Abstract
The first chapter consists of three parts. The first part asserts that Schiller bases his depiction of Joan of Arc in Die Jungfrau von Orleans (“The Maid of Orleans”) on the image of Iphigeneia in Euripides’s plays Iphigeneia Among the Taurians and Iphigeneia in Aulis. Iphigeneia decides to sacrifice herself for her country, a singular act of personal sacrifice corresponding to two of the qualities Schiller ascribes to Joan of Arc: She is sublime, a state attained only by extraordinary suffering, and she exudes sanctity, an extreme individuality of will. The author then explores depictions of Joan of Arc in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, pt I, where she is presented as a wily but doomed sorceress, and Voltaire’s La pucelle d’Orleans, in which she is an ignorant stable girl. The author argues that Schiller’s aim was to supplant these popular images, in the manner of a scribe writing over a used palimpsest, with that of his Joan of Arc, whose sublime sanctity transforms her from victim of fate to warrior-prophet, changing history by sheer force of will.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
