The play vividly narrates the extraordinary story of Joan, the peasant-girl.

She firmly stresses that she should be sent to Orleans accompanied by soldiers to lift the English siege, crown the Dauphin in Rheims Cathedral, and drive the adversary out of France.

Unsurprisingly, she is regarded as mad. However, the Captain to whom she appeals is so awestruck by her that he permits her to meet the Dauphin.

The Dauphin is also similarly enthralled by her and gives her command of the forces at Orleans.

At Orleans, she is informed that the French army requires a west wind to effectively attack the English. Joan is convinced that the west wind will blow, and indeed it does, enabling the French forces to chase off the English.

After crowning the Dauphin, Joan desires to return home. She is warned that the English have set a price on her head and that if she is apprehended, neither the French King nor the Church can save her.

Nine months later, she is captured, sold to the English, put on trial, and condemned to death.

In the epilogue, 25 years after Joan was burned to death, King Charles dreams about her, her accusers, and the course of history up to the time of her canonization.

This part of the play has been severely censured as it is seen as interfering with the play, turning it into a sentimental melodrama or a mere narrative.

But in fact, this part contains the essence of the drama. Without it, the play would lack the enormity it now has.

Shaw believed this fragment to be indispensable because without the comic spirit, the play as a Shavian drama would be imperfect.

The Epilogue is one of the most heartrending and stunning scenes Shaw ever wrote.

\\"O God that madest this beautiful earth, when will it be ready to receive Thy saints? How long, O Lord, how long?\\" This profound question sets the stage for a truly remarkable play. It is a delight to read, delving into the life of Joan of Arc. She leads men into battle with unwavering courage and brings Charles VII to the throne. However, her story takes a tragic turn with the subsequent trial charging her with heresy.

The play also features a crushing epilogue, where the men involved in her life and death continue to use her for their own gain. Charles, for instance, only advocates for the voiding of her trial to safeguard the sacredness of his coronation. And those who originally tried her view the existence of her soul as proof of their innocence.

Throughout the play, there are some compelling critiques of justice and the Catholic Church. We witness the characters attempting to conduct a \\"merciful\\" trial, yet each is driven by their own self-interested motives. In the end, they \\"send a saint to the stake as a heretic and a sorceress.\\" Centuries later, an even more corrupt court decides that Joan is \\"endowed with heroic virtues and favored with private revelations,\\" naming her Saint Joan. This play offers a thought-provoking exploration of history, justice, and the human condition.

**"2.5 Stars"**

This rating of 2.5 stars might seem a bit ambiguous at first glance.

It could imply that the subject in question has both positive and negative aspects.

Perhaps it has some redeeming qualities that are counterbalanced by certain flaws or不足之处.

On one hand, there are elements that are值得称赞 or at least satisfactory.

However, on the other hand, there are also areas that need improvement or could be better.

It's a sort of middle ground, not quite reaching the level of a highly recommended 3 stars or above, but also not being a complete disappointment like a lower rating.

Overall, a 2.5-star rating indicates that there is potential for growth and development, and with some adjustments or enhancements, it could potentially move up the rating scale.

It serves as a reminder that nothing is perfect and that there is always room for improvement.

Whether it's a product, a service, or an experience, a 2.5-star rating gives us something to think about and work towards making better.

The play was first published in 1923. In 1924, Shaw wrote an exhaustive preface, explaining everything about Joan, from her biography to the moral-historical representation and even the theocratic discourse.

The play itself is about several key events and has a dreamy epilogue set 25 years later. In 1920, she was declared a saint, so that was surely the moment when Shaw decided to devote his time and pen to her.

I recommend it if you are interested in the life of Joan of Arc and her relationship with the church (spoiler alert: it wasn't very positive from the church's side).

The highlight of the play展现了两位人物之间有趣的对话。

La Trémouille好奇地问大主教，贞德是否能认出太子。大主教自信地回答她当然能。La Trémouille不解，贞德怎么会知道呢？大主教解释说，贞德会知道在希农的每个人都知道的事情：太子是宫廷里最其貌不扬、穿着最差的人，而那个蓝胡子的男人是吉尔·德·莱斯。

La Trémouille从未想过这一点。大主教表示自己比他更习惯奇迹，这是他职业的一部分。La Trémouille感到困惑和有点震惊，他认为这根本不是奇迹。大主教平静地问为什么不是。La Trémouille反问，什么是奇迹？

大主教解释说，奇迹是能创造信仰的事件。这就是奇迹的目的和本质。对见证奇迹的人来说，它们可能看起来非常奇妙，而对创造奇迹的人来说，可能非常简单。这并不重要：如果它们能确认或创造信仰，那么它们就是真正的奇迹。

La Trémouille甚至问，即使它们是欺诈行为呢？大主教回答说，欺诈会欺骗人。而一个能创造信仰的事件不会欺骗人：因此它不是欺诈，而是奇迹。这段对话深入探讨了奇迹的本质和定义，为剧情增添了神秘和思考的色彩。

I want to pen a more comprehensive review for this, but unfortunately, I am (as is often the case) severely short of time.

Bernard Shaw, without a doubt, is among the greatest writers who have ever graced this earth. I would vehemently defend this stance until my dying breath.

"Perpetual imprisonment? Am I not then to be set free?" Oh, Joan, that可怜的、无辜的小女孩。All Joan desires is to abide by the commands of the voices in her head. However, she is labeled as crazy (even though everything seems to work out perfectly in her favor and she triumphs in every single conflict she faces throughout the entire play, aside from, of course, the tragic end of being burned alive).

This play holds extreme significance for numerous reasons that I simply don't have the time to explore in-depth. But I will jot down a brief list: the hypocrisy within the church, the complex issue of mental illness, how society treats saints, and the concept of faith even when it is placed in something that may be false, among others.

