Saint Joan: Final Review

There are so many plays I had wanted to read for this last freebie month of Let’s Read Plays; but at the end I picked George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan. And what a perfect choice I’ve made! I loved Joan, I loved the play, and I loved Shaw’s writing, right from the beginning.

Shaw opened the play from Robert de Baudricourt’s farm, whose hens have been failing to produce any eggs for several days. His men believe that a maid who has been stubbornly stay there was the culprit. The maid is Joan—a peasant girl who asked Baudricourt to equip her with arms and suits, and send her to raise a siege in Orleans during the Hundred Years’ War. How can a seventeen year old girl want to go to a war? Joan isn’t an ordinary girl, for she is chosen by God for the mission. She claims to hear voices of St. Catherine, St. Margaret, and Michael the Archangel, that God has sent her. Something in Joan moves Baudicourt to provide what she wants, and right after that, a miracle happens, the hens laid eggs, and that convinces Baudicourt that Joan is indeed guided by God.

Joan goes to the Dauphin, the young Charles who is waiting to be crowned. Joan wins Charles’ heart; she encourages him to send her to lead his army. He equips and sends her to the battle. In the battle another miracle happens after Joan’s arrival, ensuring Dunois—the chief commander—to let The Maid to lead the army. They win the battle, and Charles is coroneted as King Charles VII. It’s from this battle that Joan is nicknamed The Maid of Orleans. Unfortunately, there are many people who dislike Joan’s conduct. The landlords and the Church authorities have their own reasons to stop Joan’s mission, and so she is captured at last and brought to trial for heresy. As we all know, Joan was then accused of committing heresy, and burnt on the stake as her execution. However, twenty five years later a new trial was being held, which cleared the heresy accusation. Joan then canonized as Saint in 1920.

Retelling a known history might not be an easy job, but Shaw has done it very beautifully. Although we already know the plot, it is very enjoyable to read the play. Joan’s warm, innocent, honest and blunt character is the soul of the play. She made us see what is needed to be God’s servants: humility. Because it is when we are free of personal ego, that God could fill our soul with divine things. The Church authorities in this play are busy with rules, gospels, laws, and doctrines, that they forget what is most important for the Church, that is God’s voices. It is instead in an ordinary peasant girl that He pleased to grant it: Joan.

Although she is only a peasant girl, and never had the opportunity to learn theology or things like that, Joan could match the Chaplain, Bishop and Archbishop’s arguments when debating about God’s voices. For Joan, God’s will is above everything, so no matter how strange His instruction is, she would follow without asking. The intellectual men, on the other hand, are proud with their knowledge and ability, that when they see something they don’t understand, it obviously comes from the devils.

Like I said, this play is very enjoyable. The dialogs are lively and full of emotion; the plot is smooth; and Shaw’s description of the scenes and settings are very clear, as if we are watching the play being performed on stage. Although it is a tragedy, Shaw could be quite funny at times that is enough to make you smile. I like to read Joan’s innocence; her dialogs are sometimes naïve, funny, but also full of virtues. The ending is quite surprising; I won’t even believe that there would be ghosts in a saint story if I haven’t read this play. But I think it just emphasizes the main theme and adds the irony; a perfect way to conclude the whole tragedy. The soldier’s appearance in the ‘ghosts’ conference’ is also quite hilarious! ;)

Five stars for Saint Joan, and it made me want to read Shaw’s other plays. You can also read my deeper analysis of the play here and here.

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*I read ebook version from Gutenberg Project*

*This book is counted as:*

12^th book for Let’s Read Plays (September) theme: Freebie

18^th book for What's In a Name Reading Challenge 2013

5^th book for Books on France 2013 Reading Challenge

9^th book for New Authors Reading Challenge 2013

6^th book for Historical Fiction Challenge 2013

53^rd book for The Classics Club Project

The Well-Educated Mind Self Project

Saint Joan: Second Level Inquiry (Logic Stage)

This is the second level inquiry I am working on for WEM project. The first one is here, and this would be the last stage I’m going to post; I must skip the third level for all plays because it requires us to re-make the play in our own style (I don’t think it necessary for me; and I don’t have time for that either).

By what the play is given unity?

It’s given unity by faith, or in this case, by lack of faith. It is all, from the beginning, about how people think about what/who had led Joan to do what she has done. Was she inspired by God, or by the devil? Was it heresy or God’s act? And in the end, did Joan deserve to be accepted as Saint? So, I think it’s all about faith.

What does each character stand for?

There are three sides of main characters here: Joan; they who opposed her (people from the Church—ironically!); and they who befriended her (Charles, Dunois). Let’s take a look at each of the group:

Joan stands for simple minded people who only hold on God’s will, and put God above all. It is the simple-mindedness which can accept divine idea.

