Bring
out the significance of the Trial Scene in Saint Joan.
Trial Scene occurs in Scene No. VI.
It marks the climax of the entire play. Shaw has built up on the rather
unreliable, or at any rate, not very artistic, gruesome historical details. We
cannot accuse him of any willful falsification of the facts of history. As a
creative artist, Shaw had every right to modify, to a certain extent, some of
the unpleasant truths, to differentiate his presentation from matter- of fact
report. Some alterations in the historical play and Shakespeare and others have
given us ample precedents in this respect.
Cauchon, the Bishop was not as
fair and just as presented by Shaw, according to the Chronicles. He was one of
those who had personal grudges against Joan and also the Dauphin because they
had externed him from his Cathedral. He was indebted to the English for his
secure bishopric in the diocese of Rheims .
According to the historical facts, the trial lasted several days with several
adjournments, dismissals and replacements of judges suspected of being
sympathetic with, the Maid, i.e., Joan. Shaw makes the final trial a matter of single
day sitting. The tearing of the paper of recantation is Shaw’s creation. The
maid had been burned in the presence of a large number of the members of the
public. There was no fair trial at all but Shaw is of the opinion that she got
a trial fairer than what could be expected even in the modern courts of
justice. As we have explained before, these deviations from history were
necessary to make the piece a pure work of art.
