insists that “the Church is not subject to political necessity,” as the Church’s fear of heresy is partially motivated by their desire to maintain control over their subjects.
Themes
The Inquisitor interrupts to assure both men that neither must worry about Joan being punished, as her own stubbornness will seal her fate: everything she says further convinces her interrogators of her heresy. Warwick leaves. Chaplain de Stogumber and Canon de Courcelles enter the courtroom. They are both agitated, having just learned that the 64 counts on which they’ve indicted Joan have been reduced to 12 without their consultation. The Inquisitor claims responsibility for the reduced charges, reasoning that too many issues will only confuse the rest of the court; further, focusing on the “trumpery” issues of magic and witchcraft of which they’ve accused Joan might allow her to get away with “the great main issue of heresy.” Cauchon agrees with the Inquisitor’s judgement.
The Inquisitor reveals that Joan remains ignorant of the consequences of her confidence—namely, how this affects others’ perceptions of her and the outcome of her trial. Even with her life on the line, she remains stubborn, refusing to compromise her values. The Inquisitor and Cauchon are adamant that the court remain focused on “the great main issue of heresy” because heresy—not the minor, “trumpery” issues of which Stogumber and Courcelles have accused Joan—is what poses the most significant threat to the Church.
Themes
Literary Devices
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Ladvenu, a young Dominican monk, enters the courtroom, suggesting that Joan’s heresy could be the result of her “simplicity.” In a long speech, the Inquisitor cautions him against this position: heresy, a very serious threat, often originates as an “apparently harmless” idea espoused by simple, pious individuals. He cites women who refuse to wear women’s clothes and end up running around naked, as well as people who refuse to marry and “begin with polygamy, and end by incest,” to illustrate that even the most innocent transgressions can morph into wicked, destructive forces. The Church knows that “diabolical madnesses” begin with people like Joan who “set[] up their own judgment against the Church.”
The Inquisitor disregards Ladvenu’s suggestion that the court should view Joan’s “simplicity” as a sign of her innocence. He places more weight on the consequences of Joan’s actions—like the possibility that commoners will learn to “set[] up their own judgment against the Church”—than on Joan’s motivations for committing these actions in the first place. It doesn’t matter to the Inquisitor that Joan isn’t consciously plotting a calculated attack against the Church—it only matters that her actions pose this threat.
Themes
What is so dangerous about Joan’s heresy, states the Inquisitor, is that it is not just an act: she sincerely believes that her “diabolical” ideas are “divine.” Those who judge Joan must be on guard not to feel compassion for her, as her diabolically inspired pride has not hardened the other aspects of her soul in a visibly discernable way. Joan’s natural humility might make her judges feel cruel to condemn her, but the Inquisitor reminds the court “that nothing is so cruel in its consequences as the toleration of heresy.”
Like other characters in Saint Joan have done before him, the Inquisitor attacks the confidence Joan places in her own conviction. If other individuals were to follow in Joan’s footsteps, it would destroy the Church’s ability to exercise control over the masses, as they—like Joan—would be more inclined to answer to themselves before the Church. When the Inquisitor insists “that nothing is so cruel in its consequence as the toleration of heresy,” he shows that the court is willing to be “cruel” to Joan if it means the Church’s power will be upheld. In this way, Joan’s condemnation becomes a political necessity to the Church as well as the secular realm.
Themes
The Inquisitor insists that everyone should be grateful to the Holy Inquisition: before it existed, someone like Joan would have been violently executed without a trial. Ultimately, Joan’s judges need to value justice over anger or pity. Cauchon agrees with the Inquisitor and further admonishes Joan’s “Protestant” type of heresy, arguing that it is particularly dangerous because it spreads not amongst the simple, but amongst those with a “stronger” mind. The greater one values the truth of their “private judgment,” the greater the threat they pose to the Church.
Cauchon finds Joan’s “Protestant” heresy particularly dangerous because it gathers its strength from an individual’s “stronger” assurance in their ability to have a relationship to God without the Church’s help and, more generally, to have confidence in their own convictions without having to answer to authority figures. Individuals who possess a stronger sense of self will be more reluctant to submit to the orders of social institutions.
