George Bernard Shaw’s play Saint Joan is based on the real life of an extraordinary young woman whom he admired greatly. In analyzing Joan of Arc as a character in this play, one has only to look at the character of the real person who is depicted. Shaw’s extensive preface to the play is well worth reading with care, as it offers a great deal of important information and insight into the historical Joan of Arc, as well as the author’s special insights into her personality and impact on the world.

There is a great deal about Joan’s character that is evidenced by the singular and bold vision she relentlessly embraced at a time and place when the roles of women were narrowly defined and sorely limited. Joan was born in medieval France in 1412, and during her very short life (she was burned at the stake in 1431, at the age of nineteen), her love for her country and her unflinching belief in her divinely appointed mission as a military leader and liberator mark her as one of history’s most unusual and beloved heroes. In his preface, Shaw aptly and affectionately describes her as a “pure upstart.”

The Joan of Arc whom Shaw represents in Saint Joan is more than a simple farm girl who hears the voices of saints. In the preface, Shaw conjectures that her “voices” are clear thoughts with which her own genius urges her on. Joan’s determined leadership comes at a crucial time in French history, when English domination has brought the morale of her people to an all-time low. A girl with an unusual interest in soldiering from childhood, Joan is astute, knows how to deal with difficult people, and is wise beyond her years. One of the ways in which we see these traits at work is in her ability to help prepare the Dauphin (the future King Charles VII) for the leadership he must take on—both as a military figurehead and as a king. Shaw’s Joan of Arc also has a sense of humor and is likable in many ways.

In order for you to formulate an answer to this question, it is important for you to provide good examples of Joan’s traits as you understand them. Be sure to look carefully at the dialogue in the play. The way Joan responds to those who challenge her ideas will give you a good start.