Saint Joan by George Bernard

¶ … Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw. Specifically it will discuss the nature and significance of Joan's faith in the play. "Saint Joan" dramatizes the story of Joan of Arc, the French female soldier who heard voices from God, which commanded her to help the French Dauphin (ultimately King Charles VII), drive the English out of France. Captured by the English, they accuse her of witchcraft and sorcery, and burn her at the stake. She was only 19-years-old at the time of her death, and the Catholic Church canonized her as a saint in 1920, which inspired Shaw to write this play in 1923. Joan's faith in her religion and that God exists is the major force that guides her life and her ultimate fate. Thus, her fate is the most motivational force in her life.

Faith, especially Joan's faith in God, is at the core of this dramatic play. It inspires her to lead an army, but more than that, it makes her believe anything is possible. At one point, she says about starting a war with the English, "I do not think it can be very difficult if God is on your side, and you are willing to put your life in His hand" (Shaw). Her faith is constant, and it guides every aspect of her life, from her decision to lead an army to her ultimate death at the hands of the English. Some people call her an "angel," while others see that she is a miracle come true. All of this relates to her faith and her abilities to lead others and to convince them of her faith in God.

Joan's faith inspires her and leads her to fight for the Dauphin, but it also inspires others to follow her lead. Literary critic Harold Bloom writes, "Faith, which appears to the court to have performed a miracle in guiding Joan to the Dauphin, has in all truth performed a greater miracle still in transforming supine men into potential fighters" (Bloom 42). Shaw establishes this quite early in the play when Joan manages to see Captain Robert de Baudricourt, and then convinces him to arm her and give her a horse so that she can aid the Dauphin. Her faith in the voices she hears, and that they come directly from God is never shaken, and so, her faith creates the entire situation of the play and feeds her ability to convince others. Critic Bloom continues, "Joan's genius and sainthood tend to fuse, informed most dynamically by the power of faith -- her own faith in her cause, and her countrymen's faith in her divine inspiration" (Bloom 80). Thus, her faith is so strong that others can feel it as well, and this is a true test of faith, in that she has enough strength and determination that she can lead others and convince them of her faith. The nature of this faith is strong and easy to see, which is why she can lead others, but the nature of this faith fills her with a sense of right and wrong, and allows her to recognize evil in the world, as well. Thus, her faith is educational to her, and gives her a strong sense of herself and her abilities, as well. She is a simple peasant girl, but her faith allows her to rise to become a great and inspirational leader, so the nature of her faith underlies her own qualities and makes them stronger.

The entire play is based around this foundation of faith, as well. Critic Bloom notes, "The certainty and resolution of Joan's faith were central for Shaw. As a result, he could not really render the moving sense of humility expressed in the phrase Jeanne used so frequently in the trial: 'I wait on Our Lord'" (Bloom 133). As the play progresses, more people begin to see Joan as a "miracle," and in Shaw's definition of a miracle, faith is intertwined. He writes, "A miracle, my friend, is an event which creates faith. That is the purpose and nature of miracles" (Shaw). Thus, another aspect of Joan's faith is her ability to perform miracles. She can convince others of her faith, but her faith creates miracles, as well, such as the Captain's hens not laying eggs, and then beginning to lay again as soon as he outfits her in armor and sends her off with some of his men or the miracle of the wind change once she arrives at Orleans. One must have faith to believe in miracles, and so Joan spreads her faith to others when she creates miracles and they believe them. The worst part of this faith is that even it is not strong enough to save her from martyrdom at the end of the play.

Joan's faith is also shown in the way she deals with adversity, too. Nothing ever bothers her, from the people who make fun of her because of her hair and dress, to the king's lack of support of her plan. She is sure of herself to the very end of her life, when she tells the inquisitors, "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" (Shaw). This surety leads to the audience's deep understanding of Joan's faith and her inability to waver from it.