Guide To George Bernard Shaw S Saint Joan

First performed in 1923, "Saint Joan" is the celebrated play by George Bernard Shaw, the Irish playwright, social activist, and Noble Prize-winner. Premiering three years after Joan of Arc was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, Shaw wrote "Saint Joan" because he was dissatisfied with how the saint was often portrayed in literature and history and wanted to present a more realistic and human Joan. Considered Shaw's only tragedy and one of his most significant works, "Saint Joan" follows the famous French soldier and commander from her life as a peasant girl who claims to experience visions sent by God to guide her, to her stunning and unexpected military victories, and finally to her trial and execution. Shaw's Joan is a complex character: brave, devout, and clever, but also intolerant, naïve, and foolish. Joan struggles to understand why she is not embraced by her monarch and his court after her impressive victory at Orleans and remains confident in her faith even as she faces torture and a lifetime of imprisonment or death at the hands of her accusers. "Saint Joan" endures as one of Shaw's most adapted and performed plays for its nuanced portrayal of a fascinating and often misunderstood historical figure. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

"Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. Premiering in 1923, three years after her canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the play reflects Shaw's belief that the people involved in Joan's trial acted according to what they thought was right. He wrote in his preface to the play: There are no villains in the piece. Crime, like disease, is not interesting: it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all [there is] about it. It is what men do at their best, with good intentions, and what normal men and women find that they must and will do in spite of their intentions, that really concern us

A Study Guide for George Bernard Shaw's "Saint Joan," excerpted from Gale's acclaimed Drama For Students. This concise study guide includes plot summary; character analysis; author biography; study questions; historical context; suggestions for further reading; and much more. For any literature project, trust Drama For Students for all of your research needs.

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. Premiering in 1923, three years after her canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the play dramatises what is known of her life based on the substantial records of her trial. Shaw studied the transcripts and decided that the concerned people acted in good faith according to their beliefs. He wrote in his preface to the play:

Saint Joan is a play by George Bernard Shaw about 15th-century French military figure Joan of Arc. Premiering in 1923, three years after her canonization by the Roman Catholic Church, the play reflects Shaw's belief that the people involved in Joan's trial acted according to what they thought was right. He wrote in his preface to the play: There are no villains in the piece. Crime, like disease, is not interesting: it is something to be done away with by general consent, and that is all [there is] about it. It is what men do at their best, with good intentions, and what normal men and women find that they must and will do in spite of their intentions, that really concern us