FEMINIST STRUGGLE TOWARDS PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY ...

FEMINIST STRUGGLE TOWARDS PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY AS SEEN

THROUGH JOAN’S STRUGGLES IN DREYER’S SCREENPLAY THE

PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

In English Letters

By

Maria Tri Wahyuni

Student Number: 124214026

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017

PLAGIAT MERUPAKAN TINDAKAN TIDAK TERPUJI

ii

FEMINIST STRUGGLE TOWARDS PATRIARCHAL SOCIETY AS SEEN

THROUGH JOAN’S STRUGGLES IN DREYER’S SCREENPLAY THE

PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC

AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS

Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Sarjana Sastra

In English Letters

By

Maria Tri Wahyuni

Student Number: 124214026

ENGLISH LETTERS STUDY PROGRAM

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LETTERS

FACULTY OF LETTERS

SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY

YOGYAKARTA

2017


vii

DO NOT FEAR,

FOR I AM WITH YOU

(ISAIAH 41:10)

It Always Seems Impossible

Until It Is Done.

(Nelson Mandela)

JUST START.

STAY POSITIVE

(Remco Schipper)


viii

For

My Parents,

My Sisters,

My Lecturers,

My Friends,

And

My Boyfriend

in the Hope of a Better Future


ix

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First and foremost, I would like to thank and praise Jesus Christ, Mother Mary, the

Holy Spirit and Saint Mary Magdalene for their help, guidance and miracle they have granted

me in writing and finishing my undergraduate thesis.

My deepest gratitude goes to A.B. Sri Mulyani, M.A.,Ph.D, as my major sponsor of this

thesis and for her patience and suggestions in guiding me writing this thesis, and Ni Luh Putu

Rosiandani M. Hum., for reading and giving second opinion for my thesis. I would also like to

express my gratitude to all staff of the secretariat of the Faculty of Letters, especially Mbak

Ninik who always help me and answer my questions despite their busy working hours.

My sincere gratitude goes to my parents F.X. Sumaryo and Christina Timenik, as well

as my sisters Theresia Aryani and Cicilia Ira, for the unconditional love and endless support.

My special thank goes to my boyfriend, Remco Schipper, who always supports, inspires, lifts up

and stands by me whenever I get depressed, anxious, over-thinking, lost faith and worried too

much. I also thank to my boyfriend’s mother Rinneke Schipper, for her supports, positive

energy and who never hesitate to share her wisdom. I would also like to give some credit to

myself for all the effort and faith I have pulled myself through.

Last but not least, my heart goes to Oktadea, Hugo, Friska Dita, Nanda, Antonia Ayu,

Tan Michael, Antok, Tasya Wood, Benno Weiss, Ovy Studniarz, Luisa Schraudt,

Couchsurfing Jogja team, and all of my dearest friends. Thank you for the companion,

laughter, good moments and endless support. Cheers for you all.

Maria Tri Wahyuni


x

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................... ii

APPROVAL PAGE .......................................................................................... iii

ACCEPTANCE PAGE ..................................................................................... iv

LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH v

STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY ................................................................ vi

MOTTO PAGE ................................................................................................. vii

DEDICATION PAGE ....................................................................................... viii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................. ix

TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... x

ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... xii

ABSTRAK .......................................................................................................... xiii

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1

A. Background of the Study .................................................................... 1

B. Problem Formulation ......................................................................... 4

C. Objectives of the Study ...................................................................... 5

D. Definition of Terms ............................................................................ 5

CHAPTER II: REVIEW OF LITERATURE ................................................. 7

A. Review of Related Studies ................................................................. 7

B. Review of Related Theories ............................................................... 9

1. Character ..................................................................................... 9

2. The Feminist Theory Towards Women’s Oppression and Revolt 10

3. French Society in the Medieval Age ........................................... 14

4. French Women in the Medieval Age .......................................... 14

C. Theoretical Framework ...................................................................... 17

CHAPTER III: METHODOLOGY ................................................................. 19

A. Object of the Study............................................................................. 19

B. Approach of the Study ....................................................................... 19

C. Method of the Study ........................................................................... 20

CHAPTER IV: ANALYSIS .............................................................................. 21

A. Customs and Traditions that Discriminated Joan in Dreyer’s The

Passion of Joan of Arc ....................................................................... 21


xi

1. Gender Relation in the Medieval French Patriarchal Society in the

Domestic Space ............................................................................ 22

a. Family Status of Women ....................................................... 22

b. Household Chores ................................................................. 24

c. Marital Status ........................................................................ 24

2. Gender Relation in the Medieval French Patriarchal Society in the

Public Space ................................................................................... 26

a. Restriction in Education and the Right to Make Decision .... 26

b. Concubinage and Polygamy .................................................. 28

B. Joan’s Struggle Against Custom and Tradition in Medieval French

Patriarchal Society in Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc ............. 31

1. Bishop Cauchon (The Head of Chapel) ...................................... 38

2. The Soldiers ................................................................................ 40

3. Lemaitre (The Grand Executor and Councilor) .......................... 44

4. Usher Massieu (The Head of Church) ......................................... 46

CHAPTER V: CONCLUSION ......................................................................... 51

BIBLIOGRAPHY .............................................................................................. 54

APPENDICES ................................................................................................... 57

Appendix 1: Summary of the Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc ....... 57

Appendix 2: Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Life .................................................... 60


xii

ABSTRACT

TRI WAHYUNI, MARIA. Feminist Struggle Towards Patriarchal Society as Seen through

Joan’s Struggle in Dreyer’s Screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc. Yogyakarta: Department

of English Letters, Sanata Dharma University, 2012.

This thesis is about Joan (Heroine) in Carl T. Dreyer’s screenplay The Passion of Joan of

Arc. The screenplay tells about the life and struggle of the French Heroine called Joan. This

screenplay is important to study because the “feminist” struggle can be seen as reflected through

the main character. The struggle of a young girl who has to face many obstacles to achieve her

goal and mission can be seen in the screenplay. Joan dares to achieve her ambition.

There are two problems stated in this study. The first problem is about customs and

traditions that discriminate women and the second is about Joan’s struggle to release herself from

the customs and traditions that discriminate women.

The method applied in this study is library research. The sources are obtained from the

screenplay itself, criticism, other sources related to the screenplay and the study of feminism.

The approach used in the study is feminist literary approach.

One conclusion of the analysis is that the medieval French customs and traditions, which

are based on the patriarchal system, underestimate women and consider women as subordinate to

men in some aspects of life. The other conclusion is Joan’s struggle to defend what she believes

to be women’s right and what she believes to be true in order to achieve her goals is the

reflection of the feminisms concerning women’s oppressions and revolt.

Finally, the significance of the idea of feminist struggle in the screenplay is also

discussed in order to prove that Joan as a French woman is courageous and has the nerve to

struggle for her rights to be equal to men in some aspects of life, and so do women in general.


xiii

ABSTRAK

TRI WAHYUNI, MARIA. Feminism Struggle Towards Patriarchal Society as Seen through

Joan’s Struggle in Dreyer’s Screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc. Yogyakarta: Program

Studi Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra, Universitas Sanata Dharma, 2012.

Tesis ini berkenaan dengan Joan (Pahlawan Wanita) dalam teks drama Carl T. Dreyer

yang berjudul The Passion of Joan of Arc. Teks drama ini mengisahkan tentang kehidupan dan

perjuangan seorang Pahlawan wanita di Perancis yang bernama Joan. Teks drama ini penting

untuk dipelajari karena mengisahkan unsur perjuangan hak-hak wanita yang tercermin lewat

tokoh utamanya. Perjuangan wanita menghadapi rintangan- rintangan dalam mencapai misi dan

tujuannya dapat ditemukan dalam teks drama ini.

Ada dua permasalahan di dalam studi ini. Permasalahan pertama adalah tentang adat

istiadat dan tradisi yang mendeskriminasi kaum wanita dan yang kedua adalah tentang

perjuangan Joan untuk membebaskan dirinya dari adat istiadat dan kebiasaan yang

mendeskriminasi kaum wanita.

Metode yang di terapkan dalam studi ini adalah studi pustaka. Sumber diperoleh dari teks

drama tersebut, berbagai sumber yang berhubungan dengan teks drama itu sendiri dan studi

tentang perjuangan feminisme. Pendekatan yang diterapkan dalam studi ini adalah pendekatan

dari karya sastra kaum feminist.

Salah satu kesimpulan dari analisis ini adalah adat istiadat dan tradisi Perancis yang

berdasarkan system patriarki, sangat memandang rendah kaum wanita dan menganggap mereka

lebih rendah dari kaum pria dalam segala segi kehidupan. Kesimpulan yang lain adalah

perjuangan Joan untuk membela apa yang ia percaya sebagai hak- hak kaum wanita dana pa

yang ia percaya sebagai kebenaran agar mencapai yang ia cita- citakan, adalah perwujudan dari

feminisme- feminisme yang berhubungan dengan penindasan terhadap kaum wanita dan

revolusinya.

Sebagai akhir kata, pentingnya ide dari perjuangan feminisme juga dibahas agar dapat

membuktikan bahwa Joan sebagai seorang wanita Perancis adalah pemberani dan memiliki

keberanian untuk berjuang demi haknya untuk menjadi sama dengan kaum pria dalam beberapa

segi kehidupan, begitu juga kaum wanita pada umumnya.


1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Study

For a long time, women were seen inferior to men. This gender relation has

caused a tremendous shift towards the society‟s mindset upon women rights.

Women rights were seen unequal because of the patriarchal value delivered by the

men oriented society, limiting women position in the society. This phenomenon

has strongly commenced within the medieval period where women were seen as

nothing but a breeding tool for men and there was even no share of their family

inheritance. This system of patriarchy led to discrimination against women. They

were usually dependent on their man and not able to make their own life choices.

Naturally, this system was not beneficial to live in for most women. Since women

make up half of the world's population the patriarchy system was causing harm to

a large proportion of the population. This makes feminism, the struggle for equal

rights, one of the most important social movements of all times (Becker, 1999: 25)

Peter Barry discusses in Beginning Theory about Feminist Criticism related

to the feminist movement that has been continued from the 19th

century until this

time.

The feminist literary criticism of today is the direct product of the

„women‟s movement‟ of the 1960s. This movement was, in important

ways, literary from the start, in the sense that it realized the significance of

the image of women promulgated by literature. In this sense of women‟s


2

movement has always been crucially concerned with books and literature,

so that feminist criticism should not be seen as an off-shoot or spin-off

from feminism which is remote from the ultimate aims of the movement,

but as one of its most practical ways of influencing everyday conduct and

attitudes (Barry, 1995:121-122).

For example, in times of The Passion of Joan of Arc in the medieval period,

women have been oppressed by the economic aspect. Helena Wojtczak wrote in her

journal The Medieval, “During the medieval, women lost even more of what little

economic power they had, because men increasingly went out of the home to work in

all male professions, thus separating home and work, leaving women behind, working

unpaid in the home” (Wojtcak, 2009:09). This oppression could be seen even since

medieval that happened in France and this was still continued in the form of the

struggle of Joan. Therefore, in the 19th

century, the feminist ideas finally gain power to

be equal in their social class position and traditional roles in the society. Pamela

Balanza is a woman who has contributed literary ideas to the feminist journal. In her

journal about The Role of Women in the 19th

and 20th

Centuries she stated,

In today‟s era, women‟s activities and interests are recognized in

literary and cultural fields. They have demanded their position in the

community, openly exercising their rights, and thus are acknowledged

as significant members in society. However, this was not the case a

century ago. A woman‟s place was in the home, as domesticity and

motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient

emotional fulfillment for females (Balanza, 2016:1).

