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Unit 24: Saint Joan: Epilogue and Plot

Brother Martin brings the news to the King Charles. Charles then has a dream in which Joan appears Notes
to him. She begins conversing cheerfully not only with Charles, but with her old enemies, who also
materialise in the King’s bedroom. An emissary from the present day (at the time of the play, the
1920s) brings news that the Catholic Church is to canonise her, in the year 1920. Joan says that saints
can work miracles, and asks if she can be resurrected. At this, all the characters desert her one by
one, asserting that the world is not prepared to receive a saint such as her. The last to leave is the
English soldier, who is about to engage in a conversation with Joan before he is summoned back to
hell at the end of his 24-hour respite. The play ends with Joan ultimately despairing that mankind
will never accept its saints:
O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to accept thy saints? How long, O Lord,
how long?

Self Assessment

Multiple Choice Questions:
1. Joan, a simple peasant girl, hears voices which she claims to be those of
(a) Saint Margaret, Saint Catherine and archangel Michael
(b) Saint Margaret and archangel Michael
(c) Saint Catherine and Saint Maragaret
(d) Saint Catherine and archangel Michael.
2. Saint Joan is betrayed and captured by the English at the siege of
(a) Orleans (b) Compiègne
(c) Stogumber (d) Vaucouleurs.
Fill in the blanks:
3. Joan accepts the ultimate punishment of death at the stake as preferable to such an ...... .
4. In the Epilogue, 25 years after Joan’s execution, a new trial has cleared her of ...... .
State whether the following statements are true or false:
5. De Stogumber vehemently opposes the immediate execution of Joan.
6. Church officials on both sides of the trial have a long discussion on the nature of her heresy.
7. In Scene 3 (29 April 1429), Dunois and his page are waiting for the wind to turn so that he
and his forces can lay siege to Orléans.

24.2 Plot

Most good stories start with a fundamental list of ingredients: the initial situation, conflict,
complication, climax, suspense, denouement, and conclusion. Great writers sometimes shake up
the recipe and add some spice.
The first scene does a great job of establishing Joan’s character. Her charm, courage, and faith are on
full display as she sways Robert and his soldiers to her side. The scene also establishes the generally
unstately state of France. By the end of it we’ve got a good idea of who our protagonist is and the
world she lives in. The stage is set for her to sally forth and kick some English butt.
Once Joan wins over Charles and gets control of the army, she can really get down to business. Her
goals aren’t small. She wants to raise the siege at Orleans, crown Charles at Rheims Cathedral, and
expel the English out of France for good. The main conflict of the play is crystal clear.

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