Themes
Two English soldiers bring Joan to the courtroom and lead her to her wooden stool. She is in chains and wears a page’s suit. A long imprisonment has taken a toll on her, but she still appears vibrant and determined—albeit a bit pale. Before the trial can begin, Joan questions why she must be in chains, prompting Courcelles to remind her that she tried escape multiple times. In response to this, D’Estivet accuses of her of heresy, as her attempted escapes prove she wanted to remove herself from the Church’s control. Cauchon tells Joan to be quiet, as her obstinance is not helping her case.
Joan displays her stubbornness verbally as she continues to question the court’s actions, as well as visually through the men’s clothing she wears during her trial.
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Literary Devices
The Inquisitor reminds D’Estivet that the trial hasn’t officially begun because Joan has yet to take the oath to tell the whole truth. Joan continues to be obstinate, telling the Inquisitor she cannot tell “the whole truth” in court because only God can know all. Courcelles recommends that Joan be tortured if she doesn’t take the oath to tell the whole truth, arguing that it’s not cruel to torture Joan—it’s the law. Cauchon is adamant to not torture Joan unless it is absolutely necessary: it’s most important to save Joan’s “soul and body,” and it would be counterintuitive to destroy them both. Courcelles says this is not usually what is done, and Joan mocks this simplistic logic.
Even as characters like Courcelles and D’Estivet show Joan that her legal assessors are willing to pounce on the smallest transgressions if they will result in her conviction, she refuses to back down. Shaw underscores here how Joan’s confidence and integrity is transformed into foolishness and obstinance in the face of corrupt officials who will stop at nothing to uphold their institutional values; Joan’s integrity matters little in the face of corrupt power.
Themes
Cauchon returns the court to its central concern, asking Joan if she will “accept the judgment of God’s Church on earth.” Joan responds that she will not accept the Church’s judgment if it forces her to recant her visions. Horrified, the assessors call this answer “flat heresy.” The Inquisitor asks Joan if she will recant if the Church Militant tells her that her visions came from the devil instead of God, but Joan maintains that her visions came from God. Ladvenu pleads with Joan to yield to the Church, but to no avail. She responds simply: “what other judgment can I judge by but my own?”
Joan refuses to adapt her understanding of her visions to fit the version the court finds palatable—that they came from the devil instead of God—which sets her apart from other characters in the play who repeatedly demonstrate that they are willing to compromise their values to seek a political end. When Joan asks “what other judgment can I judge by but my own?” she positions her personal, subjective knowledge of the world as superior to religious or political dogma.
Themes
Cauchon tells Joan that—despite the numerous opportunities the court has given her to save herself— she has condemned herself with this statement. D’Estivet affirms that Joan’s two biggest crimes are acting on behalf of “evil spirits” and dressing in men’s clothing, which is “indecent, unnatural, and abominable.”
D’Estivet places Joan’s decision to wear men’s clothing on par with something so supposedly wicked as acting on behalf of “evil spirits,” which speaks to the sexism that colors the court’s perception of Joan.
Themes
The Inquisitor tells Joan the Church has decided with certainty that her voices come from the devil and asks her if she accepts this position. Once more, she refuses to deny the holiness of her voices. Cauchon grows frustrated and asks Joan if she knows what she’s saying, and she insists that she does. The Inquisitor asks Joan if she will remove her men’s clothing, but she refuses, as her voices tell her to dress like a soldier. Ladvenu asks if she can justify this request. She replies simply: she lived, slept, and fought with soldiers, so it made sense for them to think of her as one of them. Ladvenu concedes that Joan’s appearance might be shocking, but her logic is sound. Joan insults the court some more.
Even though Joan insists that she knows what she’s saying, it’s clear she’s not fully aware of the consequences of her actions. She still has yet to wrap her head around the fact that the complex legal, political, and ecclesiastical systems to which she is now subjected will execute her for her obstinance. It illustrates the court’s hypocrisy that they will accept Joan’s word (that she knows what she is saying) now when it allows them to condemn her, but that they misconstrue her words as heresy and obstinance when they doesn’t benefit their political agendas.
Themes
The Inquisitor tells Joan that the stake is ready for her burning. Joan is shocked: her voices had promised to protect her from harm. She can’t believe they would lead her astray, though she finally accepts that it must be true. Ladvenu tells her that the Church will welcome her back, and Cauchon gives her a recantation to sign. In despair, Joan agrees to recant. Joan is illiterate, so Ladvenu reads the document to her, confirms that she understands, and then shows her how to sign her name. Once Joan signs the paper, the Inquisitor sentences her to life imprisonment. Joan is horrified at the prospect of life in prison—she thought she’d be allowed to go free—and she hurriedly tears the paper into pieces, reversing her recantation.
