Characters Discussed
Joan of Arc
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 eminently fair one by the standards of the age, but Joan condemns herself by insisting that the instructions of her “voices” take precedence over the instructions of the Church. Sentenced to be burned and fearing pain, she recants. When she finds that her recantation simply commutes her sentence to perpetual imprisonment, she reaffirms her innocence and is burned. In an epilogue, Joan’s ghost appears and learns that she has been canonized. Her allies and enemies alike bow down and worship her, but when Joan offers to bring herself to life again, they all demur and drift away. Joan wonders when Earth will be ready for God’s saints.
The Dauphin
The Dauphin (doh-FA[N]), later Charles VII. Although physically weak and bullied by everyone, he is intelligent and more refined than most nobles of his time. Once he is crowned, Charles tells Joan to be content with what she already has won. He warns her that he cannot protect her if she continues her fight. After Joan is executed, Charles himself becomes a successful warrior.
The Inquisitor
The Inquisitor, Brother John Lemaître (leh MEHTR), a Dominican monk. A mild, elderly, and highly intelligent man, he believes that Joan’s heresy is the most heinous one of all: the Protestant heresy of believing that God speaks directly to an individual through one’s conscience. Realizing that Joan is innocent of evildoing, he believes she must be sacrificed for the welfare of Christian society.
Peter Cauchon
Peter Cauchon (koh-SHOH[N]), the bishop of Beauvais, the co-judge, with the Inquisitor, at Joan’s trial. An honest believer in the grossness of Joan’s heresy, the bishop wishes to save Joan’s soul and, if possible, her life.
Richard de Beauchamp
Richard de Beauchamp (boh-SHAH), the earl of Warwick, the English commandant. Warwick wants Joan put to death because she represents the new spirit of nationalism that threatens the power of his social class.
John de Stogumber
John de Stogumber (STAH-guhm-buhr), Warwick’s chaplain. A bigoted and fanatical English patriot, he howls for Joan’s death at her trial. He is so horrified by her execution, however, that, half mad, he retires to a small country parish and becomes an exemplary priest.
Dunois, Bastard of Orleans
Dunois, Bastard of Orleans (dew-NWAH), the rugged and pragmatic commander of the French forces. He admires Joan’s military ability, but he abandons her when she ignores his advice.
Brother Martin Ladvenu
Brother Martin Ladvenu (mahr-TA[N] lahd-veh-NEW), a young priest who takes pity on Joan at her trial and tries to persuade her to save herself.
The archbishop of Rheims
The archbishop of Rheims (ram), a member of the Dauphin’s court. The archbishop, a rich and worldly administrator, is struck by Joan’s saintliness. He tries to warn Joan of the dangerousness of her contempt for all authority.
Gilles de Rais
Gilles de Rais (zheel deh ray), a flippant and cynical young courtier who affects a blue beard. He is contemptuous of Joan.
Captain la Hire
(This entire section contains 791 words.)
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Captain la Hire
Captain la Hire (lah eer), a tough French soldier who becomes fanatically devoted to Joan.
Canon John d’Estivet
Canon John d’Estivet (dehs-tee-VAY), the prosecutor at Joan’s trial, so captious and vindictive that the Inquisitor must repeatedly censure him.
Canon de Courcelles
Canon de Courcelles (kewr-SEHL), a young priest who, with de Stogumber, draws up the indictment against Joan. He is stupid, petty, and contentious.
Robert de Baudricourt
Robert de Baudricourt (boh-dree-KEWR), a loudmouthed but weak-willed French gentleman-at-arms. Against his better judgment, he provides Joan an escort to the Dauphin’s court.
Bertrand de Poulengy
Bertrand de Poulengy (pewl-lehn-ZHEE), a knight under Baudricourt’s command. Convinced of Joan’s holiness, he escorts her to see the Dauphin.
The executioner of Rouen
The executioner of Rouen (rew-AH[N]), who puts Joan to death.
An English soldier
An English soldier, who gives Joan a cross of twigs while she is at the stake. For this action, he is given each year one day’s vacation from Hell.
A gentleman of 1920
A gentleman of 1920, an English priest who, in the epilogue, announces Joan’s elevation to sainthood.
Characters
Archbishop of Rheims
A politically influential prelate who intimidates the Dauphin and is sharply skeptical about miracles. Initially moved by Joan, he later criticizes her for pride, viewing her beliefs as a potential threat to the Church.
Bluebeard
Bluebeard is Gilles de Rais, a lighthearted young courtier known for his dyed blue beard.
