Saint Joan (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: George Bernard Shaw
- First Published: 1924
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Historical
- Time of Work: 1428-1456
- Setting: France
- Genres: Drama, History play
- Subjects: Folkloric or magical people, France or French people, Nationalism, Witches or witchcraft, Fifteenth century, Martyrs or martyrdom, Feudalism, Church or churches, Protestantism or Protestant churches
- Locales: France
Characters Discussed
Joan of Arc, a farmer’s daughter from the village of Domrémy. Joan’s imagination is so vivid that her inspirations seem to come to her as visions in which the voices of the saints direct her to raise the siege of Orleans and crown the Dauphin at Rheims. By sheer force of personality and a genius for leadership, the seventeen-year-old Joan does these things. Ignorant of the complexities of politics, Joan is unwilling to defer to the experience and advice of ordinary men. She oversteps herself and is tried by the Inquisition for heresy. Her trial is an...
[The entire page is 1072 words long]
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