Since there is still systemic discrimination against woman in many parts of the

world feminism remains important to this day. Looking at the work of a culture. To


3

understand the history of this movement we have to look at the early stages of how its

ideas got firstly adapted into the collective mind of society.

We can achieve this by looking at works of culture like literature from a given

time. There are several genres of literature such as short story, novel, poetry and

screenplay. A screenplay is fundamentally different from other literary works because

most screenplays are written to be performed on movie screen or stage. That makes

screenplay a lot more accessible to a large proportion of the population and

screenplays reach the broadest audiences. In order to get realistic impressions of social

changes, we have to consider as much demographics as possible. Because of their

reach screenplays can give us the broadest view of how ideas and social constructs

evolve at a given time.

In this thesis, the writer wants to explore the “feminist struggle” that is

depicted in Dreyer‟s screenplay. Dreyer‟s screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc

concerns with suppression and discrimination against a young girl during the middle

Ages in France. It stands as an example for the treatment of all woman at the time. The

movie based on it later became a legend. It is seen as an early and very influencing

piece on feminism. As previously discussed in the first paragraph how oppression of

women and their struggle in the medieval has been changed oppressed women and the

generation into the movement of equality. Throughout the phenomenon history that

women seen as the constant victims of society‟s ideals until they started to challenge


4

the society to get involved with politics, legal, or economic affairs as men dominated

all decisions about those matters and its struggle and became feminists.

Through Dreyer‟s works, we can take a look at the situation of Frances‟

society in the medieval ages - from nobility to peasants, from famous group to

infamous group, from rich family to poor peasant family and from kings to the maid of

Orleans. Dreyer‟s screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc is especially good at

describing feminism struggle against customs and social traditions. By becoming a

military leader in the war against England and a young heroine of France the

protagonist is able to establish herself in man dominated field. By doing so she

manages to break traditional social norms.

The screenplay gives a good impression of the situation at the time and

shows how it can be overcome. Looking at this helps understanding how this issue

was seen at the time. It also shows how this view started to change.

B. Problem Formulation

In accordance with the research background above, the problems of this study

are described as follows

1. What are the customs and traditions in the screenplay that discriminate

Joan in Dreyer‟s The Passion of Joan of Arc?

2. What struggle does Joan undergo to release herself from those customs and

traditions above in Dreyer‟s The Passion of Joan of Arc?


5

C. Objective of the Study

Considering the problem formulation above, the writer decides the

objectives of the study that first; the writer researches on the customs and

traditions in the patriarchal society systems in France, also ways of thinking

which discriminate a young girl in this screenplay.

The second objective of this research is to identify Joan‟s struggle to

release herself from those customs and traditions and get her rights to fight by

seeing her action throughout this screenplay.

D. Definition of Terms

In order to avoid misunderstanding in reading the thesis, there are three

terms that need to be clarified in this research so that the meaning of these terms

can be limited.

1. Feminism

In short, feminism can be described as a belief and a commitment to equal

rights and opportunities for women (Terry, 1989:139). This term is originated from

the Latin „femina‟ which means woman. It originally meant „having the qualities

of females‟. Nowadays the meaning of it is still being argued. According to

Maggie Humm, feminism has only working definition since it is a dynamic,

constantly changing ideology with many aspects including the personal, political

and the philosophical. Feminism is a call to action, because without action,

feminism is merely an empty rhetoric that canals itself out (Humm, 1990:140).


6

In addition, Charlotte Bunch had a shocking definition of feminism, that is

„transformational politic, since everything effects women, every issue is women‟s

issue‟ (Tuttle, 1986:107). In this thesis, the term of feminist is also used to

describe the struggle of Joan in facing patriarchal system because of the

oppression in getting woman‟s right and to defend what she believes that reflected

in her action to achieve her goals. This can be regarded as feminist struggle.

1. Struggle, custom, and tradition.

These terms are important because they are related to this thesis. In order to

avoid misunderstanding, the writer also obliges to define the terms. According to

Hornby in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, the struggle is defined as to

achieve/ fight against/ with, making great efforts against difficulties, for

influences/power (1987:858). Custom is defined as general or regular accepted

way of behavior among members of the social group (1987:212) and tradition is

defined as the passing or beliefs or customs from one generation to the next

generation (1987:917).

2. Patriarchy

According to Maggie Humm, patriarchy is defined as a male authority which

oppresses women through its social political and economic institutions. In any of

the historical forms that patriarchal society takes, whether it is feudal, capitalist or

socialist, a sex-gender system and a system of economic discrimination operate

simultaneously (1990: 159).


7

CHAPTER II

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A. Review of Related Studies

This part provided some reviews that have been found. There are two related

studies that are reviewed in this part, those studies have similarities on the topic of the

study. The first study is taken from Solange Hertz’s “Joan of Arc: Scourge of Modern

Feminism” and the second study is taken from Nadia Margolis’s “Joan of Arc:

Maneuverable Medievalism, Flexible Feminism”.

Nadia Margolis said in her article about The Passion of Joan of Arc related to the

topic of researcher “The Figure of Joan of Arc endures uniquely as both product and

ancestry of the medieval impulse, mustering its diverse sub disciplines into her service.”

(Margolis, 1996: 03). The quotation shows the feminist ideas of The Passion of Joan of

Arc. She also said that Joan delivered France from the hopeless Orleans siege, it would not

suffice as a true miracle for the canonization. By having space and trust to use their power

spirit in leading, women in the Medieval Age can get the equal threat and opportunity to

get into the position so that they can be equal in the politic aspect. Margolis tries to find out

the idea of feminism in the medieval by looking through the characters’ family background

and the politic system at that time.

The figure of Joan of Arc endures uniquely as both product and progenitor of the

medievalism impulse, mustering its diverse sub disciplines into her service.

Rediscovered and in a sense saved by nineteenth – century medievalism, her

presence in turn generated and continues to generate further avenues of similar

inquiry, particularly in her shifting political associations (Margolis, 1996: line 4).


8

The similar comment and article about Joan of Arc is also stated by Solange

Hertz. The quotation below gives an idea that Joan of Arc talks about feminism.

Joan’s admirers, dazzled by the extraordinary éclat of her active life, have so far

dwelt almost exclusively on the military aspects of her mission, viewing her

somewhat as a holy tomboy. Her deeper side, glimpsed in her long hours of

prayer, her fasts, her miracles, her charity to the poor and her copious, ever ready

tears, rarely comes to light. Little or no cognizance is taken of her prophecies

(Hertz, 2014: 5).

Perhaps another reason Joan put on men’s clothes was to show the world as

graphically as possible exactly what it means to be a women. Astride her white

charger in full armor, she could be the final answer to feminism – a heresy which

began with Eve, and which is now destroying society by warping the family

beyond recognition (Hertz, 2014: 6).

Women have their right to speak and to express what they believe for certain

purpose as important role, to make choice and to decide. “Isn’t this woman’s

work? Wouldn’t she have to act like a man to do it, having been made a “help like unto

himself?” For good or ill, whether they like it or not, women are the mothers of civil

society.” (Hertz, 2014: 19). Hertz tries to find out and proves the power and the idea of

feminism through the character’s appearance in Joan of arc.

Joan of Arc cut her hair short and wore men’s clothes. She particularly fancied

beautiful armor and fine horses, which she rode astride, and was admired for her

prowess with the lance. She led troops into battle, remaining in armor for six

days running if necessary, and never faltered in her objective even after the enemy

captured her (Hertz, 2014: 1).

Those two studies are the studies that have similar topic and the same object as

this study. Those two studies have the same topic, which discussed about the struggle of

Joan with her background identity to bring up her mission as a female army leading groups

of army to the war.


9

After seeing the main idea of this story from other studies perspective, it is

important to find the character from this screenplay. The character in the story can be seen

since the first time people read this screenplay. The title of the screenplay The Passion of

Joan of Arc also contains a meaning of feminism or survivor.

B. Review of Related Theories

1. Character

Abrams describes character in A Glossary of Literary Terms (1981:20) as a literary

genre. It is generally a short amusing sketch in an odd way of a person with a special quality

or style in the dialogue and the action which is presented in the dramatic or narrative work.

The ground in a character’s temperament and moral nature for his speech and actions

constitutes his motivation. Francis Hodge said in his book that all the dramatic actions taken

by an individual in the course of a play created a character. The existence of a character in

what is action particularly under pressing circumstances.

In order to understand the character’s action concerning their motives and their

thoughts, we attempt to figure out the art of characterization. There are some common

central motives pushing characters to act in the real life such as hope for reward, love,

desire, goal, jealousy, and fear. The characters as complicated human beings explained by

these distinctive motives. Therefore, Francis Hodge says in a novel that we should try to

arrive at an understanding of characters as complicated human beings with patterns of

motivation rather than single motive (Hodge, 1994:43).

As human being presented in the story inevitably the characters have some

characteristics. On the basis of importance, characters are categorized into two ways, main


10

or major characters and minor character. Main characters are the center of the story. The

acts of the story usually are focused on this character from the beginning to the ending part

of the story. The core of the story is highlighted to this character’s experiences. Roger

Henkle wrote in An Introduction to the Technique of Interpreting Fiction, that the major

characters are the most complex in a story. They can be described as such characters

through the complexity of their characterization. Minor characters appear in a certain

setting just necessarily to become he background for the major characters. Their roles are

less important than the major character.

In proportion to the complexity, there is a distinction interpretation between round

and flat character. Round characters often appear as the center of the story. They live by

their roundness and by their many points which they touch life. The characters appear in a

different action, personality and outlook and undergo a permanent change. The characters

are complex in temperament and motivation. For the flat characters, the characters do not

appear as the center of the story. They do not change a lot and keep their action, personality

or outlook in the same way.

2. The Feminist Theory Towards Women’s Oppression and Revolt

The feminist theory is an area of writing that represents a certain contemporary

theory. The theory is used to sum up what appeared to be the key of women’s experiences.

The concept reflects the efforts of feminism to reveal the core of social process and to find

out what constantly reappeared in various outward manner in the course of women’s world.

The fundamental goal of feminist theory is to understand women’s oppression in

terms of gender, and sexual preference and how to change it. Feminist theory reveals the


11

importance of women’s individual and shares experiences and women struggle. Women

struggle for enfranchisement, for equal opportunities and for legal full rights. There are

ideas about feminism, they are:

a. Equality

The doctrines of equal right for women and in ideology to create a world of

women beyond social equality are the incorporation of the definition of feminism.

Equality feminism is a subset of the overall feminism movement that focuses on

the basic similarities between men and women, and whose ultimate goal is the

equality of the sexes on all domains. This includes economic and political

equality, equal access within the workplace, freedom from oppressive gender

stereotyping, and an androgynous worldview (Rosser, 2005:12).

There are some characteristically human natures by virtue that all men are equal

and all differences cover the idea of universal equality. Deny the justice of some existing

inequality of treatment is the aim of equality. Jo Freeman illustrates in Women: A Feminist

Perspective:

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men and women are created equal,

that they are endowed by their creators with certain inalienable rights that among

these are life, liberty and pursuit of happiness (1975:439).

The equality creates no difference between human beings because all men and

women are created the same and equal in front of God. This statement explains that women

should have the same rights, duties, and opportunities like what men have.


