Saint Joan

Saint Joan is a play by playwright George Bernard Shaw that premiered in 1923. The play tells the story of the 15th-century French historical figure Joan of Arc, who was formally canonized as a catholic saint in 1920. The play was a critical success, and, shortly after its premiere, Shaw was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1925. Shaw includes a lengthy preface before the script of the play where he compares the medieval setting to contemporary culture and lays out his interpretation of Joan of Arc as an early Nationalist and Protestant reformer. Structurally, the play is broken down into 6 scenes that depict Joan of Arc’s life and then an epilogue that concerns her legacy after she is condemned for heresy and executed by burning at the stake in 1431.

This guide references the version published by Hesperides Press in 2006.

Content Warning: This play and guide contain threats of torture, sexual assault, and suicide.

Plot Summary

The preface to Saint Joan argues for an interpretation of Joan of Arc as a sane and pragmatic yet highly exceptional individual. Shaw compares her persecution to the unpopularity of Socrates and Napoleon, whose extraordinary abilities likewise frightened their contemporaries.