Saint Joan Themes

Saint Joan Themes

Power

The conflict in Saint Joan is built around some pretty major power clashes. The Catholic Church and the English feudal lords are all challenged by Joan's rise. Her allies desert her for fear of los...

Religion

Saint Joan chronicles the life of a Catholic saint. As such, we're sure it's no big surprise that religion is a major theme. In the play, we see the one of the earliest clashes of Protestantism and...

Women and Femininity

Joan was an early pioneer of women's equality. In a time where it was completely unheard of, she wore men's clothes, became a soldier, and advised the most powerful men of her day, as Saint Joan de...

Society and Class

Medieval society was rigidly divided by class and position. Saint Joan investigates the inner workings of this intricate structure. Among the things examined are the tiers of power within the Churc...

Versions of Reality

Joan of Arc is well known for claiming to hear voices sent to her by God. The Church chose a different view, saying they were demonic in origin. Some of her friends told her that the voices were ju...

Warfare

Saint Joan is set in medieval France, which was at the time in the throes of the Hundred Years War. There are many different factions vying for power, the main ones being the English, the Burgundia...

Pride

Just about everybody in Saint Joan accuses Joan of pride. It is unclear as to whether she's guilty of this or not. Her every decision leads to success for her and those around her. She also believe...

Admiration

Joan is able to inspire such admiration, that she launches a movement which eventually unites a country, shifting its entire power structure in the bargain. Even the men who put her to death can't...