12

b. Liberty

The feminist tries to explain that the women are so long put up of being

dependent on the man. Charles Poisson said in Leclerq’s book about disagreement to all the

differentiation between the sexes.

The woman has quite as well as the man, a right to live, work, and liberty. The

man has been a lord a master, long enough; the woman had all too long been a

bondwomen in the household. The woman can no longer put up of being

dependent, with being treated as a minor, with being supported and maintained.

We claim to be human beings like the men; responsible autonomous, able to

decide what we wish to do with our activity (Poisson, 1942:32).

All women are born to be free and remains equal to man in rights and

opportunities. The aim of feminism is the preservation of natural rights of the woman. These

rights are liberty, security, and especially resistance to oppression.

c. Freedom of Argument

The reaction of the feminist is to fight against the obedience that the women are

ordered to obey the husband. A. J. Graves discovers and explores in Freeman’s Women: A

Feminist Perspective about her statement and said, “Women feels she is not made for

command, and finds her truest happiness in submitting to those who wield a rightful scepter

in justice, mercy and love (Graves, 1975:421).

The feminist’s theory contradicts the form that describe women have appeared in

the image that men have discomforted or molded them and did what men wanted. Women

have right to argue which maintains that they are free to choose and to decide what they

want and what they desire without pressures or forces. This linked to disciplinary practices

that produce a feminine body are those that aim to control the body's gestures, postures, and


13

movements. Women, she holds, are more restricted than men in the way they move, and

they try to take up very little space as opposed to men, who tend to expand to the space

available. Women's movements are also restrained by their uncomfortable clothes and shoes

(Bartky 1990, 68–9).

d. Rights for Women to be Themselves

The feminist states that the first rights for women are to be themselves, that is to

be a woman. That woman has right to develop herself and her life with her own way with no

intention to imitate the man in the process of her development. George Renard said in

Leclerq’s Marriage and the Family with full of agreement expression.

A rational and considered effort take a thorough searching of the nature of

woman, with respect both to what she has in common all human nature and to

what differentiates her from the other sex; to appraise with greater accuracy the

scope and extent of power to adjust her energy in a more efficient manner to the

opportunities of time and places. In short, to allow the woman to realize more the

potentialities of her human nature to be sure but also of her femininity, without

arbitrary shackle or artificial inducement to depart from it (Leclerq,1942: 331).

From the statement above, Leclerq explains that the more precisely and

completely sure the woman to achieve the development of herself to the fullest, also with

her human nature and her femininity, she has her own strong potential. It gives proof that

women are not an instrument of men and that the women with their ability are capable to

develop and maintain their own world. They can do something great and powerful for

themselves. Therefore, they have the same chances and duty as men to pursue a meaningful

life.


14

3. French Society in the Medieval Age

In his book History of French Public Law, James Garner writes about the

medieval age French that was occupied with the Hundred Year’s War. “The conflicts began

to continue the war over the succession of the French throne between England and France

(1337- 1453). The two rival dynasties suffered severely and fought for the throne in Western

Europe. The war marked both the height of chivalry and its subsequent decline and the

development of strong national identities in both countries. The English invaders managed

to capture House of Valois and to claim the crown of France. Thus France was smashed

from outside and inside. The situation went bad to worse since Charles was become weak.

He was under the control and the pressures of the England rulers and allies” (1915: 2-3).

The condition above created panic situation for long period of time since the king

declared that he was feeling helpless. Therefore, the church made strict rules such as putting

group of people in the boxes based on their class status in the society. This strategy carried

out in order to fulfill the king’s command to the church to create more powerful group of

army in the hope of winning the battle.

4. French Women in the Medieval Age

The focus of the study in this thesis is feminist struggle. Therefore, besides

describing the situation of French society in general in the medieval age, the writer will also

describe how Joan’s attitude towards the situation and towards the reality of women’s

position at that time since France was a patriarchal society.


15

It has been pointed out by Emilie that if man or woman had taken a monastic,

religious vow or legal marriage, the next marriage was prohibited, yet the stay together

illegally (Emilie 1993:06). It explains that a woman in the medieval age was only legally

married once. Only one woman in a man’s house held the position of a proper wife, and all

the others were just concubines, although their children were on equal level with those of

the first wife. Polygamy was allowed by custom, although quarrels, fights, jealousy, envies

and disputes were more or less the inheritance of a household with a man and many wives in

it. Therefore, it was common if a girl committed suicide rather than be forced into marriage

or because they are not satisfied with their husband’s treatment and they felt like they lived

in sorrow and miserable.

Suicide among young women was not uncommon and I shall never forget the one

next door. She was my friend, a young woman of my own age, and so I knew that

she was not happy with her husband or his family (Buck, 1954:170).

Woman in France, regardless of her status, is made to serve. The slavery or

bondage of servitude is often a long and bitter one: a life of servitude to her parents; a life of

submission to her parents in law at marriage; and the looking forward to a life of slavery or

bondage to her husband in the next world, for she belongs to the same husband there. She is

not allowed, by sentiment of the people, to be properly married to another after his death.

Moreover, a woman is the inferior and her husband is the superior, just like the difference

between heaven and the earth. Women must be educated at home, if there were time.

Education for women must be done by mothers and are only limited to how to manage

household and duties owed to a husband, a mother-in-law and other of the husband’s family

or relatives (Dreyer, 1925:715-716).


16

Jane Freedman, in her book The Concepts in the Social Science Feminism, stated

those women were given a lower status within the society due to their biological differences.

It is stated in her book:

Not only was women’s biological capacity for children for childbirth and

breastfeeding and their generally lesser physical strength seen as determining their

social role in the home, occupying themselves with domestic chores and bringing

up children, but it was also claimed that these biological differences made them

unfit to participate in the public sphere. Women were judged to be less reasonable

than men, more ruled by emotion, and thus incapable of political decision-

making (Freedman, 2001:12).

a. Relation between Men and Women in the Medieval Age France

According to John Arnold in his book Belief and Unbelief in Medieval Europe,

social anthropology, history and cultural change are the most important things as the defense

in conception of human beings in France belief, it is about destiny, myth, fact and history.

Women have been isolated as the object of desire that is always beyond reach (Arnold,

2005:99).

In case of marriage according to Canon law from the law of the Catholic Church

marriage in the medieval age was concerned with a private and social matter and it was

exclusive bond to the husband and wife. Husband and wife were partners and there was

power transition where the wife gives all power and control to the husband. The wives still

have their rights in their marriages even though after giving all the power to the husbands’

authorities. The wives were allowed to be involved in sex and marriage such as the right to

ask for sexual duty, to leave marriage and to choose place of burial. Peasants, slaves, and

maidservants had to get the permission to marry from their master otherwise they were


17

punished. Throughout history, in patriarchal societies men were primarily given leadership

roles, however, women were also looked to for influence and wisdom. In fact, up until 18th

and 19th

centuries, women held professional and leadership roles within communities.

Women also represented their husbands in business exchanges. Some women owned and

operated their own business. If a woman’s husband died and she was not expected to

remarry. Surprisingly, it was not until closer to the industrial revolution in the late 1800’s

that women experienced more oppressions and boundaries that kept them inside the home

(Latourette, 1938: 676-677).

In economic standpoint, medieval men owned more land than women. “In

Northern France, sons and daughters would receive an equal share of partible inheritance. In

another side of work, men and women participated in the medieval workforce without salary

by wages for their labor due to the lack of mechanical devices” (Latourette, 1938: 682).

Therefore, they worked independently on their land and produced their own goods for

consumptions. Beside worked independently, women left the countryside to work for wages

as servants or day laborers by the commercialization.

In educational matters, families with scholarly traditions and official standing, a

tutor might be employed for the girls and a father might take a pride in the literary

attainments of a daughter and it is just enough for girls to be able to read and write. School

and other formal education were for boys. This way only natural, as their primary objective

preparation for the civil service examination to which girls were ineligible. Therefore is id

enough for women just to be able to read, write and do house hold workings (Latourette,

1939: 678-680).

C. Theoretical Framework


18

In order to solve the problems in this study, the writer analyses customs and

tradition in France which discriminate women. Besides that the writer uses theories of

character by Abrams and the theories of feminism. These theories are needed to explain

about Joan and her struggle against women discrimination. These theories help the writer

analyze Joan’s struggle and her success in her struggle against women discrimination and

oppression until won the country of France back in 1431 which happened in France during

the period of the Hundred Years’ War.

Finally, to answer the way and struggle in which Joan managed to the end of the

oppression and discrimination against women, the writer applies some feminism theories.

By designing the feminism ideas, the writer shows the struggle and revolt of Joan. Here, the

feminism theories are important to support the idea of Joan’s struggle and character. By

applying this theory the writer hopes to understand better about Joan’s way of thinking, her

view of life, and what she wants to achieve and her success in her struggle.


19

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CHAPTER III

METHODOLOGY

A. Object of The Study

The object of this research is the screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc. This

screenplay was written in 1929 by Carl Theodor Dreyer as one of his historical screenplay.

This screenplay tells us a story about one of Dreyer’s personal heroine in France history. In

this screenplay Dreyer describes the life and the situations of Joan and he also explains and

displays in detail Joan’s personal and historical events which show a hidden feminism

struggle as a prisoner and later as the heroine of France.

The Passion of Joan of Arc reveals Dreyer’s life experiences as a feminist writer.

We can see this from Joan’s sadness in dealing with the customs and judgements that really

discriminate her as a woman in France. The life of this woman is enormous, she is the

woman with mission to fight herself for the crown of France and the right for a woman who

is mostly oppressed by discriminative life situation.

B. Approach of the Study

The work is written by using feminist approach. The choice of the Feminism

theories are based on the importance of women’s individual and shares experiences and

women struggle. By doing this research, the writer wants to research the rights that woman

had in the medieval French culture. Moreover, Feminism theories are used to support the

characterization of the main character, Joan.


20

20

C. Method of the Study

In carrying out this study, a library research was conducted. It means that the data

were gathered and collected from screenplays, books on literature, criticism, dictionary and

encyclopedia that may be very helpful. There were several steps in analyzing this screenplay.

The first step was reading the literary work itself. It was taken from Carl Theodor Dreyer’s

The Passion of Joan of Arc. In order to understand more about the screenplay, the writer

spends a lot of time poring over the screenplay. It was very important thing to do because the

advantage of knowing the content and context better, would help to gain information and

make the right interpretation about the screenplay and about Dreyer’s attitude, feeling and

emotion towards the reality of women discrimination.

The second step was arranging the data. The data were gathered and collected

from the screenplay itself which are related to feminism struggle in the France history. These

data, Joan’s journey in life and her struggle to achieve and complete her mission and goal

and to destroy customs and tradition that discriminates women, particularly in France, were

very important because they give answer to the problem formulation as well as providing

steps for analyzing her journey to become the heroine of France.


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21

CHAPTER IV

ANALYSIS

Chapter four consists of two parts. The first is the description of customs

and traditions in France which discriminate women which was portrayed in this

screenplay. In this section, the writer discusses the medieval age French customs

and traditions which discriminate women and the society’s point of view towards

women in the screenplay. The second part is Joan’s struggle against medieval

French patriarchal society.

Based on the writer’s statement above, this chapter is intended to answer

the questions that are stated in the problem formulation.

