Summary:
Saint Joan is a play written by George Bernard Shaw in 1923, based on the life of Joan of Arc, the French heroine and martyr. The play follows Joan, a young peasant girl who claims to hear divine voices guiding her to drive the English out of France and help crown Charles VII as the rightful king. Despite her military success, Joan faces opposition from political and religious authorities who see her as a threat.
Joan is eventually captured, put on trial for heresy, and burned at the stake. However, Shaw portrays her as a visionary ahead of her time, whose ideas about nationalism and individualism challenged the rigid structures of the medieval world. The play highlights themes of faith, politics, power, and the conflict between institutions and individuals.
Shaw presents Joan as neither a saint nor a madwoman, but as a strong, intelligent, and determined leader whose beliefs clash with those in power. The epilogue reveals that she was canonized as a saint 25 years later, proving that history often recognizes greatness too late.
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| Question | Answer |
| Play Name | Saint Joan |
| Author | George Bernard Shaw |
| Year Published | 1923 |
| Main Themes | Faith, politics, power, individualism vs. institutions, nationalism |
| Literary Devices | Tragedy, irony, historical drama |
| Protagonist | Joan of Arc |
| Joan’s Mission | To drive the English out of France and crown Charles VII |
| Cause of Death | Burned at the stake for heresy |
| Message | Visionaries and revolutionaries are often punished in their time but recognized later as heroes |