Saint Joan

Saint Joan is Bernard Shaw's celebrated dramatic chronicle depicting the life and trials of Joan of Arc. The play charts her journey from her initial audience with the regional governor and her recognition of the disguised Dauphin to the military relief of Orléans and the royal coronation at Rheims.

The drama moves on to Joan's harrowing trial, recantation, and execution at the stake, before closing with Shaw's notable epilogue concerning her eventual canonisation. Throughout the play, Shaw examines deep questions of religious conviction, nationalism, and early Protestant conscience against the backdrop of medieval European power and authority.

Published in this Penguin Classics edition, the play is an indispensable text for students of literature and drama, secondary school classes studying classic English theatre, and general readers drawn to historical drama.