The Church authority (Bishop, Archbishop, Chaplain) stands for proud people in higher position who praise themselves as the most powerful servants of God, and thus their opinion are certainly those of God. They put their own pride over God, and that’s why God didn’t reveal the divine truth to them.

Joan’s friends (Charles and Dunois) stand for people who take God seriously only when He would grant their wishes. Charles and Dunois both believed in Joan because they have seen the miracles which answered their prayers. When the same God (through Joan) asked them to do more fight, they were reluctant because they no longer needed His help. They only want to take but refuse to give.

Do any of the characters stand in opposition to each other?

Yes, in the case of Joan and the Church authority, as above mentioned. The Church authority here reminds me a lot of the Pharisees, they both had misconception about being faithful to God.

How do the characters speak?

Here I only pick two characters that are most contradictory: Joan and the Archbishop.  

Joan’s words show that she is a simple and honest girl; she speaks boldly and innocently, but always full of virtues. Exp: [her eyes skyward] “I have better friends and better counsel than yours”.

The Archbishop is proud, arrogant, feels that he’s always right, and anyone opposes him must be wrong. Exp: “The voice of God on earth is the voice of the Church Militant; and all the voices that come to you are the echoes of your own willfulness.”

Does the playwright lead you into a satisfying resolution?

No; and that’s what makes this play was categorized in tragedy. The real tragedy is not because Joan was burnt to death (for Saints, death is just the mean of being united with God), but because after what had happened, people still could not accept their Saint. That is the real tragedy!

What is the play’s theme?

I think Shaw wanted to criticize how difficult it is for humankind to understand God’s will and to accept it humbly. From the beginning of the play, people got to believe in Joan only after they saw some miracles done; a proof that justified what was told them (Thomas all over again: ‘Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe’?). And from the Church authority we see that knowledge often veiled soul to understand the real truth; that God’s divines can only be seen with simple and humble heart.

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Scene on Three (5): Saint Joan

Today’s scene is picked from one of George Bernard Shaw’s plays: Saint Joan. Joan is a peasant girl in France who became a French soldier and fought against English army in the Hundred Years’ War as a divine mission from God. People didn’t believe at her at that time; she was taken as committing heresy, and being burnt for it. However twenty years after, the trial was declared as corrupted. She was then canonized as Saint in 1920.

This particular scene was after Joan has won Orleans from the English, and made King Charles finally being crowned. God led her then to fight Paris, but the French (the commander, the Archbishop, and even the King) opposed this plan. Joan was left alone in her action, and this was her speech.

“Where would you all have been now if I had heeded that sort of truth? There is no help, no counsel, in any of you. Yes: I am alone on earth: I have always been alone. My father told my brothers to drown me if I would not stay to mind his sheep while France was bleeding to death: France might perish if only our lambs were safe. I thought France would have friends at the court of the king of France; and I find only wolves fighting for pieces of her torn body. I thought God would have friends everywhere, because He is the friend of everyone; and in my innocence I believed that you who now cast me out would be like strong towers to keep harm from me. But I am wiser now; and nobody is any the worse for being wiser. Do not think you can frighten me by telling me that I am alone. France is alone; and God is alone; and what is my loneliness before the loneliness of my country and my God? I see now that the loneliness of God is His strength: what would He be if He listened to your jealous little counsels? Well, my loneliness shall be my strength too; it is better to be alone with God: His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength I will dare, and dare, and dare, until I die. I will go out now to the common people, and let the love in their eyes comfort me for the hate in yours. You will all be glad to see me burn; but if I go through the fire I shall go through it to their hearts forever and ever. And so, God be with me!”

As always, faith made one much braver than him/herself, because they do not act alone, God is with them; they know it and have faith in it. Joan is a peasant girl, but she is much braver here than the rest of them. It’s because she has something they don’t: faith in God. She might be alone, but she is actually never alone, for God be with her. That’s the kind of faith we must all have.

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Jadi bagaimana cara berpartisipasi dalam Scene on Three :

• Tuliskan suatu adegan atau deskripsi pemandangan/manusia/situasi/kota dan sebagainya ke dalam suatu post.
• Jelaskan mengapa adegan atau deskripsi itu menarik, menurut versi kalian masing-masing.
• Jangan lupa cantumkan button Scene on Three di dalam post dengan link menuju blog Bacaan B.Zee.
• Masukkan link post kalian ke link tools yang ada di bawah post Bacaan B.Zee, sekalian saling mengunjungi sesama peserta Scene on Three.
• Meme ini diadakan setiap tanggal yang mengandung angka tiga, sesuai dengan ketersediaan tanggal di bulan tersebut (tanggal 3, 13, 23, 30, dan 31).

Saint Joan: First Level Inquiry (Grammar Stage)

What is the initial question or tension?