A. Customs and Traditions that Discriminate Joan in Dreyer’s The Passion of

Joan of Arc

Customs and traditions have big influence in someone’s life. They

determine the society’s attitude towards someone or something. Whether or not

someone is accepted or regarded in the society depends on how he or she accepts

the customs and traditions which are available in the society. It is not easy to

change the attitude of the society when one society or a community has already

agreed and followed certain customs and traditions, it is because something that

has been considered a fixed and proper customs and traditions cannot be changed

easily. In this study, the writer would like to analyze the customs and traditions in

ancient France which really discriminate Joan.


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In the screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc, through the life of Joan, Carl

Th. Dreyer expresses his opinion of how important it is for a woman to be totally

free from oppressive, culture and tradition which put men above women in all

aspect of life. The setting is based on the historical facts of Paris in 1410’s and

also during the reign of the weak and sick Emperor of the church, Usher Massieu.

The screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc gives the description of Joan’s

society and traditions in the medieval period. Through the screenplay we can have

a brief view on customs and traditions in France which discriminate women in the

medieval period. That is why, this part discusses the medieval age French customs

and traditions which discriminate women.

1. Gender Relation in the Medieval French Patriarchal Family in the Domestic

Space

The customs and traditions in the screenplay is based on the fact that

France was a patriarchal society, therefore men are more powerful in some

aspects and women are weak. Women are totally received different attitude from

men, those customs and traditions are:

a. Family Status of Women

Women have no status in the family before they got married. A woman

was the wife of a husband and belonged to the family of the husband right after

they got married. If a family lived in famine or poverty, it would be easy for the

family to sell the daughters as slaves or concubines. When they feel oppressed or

distressed by this custom, it means to the society that they were considered as


23

offending the custom within the society. Joan comes from a village named

Domremy where the society is tied with that custom and tradition.

Since the society has set up what does it like to be a woman in general, so

when Joan comes to Cauchon for her mission, Cauchon complains her appearance

[Cauchon begins to question Joan about her dress and her life:]

CAUCHON. Why are you wearing men’s clothes? Are you willing to

wear a woman’s dress? Or why you do not just go back to where

you come from and stay at home and help your family with house

chores?

(Dreyer, 1929: 8)

From the quotation above, Cauchon assumes that Joan is a woman from a

village with social problem. Cauchon takes a look at Joan weirdly because Joan

cut her hair short, wears man’s clothes and ask for a permission to fight which

is absolutely uncommon attitude of a woman. Disliking what he sees, Cauchon

suggests Joan to go back to where she used to be in the village as woman and

dress in a proper way as woman, suggest Joan to forget her mission and wait

for her destiny to be in a family’s status. In this case, Joan has to answer

Cauchon’s question carefully as she tries to refuse the suggestion from

Cauchon which he thinks must be very easy for her to do. Joan has loving and

complete family, she loves her family, but this has to come first. She answered,

“When I have completed the task which God has entrusted to me, then I will

wear women’s clothes again and I will go back to my house and my family”

(Dreyer, 1929: 8).


24

b. Household Chores

A girl had a big responsibility of the house chores at a very young age,

while the brothers had a much longer and freer childhood. The boys would be

allowed to go to school while the girls rarely had such an opportunity and they

were illiterate.

Joan has to go to the river regularly to wash the clothes of her family,

sew every ripped clothes, goes to the market to buy groceries, helps her

mother to cook for the family, cleaning the house, takes care of her younger

sister and she has no enough time to write and read as she wants to educate

herself. She helps herself to learn about art by painting historical buildings

after she finishes her laundry. That is the only time that she has to learn new

things before going home. In other side, Joan’s older brother does not have to

do what Joan has to do and sometimes Joan’s father brings him to go to the

city with him.

Joan was born in Doremy and lived a simple life. Doing routine

house chores, sewing and painting in courtly order to become a

well-educated housewife (Dreyer, 1929: 3).

c. Marital Status

A woman was made to serve in France. The aim of the whole training

to a girl was to be a good wife, a good mother and worker of another family.

“In the Medieval Period women were seen, by the middle classes at least, as

belonging to domestic sphere, and this stereotype required them to provide

their husband a clean home, food on the table and to raise their children”


25

(Buckner, 2005:01). A woman was not allowed to marry another man if her

husband died. In other words, a girl or a woman could never marry twice. If

she could give a son, she could be free from the degradation of her position in

the family of her husband and she could somehow be equal to her husband in

certain degree. Even when a father asked about the number of his children, he

would not count his daughter. This shows that women were not respected in

France.

Marriage was considered very important for the French, it made

sometimes unborn infants were informally betrothed. For example, the parents

agreed that when the children to be born were of opposite if sexes, they should

in the future be husband and wife. The married couples occasionally promised

that if they ever had children of different sexes, their children should be given

marriage to one another. “Marriage back then was not based on love; most

marriages were political arrangements. Husbands and wives were generally

strangers until they first met and most of the times they were betrothed before

they were born” (Emilie, 1993: 35).

In this screenplay, Joan was betrothed to a guy from Doremy, even

before they are born. “And what of your kinsman? Are you not as good as

betrothed to him since childhood?” (Dreyer, 1929: 11).

Marriage was a family affair and the parents pondered with much care

upon the nature of their children and the sort of person that should be found to

complete his or her life. It was also essential that this person fits into the family

group, for where the generations lived together in the old French customs, it


26

could only bring unhappiness if the new person did not for into the circle in both

birth and breeding.

Cauchon has suspicious towards Joan’s mission about her strong

willingness to fight for France. He assumes that it is just an excuse of Joan

disobey and run away from the traditions and society that was already set for her.

Joan with her strong heart has made it clear to him that she wanted to complete

her mission because of her faith towards God and not anything else which

pushed her to run away from the family. We can see the clarification from Joan

from what she said to Cauchon. “It is God who sends me solace and

encouragement in this way. I have a mission that is to save France and get back

the crown for the king. I love my family and I know nothing about my marriage,

although I believe this is my destiny. I will fight for my nation until I win.”

(Dreyer, 1929: 50).

2. Gender Relation in the Medieval French Patriarchal Family in the Domestic

Space

a. Restriction in Education and the Right to Make Decision

French women at the medieval ages were really discriminated, they did not

have a chance to make even worthless decision in the family not to mention of

becoming a ruler. They were even forbidden to read French literary works of that

time which were composed of religious writings as well as secular works. Since

those books were considered dangerous for females. The meaning of dangerous

word itself, according to Meriam Webster is something that likely have adverse or


27

cause problems because of the contains it puts that might change thoughts or

behavior of the reader. “Such letters and books poison the thoughts, especially of

females, you will not find them here in the Church Library. And if you do not sign

you will be burnt” Erard declared (Dreyer, 1929: 34).

Moreover, in this screenplay we can see that Joan wants to find clues

for her mission. Therefore, she tries to maintain her way out from this kind of

custom and tradition that forbid her to read any historical works in the chapel

nor the church. However, she is ignorant and rebellious against it when she

dares to put her opinion forward concerning the danger which her nation has

to face.

[But she does not hear them. She is breathing heavily and feeling

giddy. She looks vacantly at her surroundings like somebody

coming out of a faint, not knowing where he is. She says,]

JOAN. I have done no wrong… I believe in the twelve articles of the

Creed and in God’s Ten Commandments! I have no right to

die… I must continue to fight for France… for the king of

France.” [Joan feels a pang in the pit of her stomach when he

pronounces the name of her country and her king, which mean

everything to her and are never out of her thoughts.]

(Dreyer, 1929: 142)

From the quotation above, Joan tries to convince everyone in the

execution room by telling them that she reads and believes in the twelve

articles of the Creed and in God’s Ten commandments that she is the

woman from Domremy who deserves a chance to know about some useful

historical information which can help her to win back the nation, not a witch

nor a child of the devil who knows nothing about praying. She ensures them

that she is able to use the information from the books properly, as she never

done anything inappropriate towards the praying she learnt from her mother.


28

d. Concubinage and Polygamy

The most terrifying and unavoidable custom for women in ancient

France was concubine. French women also had to accept a design of living

that included polygamy and concubine. Thus to be chosen a concubine is one

of women’s absolute destiny. There was an old woman she met in the palace,

she was there as one of the concubinages. The old woman knew that most of

the women who came in that palace were the part of polygamy, but when she

saw the eyes of Joan, she wish Joan a big mission instead of being like her.

“Joan” the old woman said, staring at her. I did always say that you have a

destiny. It is in your eyes. We must obey the Emperor, the Son of Heaven…”

(Dreyer, 1929: 13).

What the old woman told Joan motivated her to keep fighting for what she

believes. When the kings who did the polygamy suggested Joan to be one of their

concubines, she refuses and against this custom. This made her more powerful

that the other women in the palace.

“And everything was it had been before, except that her heart in this short

space of time was no more the soft heart of a virgin, she had become a

woman bent upon her destiny” (Dreyer, 1929: 20).

Joan saw many women, the poor and the Empresses were the victims of

concubine and she knew the consequence of her mission that might drag her into

one of the victim but she tried hard to protect herself. She was isolated and she

could not talk to anyone nor pray in the chapel or church.


29

She could not know when she might pray to God in the chapel or church

again to find her peace place and strength. Within the brick walls of the

jail if the Forbidden City, everyone might live out their lives and never

able to pray in the chapel or church again (Dreyer, 1929: 26).

From this part of story, it can be analyzed that Joan’s heart and soul were

really in agony and distress because of this tradition. She was forced to conceal

and deny her faith and her passion towards God, changed her clothes into a

woman and gave service to a man whom she does not know at all. She also had to

live and slept in the cold, dirty and stuffy jail room of the Forbidden City without

any friends and true affections. Thus, she could only pray to God in the jail on her

cold bed and sneakily especially when there were soldiers around her. We can see

this in the way of Joan prays to God in silence.

Thus she could only pray in the dark musty room. No one allows her to go

to the neither chapel nor church to pray. She closed her eyes, bowed her

head, held her hands and started to pray in her heart. She moved her hands

close to her knees as could not fall onto her knees to pray as she did in the

chapel chair (Dreyer, 1929: 30).

Seeing this situation, Loiselour, one of the bishops in the chapel who

involves in Joan’s execution, realized the condition but he could not do anything

to help her. Thus, he tried to help Joan by asking her to keep believing in her faith

and destiny without falling down that she could not avoid her destiny. We can see

this in the dialogue between Leiselour and Joan in the jail room.

LOISELEUR. You know your destiny [he said], You chose it.

[Her lower lip quivered and tears shone shiver in her black eyes.]

JOAN. I did not know how it would be, [she flattered.]

LOISELEUR. There is no undoing what is done, [he said] No going back,

no being what you were.

JOAN. Only on my faith on His promise, [she said, her voice small and

trembling.]


30

LOISELEUR. What promise? [He said.]

JOAN. That He will come and help me with this mission for France, [she

said], I would not give up and I can go through this all.

(Dreyer, 1929: 35)

Her belief and faith in God amazed Loiseleur who used to be part of the

executors, for he was the one who cared about Joan and supported her mission

and her being. He ensured Joan that she has to be in her destiny, just as she

believes to be her mission.

Since Joan had a “Tiger’s Heart”, she was so angry and threatened to

prefer to die than to betray her mission. She felt so sad and weak that she had to

undergo this kind of custom to reach her mission. She was also eager to meet the

King of France.

JOAN. I want to help my King. I am sure I can. Please bring me to him.

[She said.] Tell him that I care nothing for anyone, only to get our

nation free again. Here is a prison, Bishop we are all in prison!

