Saint Joan

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw, first published in 1924. This powerful historical drama explores the life, trial, and martyrdom of Joan of Arc, reimagined through Shaw’s sharp intellect and moral inquiry. Set during the latter stages of the Hundred Years’ War, the play follows the rise of a young peasant girl who claims divine guidance and challenges the political and religious powers of fifteenth-century France. Both a character study and a philosophical examination, Saint Joan remains one of the most compelling modern plays about faith, nationalism, and authority.

The drama opens with Joan’s meeting with Robert de Baudricourt, whom she persuades to support her mission to aid the Dauphin, Charles VII. Her conviction and clarity unsettle those around her, yet she proves instrumental in lifting the siege of Orléans and inspiring French forces to unexpected victories. Shaw presents Joan not as a simple mystic, but as an intelligent, practical, and deeply self-assured young woman whose unwavering belief in her divine calling disrupts entrenched systems of power.

As Joan’s influence grows, so too does the resistance against her. Key figures such as Charles VII, the Earl of Warwick, and Bishop Cauchon wrestle with the political and theological implications of her claims. Shaw avoids presenting the conflict in simplistic terms; instead, he portrays her judges as rational men acting within the logic of their time. The resulting trial scene is one of the most gripping in modern theatre, examining conscience, institutional authority, and the cost of visionary leadership.

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, George Bernard Shaw brings wit, irony, and intellectual depth to this dramatic retelling of a medieval heroine’s story. Saint Joan stands as a landmark of twentieth-century drama and historical theatre, offering readers a rich exploration of Joan of Arc’s legacy, sainthood, and enduring relevance in discussions of faith, politics, and individual courage.