Final note:

PLEASE READ THIS. It is a complex and weighty piece. Therefore, make sure to set aside some dedicated time to fully appreciate and understand it.

Saint Joan is a play that tells the story of the life and trial of Joan of Arc. It was published shortly after her canonization. My edition also included a preface by Shaw, in which he critically examined the role of the Church in relation to the story.

The play already appealed to me, but my highlight was the preface by George Bernard Shaw. Although it has been a few years since I read it, it is still shockingly relevant, especially when it comes to his opinion on the Catholic Church and the role of women within it.

I also found his statement about the type of execution, which is considered cruel but was normal at the time, very interesting. He mentioned that he himself had seen Richard Wagner conduct. However, Richard Wagner had witnessed an execution as a child. Even in Shaw's native Ireland, public executions were not that far in the past. There are many such thought-provoking ideas that could have filled an entire book on their own.

Shaw has frequently put my patience as a reader to the test.

Not only are the plays overly verbose, but those long-winded prefaces also add to the challenge. I once had a graduate school roommate who was both a devout follower of Shaw and suffered from bipolar disorder.

When he was manic and not taking his medications, he would deliver passionate tirades about the greatness of GBS. This is just to explain my perspective as I attempt to read Saint Joan.

To be fair, I don't believe Saint Joan is a great play, but it is indeed a well-crafted one. It is efficient in its exposition and filled with witty speeches and profound insights.

However, Shaw's Preface is as irritating as I had anticipated, and the Epilogue to the play seems to me to be a huge error. It is didactic and, especially after the powerful trial scene, it feels anticlimactic.

I assume it was written for a specific occasion, as the play was first performed shortly after Joan's canonization. But if I were in charge of producing the play, I would omit the Epilogue.

Shaw is often labeled as a liberal, progressive, left-wing figure, yet he was a highly idiosyncratic one. You frequently come across things that don't conform to the stereotype. Specifically, he believed that nationalism was a good thing and that wars between countries could sometimes be beneficial too. This led him to advocate for some rather strange positions. In Major Barbara, he ultimately argues that what we now refer to as the military-industrial complex is positive as it generates the wealth necessary to lift people out of poverty. I think the majority of people would concur that this is a much more right-wing stance, so it sounds peculiar to hear him express it. In one of his final plays, The Simpleton of the Unexpected Isles (1934), he goes even further. He introduces Hitler and Mussolini as characters, and the portrayal is far from being one-sidedly negative. The modern reader is left wondering what to think. My perhaps overly charitable interpretation was that he was old and had become detached from reality. He supported the Soviet Union and even the crazy doctrine of Lysenkoism.

In Saint Joan, generally regarded as among his three or four finest plays, we once again encounter a strange blend. It's another retelling of the story of Joan of Arc, written shortly after she was officially rehabilitated and canonized. The character of Joan is sympathetically presented, and it's impossible not to like her and be touched by her story. However, at the same time, he emphasizes that he views her as historically significant because she's an early hero of the nationalist movement. She's fighting for France, her country, against the pan-national Catholic Church. This is depicted as positive, but overly nationalistic attitudes would soon lead to the catastrophe of the Second World War. Shaw had the misfortune of living through that. He passed away in 1950, at the ripe old age of 94. I wonder what he thought of the events that took place during his last ten years.

Huh - Shaw takes on Joan of Arc. That's really cool. I'm truly into that.

Shaw, a renowned playwright, has chosen to explore the life and story of Joan of Arc in his work. This is an exciting and fascinating choice.

Joan of Arc is a historical figure who has captured the imagination of people for centuries. Her courage, determination, and unwavering faith make her a truly inspiring character.

By taking on this subject, Shaw has the opportunity to bring Joan of Arc to life on the stage and to explore the many themes and issues that her story raises.

It will be interesting to see how Shaw interprets Joan of Arc's story and what new insights and perspectives he will bring to it.

I'm looking forward to seeing this production and experiencing the power and drama of Joan of Arc's story as told by Shaw.

While I cannot fully concur with Shaw's overall philosophy or his perspective on the world, there is something truly remarkable about his work. His juxtaposition of fifteenth- and twentieth-century issues is an absolute stroke of genius. It is not only clever but also incredibly thought-provoking. This unique approach allows his ideas to transcend the boundaries of his own era. It makes us look back at the past and draw parallels with the present,促使我们对社会、人性和各种问题进行更深入的思考。It forces us to consider how far we have come and how much still remains to be done. Shaw's work, in this regard, serves as a powerful reminder that history has a way of repeating itself and that we can learn valuable lessons from the past if we are willing to look closely.

This quote, on its own, provides more than enough reason to read Joan. It manages to be simultaneously funny, beautiful, and tragic.

“I could do without my warhorse. I could drag about in a skirt. I could let the banners and the trumpets and the knights and soldiers pass me and leave me behind, just as they leave the other women. If only I could still hear the wind in the trees, the larks in the sunshine, the young lambs crying through the healthy frost, and the blessed church bells that send my angel voices floating to me in the wind. But without these things, I cannot live. And by your wanting to take them away from me, or from any human creature, I know that your counsel is of the devil, and that mine is of God. His ways are not your ways. He wills that I go through the fire to His bosom. For I am His child, and you are not fit that I should live among you.”

The words paint a vivid picture of Joan's inner turmoil and her unwavering connection to the natural world and her faith. It shows her willingness to sacrifice the trappings of war and society in order to hold onto the things that truly matter to her. At the same time, it reveals the conflict between her and those who seek to silence her or take away her freedom. This quote is a powerful reminder of the importance of staying true to oneself and following one's own path, even in the face of great adversity.