Saint Joan

The first scene of Saint Joan establishes the contrast between the French elite, who are motivated by political ambition, and Joan, who genuinely believes in her ideals. While this scene portrays Joan as an idealist, she is nevertheless aware of pragmatic concerns like the cost of military equipment and the threat of the English army. Baudricourt initially perceives her as mentally ill or foolishly misled by her religious convictions, but throughout their conversation, Joan demonstrates that she has thought through the practical side of her God-given mission to liberate France. Joan appears confident in her assertions, but simultaneously very blunt and unpretentious. She addresses the knights who occupy a higher social position by their first names and even nicknames, prompting Baudricourt to exclaim: “Polly!! You impudent baggage, do you dare call squire Bertrand de Poulengey Polly to my face?” (76). However, Joan does not give any indication that she does so to disparage these men, but rather because she wants to address them as individuals, equally beholden to answer to the authority of God. When she uses the name Robert instead of addressing Baudricourt by his title or surname, she argues that “you were called so in church in the name of our Lord. All the other names are your father’s or your brother’s or anybody’s” (83). This peculiarity sets up one of the main conflicts that Joan will face throughout the play—she sees people as individuals compelled only to serve God, and she rejects the social hierarchies that define the lives of those she interacts with.

Both Baudricourt and Poulengey are persuaded to support Joan, in part through their realistic assessment of the war with England and in part out of reluctant belief that Joan may actually be inspired by God. Baudricourt attempts to convince Poulengey that Joan is delusional, but Poulengey responds by turning a term used to deride those with mental illness into a form of praise: “we want a few mad people now. See where the sane ones have landed us!” (80). When Baudricourt interrogates Joan, he finds himself constantly outplayed by her mental acuity. For example, when he objects that the voices she hears come only from her imagination, she replies, “of course. That is how the messages of God come to us” (81). Joan rhetorically outplays her social superior by using reason and relying on her clear understanding of Christian doctrine. Baudricourt is initially swayed by more realistic arguments, deciding that it would not hurt to have the girl motivate the Dauphin to commit enthusiastically to the war. However, when he acquiesces to Joan’s demands and the steward immediately reports that the hens are laying eggs, even he begins to believe that Joan has a true connection to God. While the miracle of the hens is comical, a mundane event that could also be ascribed to coincidence, it is the final proof that even the realist Baudricourt needs. This scene demonstrates the impact that Joan’s honest conviction and persuasive rationality have upon the French elite, who submit to her will despite her inferior social station.