(Dreyer, 1929: 31).

From the quote above, Joan is tired of being underestimated, doubted and

oppressed. She begs everyone in the execution room to let her meet the king of

France and that if they keep acting like that, they would not help anything but

keep suffering and losing.

French women in the medieval ages, though they realize that they were

inferior to men prefer to live under control of the king in the kingdom palace than

under the bishop in the church, since at that time a woman’s status would be risen

and she would be highly respected if she could live under the kingdom palace.


31

“That Joan laughed to see him. Such a blessing she would get, too, if heaven

willed” (Dreyer, 1929: 26).

Joan also experienced that when she is declared to lead the army and fight

the battle against England, she is treated as if she were the empress and all the

eyes of the people in the Forbidden City, Chapel and Church are set upon her.

Anything she asked for she got, thus she was encouraged to have the

toughest and powerful weapon, armor clothes, army guards, Church to

pray every time she needed, and even good food and drink. She is pleased

to choose any weapon she of her choice (Dreyer, 1929: 56).

The quote above explains that when a woman raised or lives under the

king’s hands, she often treated better and if Joan were an empress in the kingdom

palace, she must be powerful, special and respectable. As she had experienced

after the king approved her mission to help the nation to fight the battle, she got

everything she needed such as the right to choose.

B. Joan’s Struggle Against Custom and Tradition in the Medieval French

Patriarchal Society in Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc

This second part of chapter four discusses about Joan’s struggle that she

has to undergo in facing patriarchal society. This part answers the second problem

that is formulated in chapter one.

Joan was born in the 14th

century in France, on January 6th

1412 and died

in 1431. Men dominated in so many aspects of human life and women did not

have many roles. The only role that women had was becoming attendant, good

housewives, concubine of the king or rich men and mothers. Joan’s attitude to


32

break this old tradition in her society clearly shows the idea of feminism. Her

choice to become prisoner of the church’s executors is one of the big steps that

she makes against the discriminative customs and traditions in her country. The

path that she takes to achieve her mission and to succeed in her struggle is really

hard and full of obstacles. However, she succeeds in reaching what she believes to

save her country from the lose.

JOAN. If I had to take this path to complete my mission that God

entrusted me, then I would take it. I’d rather live in misery

with the judges and the cold musty jail as prisoner alone than

a forced young marriage with whom I do not love. For when I

believe that God sends me with a great mission to help my

king. I would never quit until I win. I might not have any

authority, yet, the authority of God is greater than any other.

I’d rather die than deny God’s act.

(Dreyer, 1929: 115)

The quotation above explains that in order to get into the king, Joan

has to face so many difficulties. Although, it does not stop Joan to accomplish

her mission. The faith of Joan to God always strengthens her to keep on going

for the sake of her right as woman and her nation, no matter it might take. She

believes that God’s power is unstoppable and that God always be with her in

every step she takes until she succeeds.

The beginning of Joan’s struggle is her decision and willingness to

become a church prisoner and this is real painstaking. She has to leave her

family behind, has to live a difficult life with the executors and the judges

without any family to support her. The sacrifice that she makes to leave what

she loves behind is the proof that she is willing to make big movement to get

out from the customs and traditions that has been holding her back from being


33

a tough woman. “If I have to be prisoned to complete the task which God has

entrusted to me, then I will take it” (Dreyer, 1929: 18). Joan dares to make

risky negotiation with the judges and the executors that she will accept the

fact that she has to be prisoned in order to meet the king. As Joan’s principle

is that she will take any step even it is difficult to achieve her mission.

CAUCHON. Can you say Our Father?

[Joan nods. Scenes from her childhood come rushing into her

memory]

CAUCHON. Who taught it to you?

[Joan can hardly produce a word, for her sobs are lying like a knot

in her throat]

JOAN. My mother

CAUCHON. Say Our Father. If your refuse, it will be evidence of you

being possessed by the devil.

[She refuses. Cauchon tells her again to do his bidding, but Joan

refuses again, for she is afraid that memories of her mother, her

home and her family in Domremy are going to overwhelm her that

causes the ruin to her mind]

(Dreyer, 1929: 113)

When Joan is finally declared by the King Charles as his most brave

inhabitant, she begins her long and dangerous struggle. Thus, this is the turning

point of her life and the beginning of her struggle.

[Finally he says to her in a low whisper:]

MASSIEU. Would you recognize your King’s signature?

[Joan nods, though without understanding the purpose of his visit.

From his cowl he produces a letter which he hands to Joan. She

takes it. She shows with a smile that she recognizes Charles VII’s

signature.]

To our dearly beloved Joan.

Charles, the King, hereby informs you that he pleases you to help

and he is preparing in advance on Rouen with a mighty army.

Fight and safe our country, France.

(Dreyer, 1929:13)


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Before Joan can get into the kingdom palace, she has to pass the

patriarchal system of the chapel and the church to smoothen her paths to the

Crown Victory, and that becomes the beginning of Joan’s real struggle. Her

struggle is also as the symbolization for women’s right and emancipation. As a

woman in the medieval ages, Joan was not allowed to use her voice to get her

right in leading. Joan also tried to be equal, she leads army and fight because she

can. We can see how Joan defends her right as a woman to make a move and uses

her voice to her nation from the dialogue between Usher Massieu (the head of the

church) and Joan, who tries to trap her through his question.

[An indication that another trap is being prepared]

MASSIEU. So it is God who has commanded you to go about in men’s

clothes?

[Joan answers unhesitating]

JOAN. Yes!

[A smile of triumph spreads from face to face among Joan’s

judges]

MASSIEU. And what reward do you hope to obtain from the Lord?

JOAN. The salvation of my soul!

MASSIEU. Do you not understand that what you are saying is blasphemy?

This is unworthy! It is persecution!

(Dreyer, 1929: 36)

From the quote above, Usher Massieu tries to fail Joan and accuses her

action as blasphemy. He keeps making fun of her mission by asking a reward that

God will give her if she obliges God’s commands. In other side, Joan still believes

that it is the way how God has wanted her to fight for France.

Joan wants to show that she has strength and ability to breakthrough those

custom and tradition which discriminate her as woman by ensuring Loiseleur who

is also one of the executors that has sympathy for Joan to become her permanent


35

guide. She shows her strength by following all the rules and the tests from the

executors without surrender. She answers every question bravely and carefully.

She keeps her men’s uniform when bishop Cauchon (the head of the chapel)

wants her to change. She keeps going when the executors, Usher Massieu (the

head of the church) and the judges suggests her to stop. She stands for herself

when everybody in the room look down on her and bullies her. Seeing this

situation, Loiseleur, one of the executors cannot bear it and decides to get out

from the execution and help Joan to move away from those people.

[He looks all round him and goes over to Joan who regards him

with deep amazement which embrace gratitude as well; for after

all it is he who has just saved her from the soldiers’ cruelties.]

LOISELEUR. How do you feel, Joan?

JOAN. I feel like I need to take this all. I feel that God is always there

with me in every execution. I would not be going back to my home

to do what woman should do before I complete my mission. I will

proof them that I am a woman who cares about the right for

women to use their power and strength to save the world, now I

will use all of my strength to fight for my nation. I care nothing for

anyone, only to get my nation freedom.

LOISELEUR. I have great sympathy for you! Believe in God, he will save

His child!

(Dreyer, 1929: 114)

Joan feels so glad that there is still somebody who wants to listen to her.

She knows that with Loiseleur, she can tell all the truth and ask anything

regarding to the king and the battle with no doubts. Her trust to Loiseleur made

her believe that he is the guide that she wishes. Joan takes this important step

because Loiseleur knows one most powerful secret, the legend of the Maiden of

Lorraine. From this legend belief, Joan gives hope to the country which she

admits as the voice from Heaven (God) for her to defeat. “I swear by the Holy


36

Gospels to speak the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, concerning

the mission which has been entrusted to me by the King of Heaven” (Dreyer,

1929: 64).

Besides that, Joan is also afraid that the executors might use her answer to

accuse her as that Joan is actually a witch or devil who wants to destroy the

church union if she does not answer carefully. Moreover, Cauchon never stop

accusing her as a child of the devil no matter what she says.

[Joan has the feeling that her answer may decide her destiny. She

is like a hunted animal that looks for the smallest gap in the chain

of beaters in the hope of escaping its pursuers. The judges never

take their eyes from her. Joan writhes under these denunciations,

she implores him to show mercy, but he scourges her pitilessly:]

CAUCHON. You are no daughter of God

[Joan weeps and sobs. Cauchon shows no sympathy. He lowers his

voice, bends right over her and hisses:]

CAUCHON. But a child of the Devil! [Joan cries out and collapses.]

(Dreyer, 1929:19)

Joan is also certain that only through her faith to God she can be saved and

can overcome all the struggle for her and for other women’s rights and

emancipation by becoming the heroine. She believes that the presence of

Loiseleur who is now become her guide is one of the help from God to her. For

when she feels so weak and sick, she heals fast as she believes that it is the way of

God helping her.

[Joan has said the Our Father. Jean d’Estivet is thus obliged to

eliminate this important point from his charge-sheet.

Lemaitre continues with the hearing:]

LEMAITRE. Has God told you that you will be released from your

prison?

[Joan smiles and gives Loiseleur a secret, confidential glance. His

eyes gleam back at her in complicity. She answers:]


37

JOAN. Yes… and by means of a great victory!

[The judges are astonished and cross-examine her. They ask her to

explain precisely what she knows, and how she has come to know

it. But Joan answers:]

JOAN. I know that God will soon come to my help in a miraculous way.

(Dreyer, 1929: 85)

To secure her mission and her path to the Crown Victory through all the

trap for her from the executions, Joan manages to ensure Loiseleur to believe in

her mission as God’s plan too.

[Joan’s crisis is over. Once again she sees clearly the path she

must follow. Quietly she puts away the pen. Cauchon sees this and

thunders:]

JOAN… alone…

[But a heavenly light shines from Joan’s face. She smiles. With her

eyes raised to heaven she says]

JOAN… alone … with God!

[Cauchon, realizing that his prey is about to escape him, increase

his exertions and displays all his power of persuasion. Does she

know that the Church has the means to compel her? Is she familiar

with the secrets of the torture? Cauchon’s threats make no

impression on Joan. She feels safe with her God. Her face is

transfigured by a beautiful light as she says:]

JOAN. I come to you on behalf of our mission. True. I am only a young

girl, but your duty, is even greater to this mission than my own, I

ask your permission and protection for this mission. And that I

would rather die than deny God’s acts.

(Dreyer, 1929: 40)

Joan’s utmost struggle is against the people who have big roles in the

patriarchal system in the Rouen city protected by church and kingdom, who,

whether they realize or not, becomes a hindrance for her struggle as woman’s

right to achieve her mission. They are mostly imperial family, princes, priests and

top court officials. Joan cannot go directly into the kingdom and meet the king.

She must go through from below to the highest court before she gets into the king.


38

By using this way, get through all of those people mentioned above, Joan

can finally succeed her mission to fight the battle and save France. Here are the

hierarchal steps and the people from the patriarchal society that she has to take in

order to meet the king;

1. Bishop Cauchon (The Head of Chapel)

Cauchon is a weak bishop, he has a spoil character for an executor

and the head of the church. His king listens to him a lot and always

command the clerics to obey him, particularly his plan for the inhabitants

and the church. Since the higher position in the villages Cauchon holds,

they always obey and serve him with all kinds of worship and

compliments which can arise his authority desire. The overwhelming

admiration brought the bishop to do as much as he pleases, thus creating

an authotharian personality. As a result, although he is not yet a king of

Rouen, he is no more than a dictator. However, he is still considered as

one of the sovereign rulers of France. However, Joan has to start her step

by facing bishop Cauchon.

