Page 308 - DENG403_BRITISH_DRAMA

British Drama Digvijay Pandya, Lovely Professional University

Notes
Unit 26: Saint Joan: Themes

CONTENTS

Objectives
Introduction

26.1 Joan as a Hero of the Imagination

26.2 The Will to Power
26.3 Religion

26.4 Women and Feminity
26.5 Society and Class

26.6 Pride
26.7 Admiration

26.8 Summary

26.9 Keywords
26.10 Review Questions

26.11 Further Readings

Objectives

After studying this unit, you will be able to:
• Illustrate all major themes in Saint Joan;
• Explain Joan as hero of Imagination;
• Illustrate the religion, women and feminity in Saint Joan;
• Discuss the pride and admiration occurring in the play Saint Joan.

Introduction

Shaw himself provides the best guide to the thematic concerns of Saint Joan in his preface to the
play. The major themes that Shaw mentions in his play are: Power—The conflict in Saint Joan is
built around some pretty major power clashes. The Religion—Saint Joan chronicles the life of a
Catholic saint. Women and Femininity—Joan was an early pioneer of women’s equality. Society
and Class—Medieval society was rigidly divided by class and position. Versions of Reality—Joan
of Arc is well known for claiming to hear voices sent to her by God. Warfare—Saint Joan is set in
medieval France, which was at the time in the throes of the Hundred Years War. Pride—Just about
everybody in Saint Joan accuses Joan of pride. And Admiration—Joan is able to inspire such
admiration, that she launches a movement which eventually unites a country. This unit illustrates
these themes in detail.

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