SAINT JOAN scene 5

Following the coronation of Charles VII, Joan speaks with Dunois, the king, and the archbishop, within the cathedral at Rheims. It becomes apparent that despite her success she is an isolated and vulnerable figure.

The setting is the cathedral at Rheims, immediately following the coronation of King Charles. Joan, dressed beautifully but still in masculine fashion, is praying. An organ is playing. As the music fades, Dunois appears, and tells Joan to desist praying as the people in the streets are calling for her. She has no desire to share the limelight with the king, and speaks of the fear she experiences before a battle, and boredom once the action has passed.

Dunois warns her that she has offended the powerful and the ambitious, and should expect them to seek revenge. She tells him, ‘the world is too wicked for me’ (pg 102). Only the saintly voices sustain her. She hears them in the sound of church bells. Dunois considers her excessively fanciful.

The king appears, accompanied by Bluebeard and La Hire. Joan conceals herself behind a pillar. The king’s remarks show him still to be a weak character; he has failed to take on the dignity of kingship along with its trappings. Joan emerges. She feels discouraged by Charles’ inappropriate attitude and demeanor, and declares her intention to return to her father’s farm. It is evident that she is not wanted at the Court, despite her role in crowning the Dauphin. He is clearly unsettled by her.

She then speaks, with apparent prescience, of her death. Dunois says that from recent experience he has learnt to take war seriously, and he is confident that he will drive the English from France. Joan wants to capture Paris before she departs, to ensure the king has his capital city. The prospect of further conflict horrifies the timid Charles.

The archbishop enters. He chastises Joan for not showing proper respect to the king and his Court. He accuses her of ‘the sin of pride’ (pg 106). Dunois advises that although she has had God on her side, and continuance of God’s support. He argues that the time has come for them to assume responsibility for their own work. He points to his own contribution as a general engaged in practical necessities, rather than a worker of miracles. But Joan counters that with the advent of gunpowder his conception of warfare is outmoded. She suggests that the men should be less obsessed with her perceived pride and more concerned with the truth she conveys.

Dunois cautions that Joan never counts the cost of her adventures, adding that ‘she thinks she has God in her pocket’ (pg 109). Her recklessness will lead to capture, with a prize of 16 thousand pounds for her mercenary captor. When the mystique that surrounds her miracles is punctured, she will lose her following amongst the French troops. Charles says he will have no money to pay a ransom, and the archbishop announces, to her evident horror, that Joan, once captured, will be denounced a witch.

Joan is forced to realize that she is effectively alone in the world of human affairs, but she sustains faith in her heavenly friends and advisers. She concludes that ‘the loneliness of God is His strength’ (pg 112), and vows to draw strength from him until she meets her death. She departs, leaving the men impressed by her ‘dangerous power’, yet fearing the worst for her (pg 113).