Henry VI Part 1 Religion Quotes

Winchester's a clergyman in the Catholic Church, so he has even more of a reason than most of them to claim that God was on Henry V's side. But he's also probably exaggerating. The quote, however, shows how much people in the era wanted God to favor their rulers.

This guy, an important French leader, thinks Joan has what it takes to be a Jedi. He says she can prophesy the future, and assumes that her power is given to her by God. Throughout most of the play, there's a question hanging: Is Joan actually given power by God, as the French claim? Or is she getting it from the devil, as the English say? Or, as Shmoop would like to add, is she just a pretty clever lady who knows how to work people?

This is a perfect example of something Protestants and Catholics would interpret differently. Catholics would take an appearance of the Virgin Mary to be totally legit, like Yoda saying Luke has what it takes to make a Jedi knight. Protestants, though, who were less interested in talking to the saints and more interested in talking to God directly, would be very suspicious. They'd likely think it was a demon pretending to be Mary in order to trick people. And since the play's main audience was Protestant, they'd be wondering about Joan just about now.