These three men are surrounded by the other forty-one clerics, all

men of learning, thoroughly versed in the art of dragging

confessions out of accused persons. Cauchon gives orders for the

accused to be brought in (Dreyer. 1929: 112).

Cauchon nods and tells Joan to say the Our Father. She refuses.

Jean d’Estivet and Cauchon exchange glances. Cauchon tells her

urgently to do his bidding, but Joan refuses again, for she is afraid

that memories of her mother and her home in Domremy are going

to overwhelm her. Cauchon puts further pressure on her: she is to

repeat the Our Father immediately and unconditionally. She

declines to do so. Cauchon rebukes her for this stubbornness and


39

commands the judges take over but they remain silent (Dreyer,

1929: 113).

Joan does not want to miss this chance. She does not let this

situation drain her down and makes her sad. She takes advantage of this

ironic condition. She becomes very critical to bishop Cauchon as being

critical attract everyone’s attention to what she says, she then gives him

advice and suggestions concerning the political situation in the country

and manages to listen and care for him to win his decision instead of

obeying his order about the Our Father. She does not let him win over her

sadness being away from home, so she takes an action to responses and

refuses bishop Cauchon in a polite and in brave way. She pushes through

the feeling she did not want to feel and stays strong.

Upon his command she walked slowly toward him, carefully as

she went with that braveness and grace she knew so well how to

use. She was not selfish but she feigned rebel and assumed a very

strong rebellion which was half real and half pretended. For it was

this woman’s heart power that she could be almost what she

feigned and planned to be, and so she become nearly what she

would be, at any moment and any place. (Dreyer, 1929: 37)

2. The Soldiers

For centuries, French Bishop had employed male servants in the

Church Court to serve the clerics and executors. They were employed as

soldiers of the court because many hard works during that time could not

be done by machine device like nowadays, so it men’s’ strength to do all

them. Before they are allowed to enter the Imperial Court, they need had


40

to endure hard training and had to be tortured by some survival trial first

and sometimes by force so that they could protect and do all the work

properly.

They were really close to the king, the result of their closeness is

the fact that they knew many secrets within the kingdom palace. Their

influence towards the king were even greater than the Grand Councilor or

other members of the Imperial Family and unfortunately most French

Emperors preferred to listen and obey them without consideration.

Seeing this fact, Joan tries not to show that she is afraid or dares to

offend them. Joan makes use of their power and influence to smoothen

her struggle.

They are neither young nor old. They change themselves as normal

standard inhabitants before they are allowed to enter into the

Kingdom Palace. Their feeling and heart, stemmed and

uncompromised, turned obeisance and no heart in them. It

becomes malice and bitterness and cruelty and all things vice.

Avoid making trouble with the soldiers. Give them money or

commission when you must. Never let them see that you fear them.

JOAN. I will not afraid of you. [She said to the one of the soldier

who treated her.]

Joan then makes the soldiers her way to success

It was not really his duty to be near her, he was only among the

soldiers who watch after her, but they had become helpful for them

in many small ways.

(Dreyer, 1929: 81)

She makes a way from them because as a woman, she must be

really careful and clever in what she does since we know that during her

time, when a woman tries to do things exceeds the customs and traditions,


41

people will be very suspicious and will consider it as taboo. Moreover,

since Joan is the King’s trustworthy army, she has to be extra careful and

she must secure her paths for her struggle for her rights and equality in the

Church Council. She must not let the soldiers topple her by favoring those

who envy her. Those soldiers are everywhere in the Kingdom Palace and

Church Council. Their ears are sharp and their eyes are like the eagle’s

eyes. They are quick to see and hear every single thing in the palace, and

they are everywhere. Moreover, they are ready to torture those whom they

hate anytime they want, especially the army.

Joan, however, manages to overcome this situation as the step that

she has to take after facing the bishop Cauchon. She also succeed in her

way and struggle against those soldiers when she dares to ask her strong

mission to keep vigil and guard her to come to the mass after she prayed to

God as her strength, her reason to be faithful, her real mission and love to

her nation so that she can take back its island, her people and complete her

mission to fulfill her desire, love and passion. Thus, through her courage,

she succeed to fight for her rights as a woman for all women to love, to be

faithful and to pour their passion to what they love and believe. Joan

finally led the French military in battles across France to take back the

nation, she followed God’s voice to eventually gain back most of France

and fought for her faith.

Joan’s struggle is successful. She can have her right to rule the

battle as what a man can. Besides that, she can also have her right to love


42

and to be faithful to God whom she really believe in everything she does,

even before she accepts to become prisoner of the Masseiu in the church.

JOAN. I am in sore troubles and I am sick. My King Charles, hears

my mission and sees my woe. He has asked Massieu to

listen and approve my mission and to end the persecution

and bring me to the Kingdom. As long as I am with God,

you cannot stop me. You are not to enter, nor let anyone so

much as judges into my chamber. You understand that it is

by the Loiseleur’s command that he comes.

Her guide (Loiseleur) comes without any doubts to her

bedchamber.

[The judges leave Joan, Loiseleur being the last to go, he

asks the soldiers to leave and he chose to stay. Without

bringing any trial and persecution, he approaches Joan

and pats her hair and sympathetically says:]

LOISELEUR. Do not grieve… place your trust in God, he will not

forget you.

[Joan turns her tear-stained face to him; full of gratitude

for his kind words, she kisses his hand.]

(Dreyer, 1929: 150)

Joan even makes Lemaitre, an experienced soldier, to become her

partner and her most loyal soldier and she feared no soldiers anymore.

She beckoned the soldier to her side, pointing and waving her

sword to the sky. He was always near and always watching and

when he saw her raised her sword or the sword dropped, he came

at once and ready to help her, for her, he was all ears, to hear what

she would ask and command. (Dreyer, 1929: 155)

Therefore, whenever Joan is with Loiseleur, she is not afraid of the

soldier because she has said faithfully that no matter what, she will

complete the mission and she has threaten what might happen if he ever

tried to stop her with her mission. This can be seen clearly in a dialogue

between Joan and Loiseleur when Joan asked him to the chapel with her.


43

JOAN. Rise! There is no one near to us, except my soldier – and he

is my friend in team.

[He confused and watched carefully.]

JOAN. I fear the soldier of Massieu. [He said in low voice] Not

mine, [she said fearlessly.] If he hurt me by a word I’d

bring them to the king. [She held her sword kept it at the

back body as she spoke.]

(Dreyer, 1929: 161)

From the quotation above, Joan shows her courage and bravery

by ensuring everyone in the chapel that she is not afraid of anything and

that they should not be afraid of the soldier who is now be in her side for

they are now are friends. Some people assume that soldiers are killers, and

by seeing Joan with a soldier, it makes them think that Joan did something

to the soldier and plan to destroy them. Seeing the fear in their eyes and

Loiseleur’s eyes, Joan announces and ensures that there is nothing to be

afraid of. This brings Joan to face the next step with the Lemaitre, the

grand executor.

3. Lemaitre ( The grand executor)

Lemaitre is the executor and councilor of the kingdom, before Joan

gets to the kingdom, she has to face Lemaitre in the execution. He gives

the king advice concerning political, military matters and all the ways to

safe France. However, after heard all the things Joan has been through to

get into the kingdom palace and since the king raises and trusts Joan to the

rank of heroine of France, he listens to her advice rather than Lemaitre’s,


44

Lemaitre becomes envy and plotted with other Joan’s enemy to dispose,

mess her or even kill her.

Within the close walls of palaces, silent war and execution breed

like foul fevers. And recalled her enemies, Lemaitre the Grand

executor and councilor who hated her because she was above him.

(Dreyer, 1929: 68)

After analyzing the characteristics of feminism in The Passion of

Joan of Arc, discrimination and oppression against woman really happens

in this screenplay. The idea of feminism such as how Joan with her

struggle can overcome the regent for the young leader and finally the real

heroine of France is illustrated by Carl Th. Dreyer in his screenplay, The

Passion of Joan of Arc, and that is reflected in Joan’s character. “And of

her burdens there was yet another. She is a woman. The French did not

trust a woman as a ruler, they said they evil rulers (Dreyer, 1929:183)

Suddenly Joan finds herself in the middle of one of these shafts and stops

for a moment. She becomes aware that every eye is turned towards her;

she sees that they are hard, cold and uncomprehending. For a few seconds

it seems as if she is going to collapse, overcome by the cold, remorseless

atmosphere. On one side a completely human, simple, young county girl’

on the other the flower of this century’s talents, learned doctors, the fine

fruits of the university, every prodigy in Christendom…the instrument of

reason and of death. The personification on one side of innocence, on the

other of magnificence. (Dreyer, 1929: 3-4)

Thus we can see clearly that in her life, as a child, a teenager, a prisoner

and finally a heroine, Joan has shown her spirit and courage to fight for her right

as a woman, freedom and justice no matter what the hindrances are. Another

proof of her success is that she also manages to keep the Loiseleur to stand on her


45

side and fight for her against her enemies who would like to prevent her from

fulfilling her vision, mission and ambition.

You have no right to die…you must continue to fight for France… for the

king of France. You have done a good day’s work today… you have saved

your soul! Stay listened to my advice. (Dreyer, 1929: 35)

Joan’s struggle to influence the judges, her maids and pretending to love

the church king, bishop Cauchon so as to gain power and right to rule the country

with knowledge on matters of state which she had studied during her loneliness in

the night strongly shows that her struggle against customs and traditions that

discriminated French woman in her period was a great success. Joan was also able

to reach her desire to lead her own army in the battle to help the king of French to

take back French crown.

Besides that, the king Charles admires her bravery and strength that make

he cares and has strong sympathy for her. The king was struck with such a

wisdom letter, “To our dearly beloved Joan. Charles, the king, hereby informs you

that he is preparing to advance on Rouen with a mighty army. He is sending you a

faithful priest, who will stand by you. Have confidence in him”. (Dreyer, 1929:

13)

4. Usher Massieu (The head of church)

In ancient France and throughout all the dynasties, the head of the church, the

father of ruling priests, inhabitant and even kingdom who had great influence in

the palace and throughout the country. He was just as if he were the real ruler.


46

Anything he said must be obeyed and sometimes considered as an Imperial

Decree.

In this screenplay, before Joan is chosen by the King as his most brave a

young girl in inhabitant, her father has told her that she must first win the heart of

the Head of Church.

JOAN’S FATHER. If you are chosen and your mission approved

by the King, Charles,” her father said, “face first Usher Massieu,

the head of Church. Let him believe that you will fight with your

mission, are willing to defeat for this country and you think of it

day and night. Answer every question carefully, learn what he

enjoys, seek out his comfort, and never try to escape him.

(Dreyer, 1929: 14)

From this part of story, it can be analyzed that Joan, as a young girl

and the Church’s prisoner, has to choose the softest way in dealing with

Massieu. She must convince Massieu that it is the voice of God that makes

her believe that she has to defeat for France and fight the war. Besides

that, Joan also shows her perseverance, cleverness, belief and faith in

responding under the guidance of Loiseleur who was the head of prison

and sneakily become her silent advisor for the supervision.

