Saint Joan Essay Questions

Why does Robert give in to Joan's demands at the start of the play?

When he first meets Joan, Robert is very suspicious. He does not believe that she is actually hearing the voices of saints, and he does not believe that a girl from a small country village could know anything about war or military strategy. However, Robert is also growing somewhat desperate. The war is not going well, and the soldiers do not have anything motivating them to fight. The Dauphin is not an impressive leader. Even though he is skeptical about her claims, Robert sees that Joan has the ability to inspire others to believe in her. Whether or not what she says is true, Robert thinks that she might provide inspiration and motivation that will help to rally the French troops.

How does Charles (the Dauphin) develop as a character over the course of the play?

When Charles first appears in the play, he is overwhelmed and lacking in allies. Most of the people at court have their own agendas and cannot be trusted. Charles himself is also not confident in his destiny and does not want to actively be involved in warfare. Joan briefly inspires Charles to stand up for himself and adopt the persona of a leader. However, this confidence does not seem to be sufficient to truly transform Charles. At his coronation, he whines about the experience rather than being proud and noble. He also does not side with Joan in her plan to try to recapture Paris. In the epilogue, Charles is portrayed as a man who has finally grown into his power. He tells Joan that he finally became confident in warfare. Charles gives some of the credit for his personal transformation to Agnes Sorel, his longtime mistress.

Why does Joan tear up her recantation?

Joan becomes very frightened at the prospect of being burned alive, and she signs a recantation in order to save her life. However, she clearly thinks that signing the recantation means she will be allowed to go free. She is horrified to learn that even after supposedly confessing, she will still be sentenced to lifelong imprisonment. Joan explains that she needs freedom and access to nature, as well as the ability to do what she wants. She feels that the churchmen present at her trial have tricked and betrayed her, so she tears up her recantation. She never truly meant it anyways, so if the confession is not going to ensure her freedom, Joan sees no point in making it.

Why does Charles say in the epilogue that Joan would be burned again if she came back to Earth?

By the time of the epilogue, Charles has been ruling for a long time and has had plenty of time to observe human behavior. He believes that most people do whatever is in their best interest and do not have very much loyalty. Even though Joan has just been declared innocent, Charles does not think that the world has become a more honest place, nor that people have gained more integrity. With Joan dead, it is politically convenient to declare her innocent. Nonetheless, if she were to start disrupting systems again, people would quickly return to feeling threatened. He does not think anyone would put integrity and truth ahead of what was convenient for them.

What role does femininity play in Joan's identity?

Joan often seems to try to distance herself from her feminine identity. She insists on dressing like a man and seems comfortable with men all around her. There is only one time when Joan interacts with another woman (the Duchess of Tremouille), and she is uneasy during this interaction. Joan also claims to have no interest in things that preoccupy other women, such as marriage and physical beauty. However, later in the play, Joan seems proud of her skills at domestic work, and she also longs for a simpler life where she could go back to being a village girl. It is perhaps also notable that Joan's saints are women, suggesting that there is a history of women having a special relationship to holiness.