From the beginning everyone has been wondering whether Joan told the truth when she said that God sent her. In these cases, one always wonders whether someone is a saint or a liar. So, the initial question here is: Is Joan really sent by God?

Where is the point of greatest tension?

It’s when Joan snatches the ‘recantation of the heresy’ and tears it to pieces and gives this speech:

“It is not the bread and water I fear; I can live on bread; when have I asked for more? It is no hardship to drink water if the water be clean. Bread has no sorrow for me, and water no affliction. But to shut me from the light of the sky and the sight of the fields and flowers; to chain my feet so that I can never again ride with the soldiers nor climb the hills; to make me breathe foul damp darkness, and keep from me everything that brings me back to the love of God when your wickedness and foolishness tempt me to hate Him; all this is worse than the furnace in the Bible that was heated seven times. I could do without my warhorse; I could drag about in a skirt; I could let the banners and the trumpets and the knights and soldiers pass me and leave me behind as they leave the other women, if only I could still hear the wind in the trees, the larks in the sunshine, the young lambs crying through the healthy frost, and the blessed church bells that send my angel voices floating to me on the wind. But without these things I cannot live; and by your wanting to take them away from me, or from any human creature, I know that your counsel is of the devil, and that mine is of God.”

It only points out what the most important thing for human kind should be. The speech is so eloquent that it touched me deeply when reading it.

Where does the play’s action reach its climax?

At first I picked Joan’s burning as the climax (the Chaplain and Ladvenu repented here), but after thinking it thoroughly, I decided that the real climax is Joan’s canonization announcement as Saint. Because off this canonization process, do the others really admit and honor her by kneeling to her giving praises. What else could be more climax than this? When everyone who had been under-appreciating her and accusing her now adore her?

Where is the resolution?

In King Charles’ dream, where he meets Joan and all others; they deserts Joan one by one to the idea of her resurrection, right after their praises to her. To which Joan sighs to God: “O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints? How long, O Lord, how long?” I believe Joan’s desperation is the resolution.

What holds the play’s action together?

I think what makes it difficult for people to see the truth behind Joan’s claim that she is sent by God, is the lack of faith. That is what holds the play’s action together. People choose to believe what they can understand, and take anything beyond imagination as heresy or witchcraft. Even after they are proved to be wrong, it’s still difficult for them to accept their saints.

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Saint Joan – Scene Summaries

Saint Joan is a play from George Bernard Shaw I picked for the last freebie theme of our Let’s Read Plays. I am also working on this for WEM Project, and as usual, this is the Scenes summaries (not Acts, as it contains only Scenes).

Scene I

Joan—a peasant girl—was told by God (through St. Catherine, St. Margaret and the Blessed Michael) to go to Robert Baudricourt, a landlord, to ask for soldiers to drive the English away from Orleans (France). Skeptical at first, Robert could not reject Joan’s proposal and finally granted it. Then a miracle happened, which ensured Robert that Joan was sent by God.

Scene II

Joan came to the Dauphin (the young King to be crowned) Charles the Seventh, but the Archbishop rejected to see her. Charles was weak, but he’s impressed by Joan as she had done miracle by guessing the real Charles while he was in disguise. Joan convinced and encouraged the weak Charles to let her led the army and crown him King.

Scene III

At Orleans Dunois is the chief commander, and for days he couldn’t across the river to get to French army because the wind always blew to West. Joan arrived, and miracle happened, the wind suddenly blew to the East. Dunois believed that she—The Maid—was sent by God, and though he reluctantly at first to give the army command to Joan, he did it after the miracle.

Scene IV

In English camp, English Earl of Warwick and Rev. de Stogumber met Bishop Mgr. Cauchon; the first two insisted that Joan was a witch and must be burnt. The Bishop cared more about the girl’s soul salvation than politics, but saw her as a heretic from Devil. Earl of Warwick worried that the aristocracy would lose their power from the King if he be coronated.

Scene V

In the Cathedral of Rheims when King Charles has just been coronated, Joan wanted to fight Paris before she returned home; but the others rejected the idea. They even threat her that she could be burnt for heresy. She was now left alone by others whom she had helped, but she put her trust in God.

Scene VI

Joan was captured and being tried for heresy. With some tough disputes between the politicians and the Church (English partisan) during the trial, Joan was nearly freed from charges. But after knowing that she would be imprisoned till death, she chose to be burnt at stake. A cross was brought before her when she was dying.

Epilogue

Twenty five years after Joan’s death, King Charles was visited by Joan in his dream, along with most of the main characters. That day, Joan canonization has been decreed after a trial being conducted and the heresy trial has been proven corrupted. The others confessed that they finally realized that Joan comes from God, not from evil, but when Joan was suggesting whether she’d better come to live again, the others soon left her; and Joan could only sigh to God, how it is difficult for men to receive their saints.

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