Through Loiseleur, then, Joan must find her access, and she made

it her daily to wait upon the other executor who is to present the

case against Joan, appearing with a choice of claims or accusation

from the church. (Dreyer, 1929: 23)

Joan’s effort becomes harder in order to win the concern and the

heart of Usher Massieu.

All this trouble she took that Usher Massieu might mention it to

the Kingdom and the Church when he came and so her name

would fall somewhere into the King’s hearing. (Dreyer, 1929: 24)


47

Joan’s rebellious character and her “Tiger’s heart” shows that she

is an outstanding figure and more than just an ordinary young girl in her

time. Ladvenu yields and is powerless and has no more idea to stop Joan’s

struggle and he cannot even command her.

[One of the executor remained silent for so long that he thought he

had fallen asleep. But he had not. He lifted his sunken eyelids after

a time. He leaves his place and tries to restrain other executors,

but he approaches the bishops and says to them:]

LADVENU. We are treating this woman like an enemy – not like a human

being on trial!

[Then he casts a look full of tenderness at Joan, who at this

moment us drying her cheeks, still wet from Jean d’Estivet’s

spittle. Houppeville continues:]

LADVENU. For me she is a saint!

[He goes over to her, genuflects before her, and turns to go

through the door. Ladvenu even obeys whatever Joan wanted or

needed

Ladvenu groaned]

LADVENU. I tell you, I have never seen so fierce and faithful a female!

Well, then, the chapel is gentle. Suggest to her that Joan is ill and

should be rested.

[The judges confer. Cauchon thinks the torture should continue,

and asks the judges to vote on this proposal, but only one of them

is in favor of continuing. This is Loiseleur, who says:]

LOISELEUR. It is medicine for her soul!”

[Ladvenu gives Loiseleur a look of hostility.]

(Dreyer, 1929: 135)

From the text above, it shows that Ladvenu, one of the executors

gives up and decides to stop torturing Joan for he realized that it is not a

proper way to treat a woman who has good mission to safe the nation

inhumanity. He declares that Joan changes his perspective by her faithful

action towards her mission. Ladvenu finally pleases Loiseleur to take Joan

leave the execution room and bring her to rest, even though in other side


48

Cauchon still thinks of another test to torture Joan. With a little bit of

anger, Ladvenu clarifies to everyone in the room that Joan deserves a good

attitude and treatment.

Joan’s struggle is really astonishing. Since she uses faithful and

comforting words to Loiseleur and Ladvenu whenever they visit her in her

bed chamber, that made Loiseleur and Ladvenu have faith in her. This

struggle and intrigue is a great success especially when Loiseleur and

Ladvenu are depressed on hearing that Usher Massieu, the head of church,

prepares to send letter of surrender to the king. Joan is very tactful. She

have faith in Loiseleur and Ladvenu and she trust them. She does not want

to miss this opportunity to keep following the news from them. Joan also

ensures Loiseleur and Ladvenu by telling them that she is not afraid of

what Usher Massieu plans as she believes that she is the only one whom

God sends her to safe France and fight for her nation.

Ladvenu is finally convinced and has more faith in Joan, he even

feels the weak moment of he becomes a leader but cannot much thing to

help Joan. Moreover, she is very delighted as if what she hears comes

directly from God. We can see this from a serious and deep dialogue

between Joan and Ladvenu

LADVENU. You say that you are sent by God? [Ladvenu asked.]

JOAN. To save France! This is why I was born. [Joan added.]

LADVENU. So you believe that God hates the English?

JOAN. I know now whether God loves or hates the English…

[With a strength which suddenly reveals a new side of her

character, and turning towards the English soldier:]


49

JOAN. But I know for certain that the English will all be driven

out of France… except for those who are going to die here!

[Joan said.]

LADVENU. Why do I lead? [Ladvenu inquired piteously.]

JOAN. You must lead, Ladvenu, [Joan said. She made her deep

voice convinced.] You must lead – until my mission is

completed.

[Ladvenu becomes more sympathetic towards Joan.]

LADVENU. Is it true?

JOAN. Can it be God’s will? Yes, it is so! The crown victory will

become from your faith and strength, a heroine! King

hears! It must be so. And I called you fierce, I said that you

were too strong. I have come to give you comfort and

strength.

(Dreyer, 1929: 181)

Joan is really faithful and strong. She is even adored by Ladvenu

and Joan is not considered as a prisoner, rather she is then considered as

his real heroine. Therefore, Joan makes her way from the help of Ladvenu

to meet the king to tell her mission to defeat for France, equal to men

army, particularly when she really fight to save her country.

[He looked down through the wall window into the young

and faithful face and Joan is looking up saw adoration and

hope in the King’s eyes.

Finally Joan is treated as if she were the real leader of the

army.]

KING CHARLESS. And you, my hope [he exclaimed,] you are a

hope to me. You are the destined one. I see it in your eyes.

Such eyes! Nothing evil must befall you. Return to your

own chamber, my Joan, and rest yourself. I shall have you

removed into the inner courts of the Chapel, where the sun

goes down through the glass of the window. And let the

shines give you strength without delay.

(Dreyer, 1929: 137)

The quotation above shows that Joan can finally makes her way to

come to the kingdom palace, meet the king and hears what he says in person. She


50

feels so glad and reliefs hearing on what the king says to her and so, that is the

beginning of her big step to prepare to fight the battle to save France.

Joan’s success was not in only achieving the results stated above, but she

also rules the vast Empire (France) through the bishops, her guides. She pays

attention to the government officials who deliver reports to the emperor and

whisper to the bishop what must be said to them from the front or behind the wall

screen where she and her co regent mostly fought the war or hid herself. “From

this day on,” she said, “I am to stand behind and in front of the wall screen in the

war. The Son of God has commanded it. “(Dreyer, 1929: 17)


51

CHAPTER V

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the study of feminism struggle depicted in Joan (Heroine) in

chapter four, the writer comes into a conclusion that the French society in the medieval

age as described in the screenplay The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Th. Dreyer is a

patriarchal society. Men have higher position and women are weaker than men. Men can

have many roles and authority to decide in the society. They can get involved in many

aspects of the society. Men are politically, economically, socially and culturally active.

On the contrary, women do not have the chance to do the same things. The only proper

duty that women have in the society, is to take care of their household, obey the rules and

commands and later after they get married, they have to do their husband’s house chores

family.

Thus referring to the problem formulation stated in chapter I and from the

analysis in Chapter IV, the writer can have the following conclusions as the answer for

the problem formulation stated in Chapter I.

The conclusion for the first problem about what are the custom and tradition in

the screenplay that discriminate women, is that the ancient French custom and tradition in

the screenplay really underestimate women and consider them as subordinate to men in

some aspects of life. Joan is also experienced the same condition and situation.

Before she chooses to become a church executed prisoner, she is not allowed to

have a high education and privilege and she is only allowed to do house chores and

taking care of her younger sister. When she entered Rouen City where she spent all her


52

life as the prisoner of the church, some judges consider her as incapable of having the

position and the right as the leader of the battle to fight for France and she is even called

by the judges as a witch and child of the devil who is pretending as someone who got

mission from God, although the king himself has made an edict stating that Joan deserves

the chance to take back the nation. Moreover, her rivals (Cauchon, Massieu and Jean

d’Estivet) try to dispose her and her mission (to safe France), but finally they fail.

Concerning the feminism struggle in the second problem about what struggle did

Joan undergo to release herself from those custom and tradition which discriminate

woman, is clearly depicted in Joan’s character.

Joan struggled and succeeded to release herself from those custom and tradition

towards patriarchal society by firstly, beating up and taking over the head of the church

(Usher Massieu) in making decision in the battle who accused her as a witch and

conducted her to the cell after she asks his approval to let her leading a battle as it is the

right for him to decide. Secondly, Joan released herself from the head of chapel (Bishop

Cauchon) by refusing his commands that forced her to wear a woman’s clothes and

teased her to go back to home to normal life as a woman. Thirdly, Joan stands for herself

when the soldiers threated her that they are not going to let her free from the cell, mocked

her as a troublemaker, tortured her by letting her being thirsty and hungry, and bullied her

as she is not the right one to safe France. The fourth, Joan succeed to fail Lemaitre, the

grand executor, who with big jealousy execute her to fall on her knee and give up on her

mission.

As final remark, through this screenplay, we are expected to understand and

moreover admit that women are actually audacious, courageous, faithful, and brave,


53

interested in grown up doings and have the nerve to struggle for their rights to be equal to

all men in some aspects of life and for their freedom. Besides that, the writer hopes that

through this undergraduate thesis, the reader will have a real understanding that French

women and women in general are really strong, intelligent, faithful, brave and ambitious.

They are never desperate and are not afraid to make very hard efforts and thought. Most

of the time they have to sacrifice themselves to achieve freedom.


54

BIBILIOGRAPHY

Abrams, M.H. A Glossary of Literary Term. New York: Holt, Reinhart and Winston, 1981.

Amt, Emilie. Women’s Lives in Medieval Europe. New York: Routledge, 1993.

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57

APPENDICES

Appendix 1: Summary of the Carl Th. Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc

Joan was known as Jeanette when she lived in Domremy. A dedicated, driven and

passionate Christian. Before she was summoned to the church in Rouen, society placed her in the

roll of village girl. Love and respect grew between the villagers, yet she did not accept them

when they spoke about maids and marriage. When she was in the chapel, she heard God’s voice

to save France but kept silent. As she had a mission for France, she needed to tell it to the king

for the approval and to the church for the permission. Although at that time, no one allowed to

enter the kingdom palace or the big church unless they’re being executed or chosen as

concubines.

Before she came to the church, her father told her to leave her childish name behind and

replace it with Joan. Her goal to be able to meet the bishop achieved and she could enter the

church under the control of the army. Joan lived with her family in the village, Domremy. Her

father was a farmer and her mother stayed at home to take care of their children and do the house

chores. Joan had one little sister, she also took care of her. Now while she was a prisoner, she

tried to rebel and started talking about her mission to help the king and the bishop thought of her

execution. It was the first step of Joan to face her first struggle to save France land. She answered

all the questions bravely and carefully that made the bishop and the executors cursed her. Never

in the history of the dynasty, a female prisoner acted bravely facing bishop and executors

fearlessly except for Joan. She was the bravest young girl from the village that Emperors, Usher

Massieu, Lemaitre and the executors hated. Usher Massieu and Lemaitre hated her so much that


58

made them torture her mentally and physically which made her weak and sick. For a long time

she was prisoned in a cold cell, walked on the chains on her feet and not able to have enough

water to drink nor chapel to pray, and she attempted to get out of the jail and free from Lemaitre.

Although there was a sympathetic bishop who supported and believed in Joan, that was

Loiseleur. She talked to Loiseleur about her mission to fight the battle and expressed everything

to him. Fortunately, Loiseleur took control over the soldier to not hurting her and suggested the

executors to stop cursing her. Thanked his support and advice, Joan stood up and strong again

and she promised him to finish her mission, no matter what it might take. Though she won

France, she would not forget Loiseleur. She was always silently protected and guarded by him

either in the church or the kingdom palace and whenever she needed advice.

She picked some books from the church library and asked Loiseleur to read it for her

since she couldn’t read properly. After listened to the wise words concerning dangers and foes,

she felt that she had to know whom she had to face. When she conceived, she confidently

believed that her mission was given by God, thus became a hope of the king that she must know

the affairs of the kingdom and the enemies in her mission and she must also find strategies to

defeat them.

