Joan la Pucelle Monologue - Shakespeare's Henry VI

This is me as Joan of Arc in Oklahoma City University's production of "Woe is Me" created by Lance Marsh. Directed by Hal Kohlman. Enjoy :)

[@ShelbyLovesShakespeare]

Awesome job Lauren! 🤩👏 I LOVE this speech. And this production looks very cool from the setting. Bravo!

[@blakesmith2003]

Bravo, sis! I saw you on TV!

[@chookge]

Excuse me, do you think the portrayal of Joan of Arc by William Shakespeare is right and fair?(of course, I think you don't think she was really a witch like the portrayal.) though Shakespeare is a great author still, and he was an English man at that time, however, In the view of modern and feminism, his portrayal about Joan of Arc was very misogynistic.

[@lololauren2001]

This is a really interesting questions and one that I definitely thought about; more specifically, how the difference in religion between Shakespeare (Protestant England) and Joan of Arc (Catholic) or French and English tensions factored into his creation of her. I think specifically, this character is pretty hollow. She fits the role of a shallow sub-plot "villain" that serves the story briefly and then is discarded. And contrary to other Shakespearean female roles, I want to say the text for Joan is just not as nuanced as others. He doesn't offer her much grace. So I hesitate to say Shakespeare himself was a misogynist or misogynistic in this per say, but I do think that this character is unfortunately flat and I find it to be a strange anomaly within his work. I think she was a prominent, controversial figure that he could (unfortunately) utilize to his advantage. Kind of like making a caricature of a well known celebrity. I just have to believe he was aware of how easily he was mistreating this character!! Maybe I'm naive :) I would love to hear your thoughts!! Thank you for asking!

[@chookge]

@@lololauren2001 In my think, Shakespeare's time wasn't the time of freedom of expression, and but xenophobic and misogynistic.(though nowadays, too) In that time, maybe Shakespeare had no choice but written propaganda plays, so written about Joan of Arc wrongly. even if he didn't want write it!(by sponsors and government, and populace's pressure especially) anyway, In spite of numerous slander from many men, in the end, as we know, Joan of Arc was rehabilitated, she became a saint(even Shakespeare also wrote it!) in Catholic, and a winner in history and not only a hero of France but also of all of women, humans in the world. :) we have freedom of expression in today, so we can understand past, at the same time, and discuss about it. sorry I'm not good at English. thank you for the answer! :)