Joan’s decision to recant signifies that she finally understands the legal consequences of her obstinance and clarifies that she hadn’t understood before, as her unfailing confidence in her voices and herself blinded her to the reality of her situation. Her ability to modify her actions in light of the new, critical information that she will suffer a gruesome fate if she continues to rebel is further evidence of the sanity and intelligence she has demonstrated throughout the play, as is her revised decision to reject her recantation when she learns that her alternative to being burned at the stake is the equally horrifying prospect of a life in prison.
Themes
Joan accuses the court of lying to her: they said they wanted to save her life, but imprisonment wouldn’t be life to her. She could give up men’s clothing and warfare, but she can’t bear being separated from “the wind in the trees, the larks in the sunshine,” and the rest of the natural world. She reaffirms her previous stance: she knows the court “is of the devil,” and that she is “of God.” The soldiers grab Joan to lead her to the stake. Cauchon reads Joan’s sentence, excommunicates her, and passes her over to the secular arm. Chaplain de Stogumber gleefully helps the soldiers bring Joan to the stake.
Joan’s reason for rejecting the court’s offer to reduce her sentence to life in prison underscores her loyalties to the natural, uncorrupted world of “the wind in the trees, [and] the larks in the sunshine” that lies beyond the influence of institutions of power. Joan cannot bear to part with the natural, uncorrupted world, which symbolizes her unwillingness to sacrifice her integrity to meet the conditions of the Church.
Themes
Cauchon laments the English’s excitement to destroy Joan while acknowledging its necessity. The Inquisitor admits that, although he is used to such cruel practices, seeing someone as young and innocent as Joan die is hard to accept. He feels Joan is innocent because she didn’t sufficiently understand the accusations against her. Warwick enters, followed shortly thereafter by Chaplain de Stogumber, who is sobbing. The Chaplain explains that he watched an English soldier give Joan a cross made of two sticks tied together after she requested one. He made no efforts to comfort Joan, but wishes he had: Joan’s burning profoundly affects Stogumber, who hadn’t realized how traumatic and cruel it would be. He is beside himself in grief and shame at how callously he has treated Joan.
Although the religious authorities express remorse for Joan’s fate, they don’t deny the necessity of her death. Here, Shaw underscores Cauchon and the Inquisitor’s hypocrisy: even though they know it is cruel and morally dubious to hand over the innocent Joan to the English, they are still able to justify doing so on the grounds that it is best for the Church. They have both become desensitized to the extent that they accept violence and cruelty as necessary evils. In an unlikely twist, it is Stogumber—who, for the entirety of the play, has eagerly and unquestioningly anticipated Joan’s ruthless execution—who is most profoundly affected by her death.
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Literary Devices
Ladvenu enters and reports on the burning: Joan had only the improvised cross pressed to her chest, so he brought one from the church for her to hold. He tried to bring it to her hands, but the fire began to enrobe them both, so she told him to back down and save himself. Ladvenu can’t believe that such selflessness could have been “inspired by the devil.” He believes that God redeemed Joan in her last moments of life. He reports hearing laughter, and he admits, wryly, that he hopes it was English laughter. His shame reignited, the Chaplain runs away in disgrace.
Like Cauchon and the Inquisitor, Ladvenu also affirms Joan’s innocence. Ladvenu’s belief in Joan’s innocence is less hypocritical than Cauchon’s or the Inquisitor’s (he maintains a more consistent skepticism toward her guilt), but it’s still significant that none of the men may positively affirm Joan’s innocence until after she is dead, which speaks to Shaw’s position that saints and dissenters like Joan will not be accepted while they are alive and, therefore, capable of upsetting social norms.
Themes
The Executioner enters and tells Warwick that the deed is done: Joan is dead. Her remains were thrown in the river. Reflecting on Ladvenu’s earlier claim that Joan was redeemed in her final moments of life, Warwick wonders whether he’s truly seen the last of Joan.
Warwick’s musings on whether he’s seen the last of Joan foreshadows the eventual reversal of her heresy conviction and future canonization. It also emphasizes the unnecessary cruelty and tragedy of Joan’s death: Warwick and her other accusers wanted her dead to extinguish her and her dangerous ideas, yet they seem to know that death was insufficient to put an end to Joan and the ideas she put forward.
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