Peter Cauchon
Cauchon, the Bishop of Beauvais, oversees Joan’s trial alongside the Inquisitor. Earlier, he debated Joan’s fate with Warwick, her other major adversary. Unlike Warwick, Shaw portrays Cauchon as meticulously fair and compassionate, genuinely aiming to save Joan’s soul. Nevertheless, he is deeply troubled by the threat her personal beliefs pose to the Church. During the trial, he urges Joan to recant and is disheartened when she refuses to pledge absolute obedience to the Church.
The Chaplain
See John de Stogumber
Charles
Known as the Dauphin, or heir to the throne, he is actually already king but has not yet been crowned. A timid young man, he is initially hesitant to stand up to the bullies at court. Joan, however, instills some courage in him, convincing him to support her plans to lift the siege at Orleans and crown him in the cathedral at Rheims. When Joan proposes attacking Paris, he reverts to his timidity and refuses to support her, preferring to sign a treaty instead. In the Epilogue, he appears stronger: now called Charles the Victorious, he leads his men into battle. However, he remains wary of idealists seeking to change the world.
Clerical Gentleman
The Clerical Gentleman returns from the year 1920 to 1456 to announce that Joan has been canonized as a saint.
John D’Estivet
The prosecutor at Joan’s trial, D’Estivet defends the proceedings, insisting they are not driven by hatred and claiming that every effort has been made to give Joan a chance to avoid execution.
The Dauphin
See Charles
Robert de Baudricourt
The local squire in Joan’s village; Joan’s father owes him allegiance. Although blustery, he is a weak man who is easily persuaded by Joan to provide the men and horses she needs.
Richard de Beauchamp
See Earl of Warwick
de Courcelles
Courcelles is a priest who serves as an assessor at Joan’s trial. He is earnest and strict in his adherence to the rules and advocates for torturing Joan, not out of cruelty, but because it is customary.
Bertrand de Poulengey
A dreamy gentleman and vassal to de Baudricourt, he becomes a supporter of Joan’s cause.
John de Stogumber
Stogumber, the chaplain to the Cardinal of Winchester in England, is Joan’s most fervent adversary. He is a nationalist, like Joan, but supports the English instead of the French. He passionately demands her execution by burning for her role in recent English defeats and expresses a desire to strangle her himself. However, witnessing her execution profoundly changes him, leading him to become a preacher against violence. He cautions others against advocating extreme actions they don't fully comprehend.
Jack Dunois
Commander of the French forces at Orléans, known as the Bastard of Orléans. A committed soldier and strategic thinker, he embraces Joan’s vision of fighting for national causes rather than for feudal ransoms. Although he becomes Joan’s ally, he grows resentful when she seems to overlook his contributions to their shared victories.
Earl of Warwick
An English nobleman and one of Joan’s principal opponents. Unlike the fervent de Stogumber, Warwick is more polished and diplomatic but equally determined to see Joan executed. He lacks the moral concerns of Bishop Cauchon and is insistent that the Church condemns her to be burned, seeing her as a threat both to his side in the war and to the power of the feudal aristocracy.
The Executioner
The Executioner informs Warwick after the execution that Joan’s heart would not burn.
The Inquisitor
John Lemaître, a mild yet resolute elderly agent of the Holy Inquisition, presides over Joan’s trial alongside Cauchon. He grows impatient with assessors who wish to bring trivial charges against Joan, choosing instead to focus on the heresy charge. He delivers an extensive speech warning of the dangers of heresy.
Joan
Also known as the Maid, Joan is the central character in the play. Other characters frequently discuss her even when she is not on stage. When she appears, she commands the scene, knowing what she wants and, at least in the play’s first half, achieving it.
Joan is neither frail nor delicate and shows little interest in traditional feminine pursuits. Instead, she aspires to be a soldier with a significant political aim: to liberate her country from English occupation. Deeply pious, she believes saints guide her to fulfill God's will. Joan is determined, persistent, and inspirational, even capable of instilling courage in the timid Dauphin. Perhaps due to her youth, not yet twenty, she can be impatient, even reckless, and lacks a full understanding of worldly matters. She is surprised that her accomplishments provoke resentment and struggles to comprehend her condemnation as a heretic. Joan possesses a touch of genius but also demonstrates some naivety.
La Hire
A captain in the army and a devoted follower of Joan. He shares her eagerness for battle.
La Trémouille
The Lord Chamberlain at the Dauphin’s court and commander of his army. He bullies the Dauphin, struggles with reading, and lacks the shrewdness of the Archbishop.
Martin Ladvenu
The most compassionate assessor at Joan’s trial. He drafts the recantation statement and persuades her to sign it in an effort to save her life.
The Maid
See Joan
Soldier
Appearing in the Epilogue, this soldier reports that although his sinful life has doomed him to hell, he receives a day off each year for giving Joan two sticks to form a cross before her execution.
Steward
De Baudricourt’s steward. Although he cringes before his master, he is inspired by Joan.