Joan was a broadminded and a genius young girl. She was able to win the heart of the

king. The king was amazed by her bravery and her belief that he gave her rank as the army leader

and thus she had the right and power like Bishop Cauchon and Usher Massieu, the church

emperors. Besides that, the king also gave her the right to choose any weapon of her choice and

also a sublime name and title Joan of Arc (Heroine of the France kingdom) which later it became

her legend name after she won the land battle.


59

Joan trembled because of the England who were going to attack the king palace. Seeing

this turmoil, the king tried to step back. Bishop Cauchon heard all this disaster and he persuaded

the king from doing so, and suggested the king to leave it to the church to make the decision

instead. Joan realized that it was wrong for the king to just leave the decision on the church since

the king had to take action. She showed her courage by staying at the palace and faced her

enemies (Usher Massieu and the executors). However, Bishop Cauchon forced her to take a step

back. Joan refused it but since the king is in real turmoil, she finally obeyed Bishop Cauchon and

took a step alone without the king.

In the church where Usher Massieu and the executors were there, who plotted to seize the

authority to rule, joyfully received the news of the king’s surrender, realizing it was a matter of a

great urgency. Joan summoned Loiseleur immediately after she heard about the plot. In the midst

of this chaos, her family was supervised. In her great fear and confusion, she came to the cross

and prayed to God to give her strength. Having the power from God, she believed that God

helped and protected her.

Joan went to the court of the Dauphin Charles, leader of the Armagnac French, the anti-

English faction in France’s brutal civil war. She bizarrely dressed in men’s clothes with her hair

cut short and she brought a startling message; she was sent by God to drive the English out of

France. Her utter conviction and the desperate straits in which the Armagnacs found themselves

persuaded the Dauphin’s theological advisers that she should out on the test. They tried her and

executed her, not for war crimes but for being a witch. After many obstacles and difficulties,

Joan managed to get the king’s approval. Knowing their failure, the executors plot another way

to torture her all the way. She felt fearless because Loiseleur promised to help and guard her and

she never took off her armor in trials.


60

Joan faced every difficulty, failed all the executors, liberated from the judgment and

oppression, and approved by the king to fight the battle for France. Later, she led troops into

battle to astonishing victory at the besieged town of Orleans across France to take back its land.

She never flattered in her objective even after the enemy captured her and she kept following

God’s voice to eventually gain back most of France and gave back the crown to the king till she

finally died for her faith and rights.

Appendix 2: Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Life

Carl Theodor Dreyer was born illegitimately in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 3,

1889. His mother named Josefine Bernhardine Nilson was an unmarried Scanian maid. His

father named Jens Christian Torp was a married Danish farmer living in Sweden who was his

mother’s employer. Dreyer was put up for adoption by his father. He spent the first two years of

his life in orphanages until his adoption by a typographer named Carl Theodor Dreyer, and his

wife, Inger Marie. He was named after his adoptive father but in accordance with Danish.

His adoptive parents were emotionally distant and his childhood was largely unhappy but

he was a highly intelligent school student who left home and formal education at the age of

sixteen. He disassociated himself from his adoptive family, but their teachings were to influence

the themes of many of his films. Dreyer was ideologically conservative and he did not believe in

revolutions but in evolution in the small advances instead.

As a young man, Dreyer worked as a journalist, but he eventually joined the film industry

as a writer of title cards for silent films and subsequences of screenplays. He was initially hired

by Nordisk Film in 1913. His first attempts at film direction had limited success and he left

Denmark to work in the French film industry. While living in France he met Jean Cocteau, Jean


61

Hugo and other members of the French artistic scene and in 1928 he made his first classic film,

The Passion of Joan of Arc. Working from the transcript of Joan’s trial, he created a masterpiece

of emotion that drew equally on realism and expressionism. Dreyer used private finance from

Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg to make his next film as the Danish film industry was in financial

ruin. Vampyr (1932) is a surreal meditation on fear. The movie contains many indelible images,

such as the hero, played by de Gunzburg, dreaming of his own burial and the animal blood lust

on the face of one of the sisters as she suffers under the vampire’s spell. The film was shot

mostly silent but with sparse, cryptic dialogue in three separate versions; English, French, and

German.

Both films were box office failures, and Dreyer did not make another movie until 1943.

Denmark was by now under Nazi occupation, and his Day of Wrath had as its theme the paranoia

surrounding witch hunts in the seventeenth century in a strongly theocratic culture. With this

work, Dreyer established the style that would mark his sound films; careful compositions, stark

monochrome cinematography, and very long takes. In the more than a decade before his next

full-length feature film, Dreyer made two documentaries. In 1995, he made Ordet (The Word)

based on the play of the same name by Kaj Munk. The film combines a love story with a conflict

of faith. Dreyer’s last film was 1964’s, Gertrud. Although seen by some as a lesser film than its

predecessor, it is a fitting close to Dreyer’s career, as it deals with a woman who through the

tribulations of her life, never expresses regret for her choices.

The great, never finished project of Dreyer’s career was a film about Jesus. Though a

manuscript was written (published 1968) the unstable economic conditions and Dreyer’s own

demands of realism together with his switching engagement let it remain a dream.


62

Dreyer died because of pneumonia in Copenhagen at age 79. The documentary Carl Th.

Dreyer: My Metier contains reminiscence from those who knew him.


63

Appendix 1: Summary of the Carl Th. Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc

Jeanette is Joan’s name when she lived in Domremy. A dedicated, driven and passionate

Christian. Before she was summoned to the church in Rouen, she has already been placed in the

society to be a villager girl. Love and respect grew between the villagers, yet she did not accept

them when they spoke about maids and marriage. When she was in the chapel, she heard God’s

voice to save France but kept silent. At that time, no one allowed to enter the kingdom palace or

the big church unless they’re being executed or chosen as concubines.

Before she came to the church, her father told her to leave her childish name behind and

replace it with Joan. Her goal achieved and she could enter the church as a prisoner. Joan lived

with her family in the village, Domremy. Her father was a farmer and her mother stayed at home

to take care of their children and do the house chores. Joan had one little sister, she also took care

of her. Now while she was a prisoner, she tried to rebel and started talking about her mission to

help the king and the bishop thought of her execution. It was the first step of Joan to face her first

struggle to save France its land. She answered all the questions bravely and carefully that made

the bishop and the executors cursed her. Never had in the history of the dynasty a female

prisoner acted so brave facing bishop and executors fearlessly except Joan. She was the bravest

villager young girl that Emperors, Usher Massieu, Lemaitre and the executors hated. Usher

Massieu and Lemaitre really hated her that made them torture her mentally and physically which

made her weak and sick. She had to stay in the cold jail for long, walked on the chains on her

feet and not able to have enough water to drink nor chapel to pray, and she attempted to get out

of the jail and free from Lemaitre. Although there was a sympathetic bishop who supported and

believed in Joan, that was Loiseleur. She talked to Loiseleur about her mission to fight the battle

and expressed everything to him. Fortunately, Loiseleur took control over the soldier to not


64

hurting her and suggested the executors to stop cursing her. Thanked his support and advice,

Joan stood up and gets strong again and she promised him keep on her mission, no matter what it

might take. Though she won France, she would not forget Loiseleur. She was always silently

protected and guarded by him either in the church or the kingdom palace and whenever she

needed advice.

She picked some books from the church library and asked Loiseleur to read it for her

since she couldn’t read properly. After listened to the wise words concerning dangers and foes,

she felt that she had to know whom she had to face. When she conceived, she confidently

believed that her mission was given by God, thus became a hope of the king that she must know

the affairs of the kingdom and the enemies in her mission and she must also find strategies to

defeat them.

Joan was a broadminded and a genius young girl. She was able to win the heart of the

king. The king was amazed by her bravery and her belief that he gave her rank as the army leader

and thus she had the right and power like Bishop Cauchon and Usher Massieu, the church

emperors. Besides that, the king also gave her the right to choose any weapon of her choice and

also a sublime name and title Joan of Arc (Heroine of the France kingdom) which later it became

her legend name after she won the land battle.

Joan trembled because of the England who were going to attack the king palace. Seeing

this turmoil, the king tried to step back. Bishop Cauchon heard all this disaster and he persuaded

the king from doing so and suggested the king to leave it to the church to make the decision

instead. Joan realized that it was wrong for the king to just leave the decision on the church since

the king had to take action. She showed her courage by staying at the palace and faced her

enemies (Usher Massieu and the executors). However, Bishop Cauchon forced her to take a step


65

back. Joan refused it but since the king is in real turmoil, she finally obeyed Bishop Cauchon and

took a step alone without the king.

In the church where Usher Massieu and the executors were there, who plotted to seize the

authorization to rule, joyfully received the news of the king’s surrender, realizing it was a matter

of a great urgency. Joan summoned Loiseleur immediately after she heard about the plot. In the

midst of this chaos, her family was supervised. In her great fear and confusion, she came to the

cross and prayed to God to give her strength. Having the power from God, she believed that God

helped and protected her.

Joan went to the court of the Dauphin Charles, leader of the Armagna French, the anti-

English faction in France’s brutal civil war. She bizarrely dressed in men’s clothes with her hair

cut short and she brought a startling message; she was sent by God to drive the English out of

France. Her utter conviction and the desperate straits in which the Armagnacs found themselves

persuaded the Dauphin’s theological advisers that she should out on the test. They tried her and

executed her, not for war crimes but for being a witch. After many obstacles and difficulties,

Joan managed to get the king’s approval. Knowing their failure, the executors plot another way

to torture her all the way. She felt fearless because Loiseleur promised to help and guard her and

she never took off her armor in trials.

Joan faced every difficulty, failed all the executors, liberated from the judgment and

oppression, and approved by the king to fight the battle for France. Later, she led troops into

battle to astonishing victory at the besieged town of Orleans across France to take back its land.

She never flattered in her objective even after the enemy captured her and she kept following

God’s voice to eventually gain back most of France and gave back the crown to the king till she

finally died for her faith and rights.


66

Appendix 2: Carl Theodor Dreyer’s Life

Carl Theodor Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark, on February 3,

1889. His mother named Josefine Bernhardine Nilson was an unmarried Scanian maid. His

father named Jens Christian Torp, was a married Danish farmer living in Sweden who was his

mother’s employer. Dreyer was put up for adoption by his father. He spent the first two years of

his life in orphanages until his adoption by a typographer named Carl Theodor Dreyer, and his

wife, Inger Marie. He was named after his adoptive father but in accordance with Danish.

His adoptive parents were emotionally distant and his childhood was largely unhappy but

he was a highly intelligent school student who left home and formal education at the age of

sixteen. He disassociated himself from his adoptive family, but their teachings were to influence

the themes of many of his films. Dreyer was ideologically conservative and he did not believe in

revolutions but in evolution in the small advances instead.

As a young man, Dreyer worked as a journalist, but he eventually joined the film industry

as a writer of title cards for silent films and subsequences of screenplays. He was initially hired

by Nordisk Film in 1913. His first attempts at film direction had limited success and he left

Denmark to work in the French film industry. While living in France he met Jean Cocteau, Jean

Hugo and other members of the French artistic scene and in 1928 he made his first classic film,

The Passion of Joan of Arc. Working from the transcript of Joan’s trial, he created a masterpiece

of emotion that drew equally on realism and expressionism. Dreyer used private finance from

Baron Nicolas de Gunzburg to make his next film as the Danish film industry was in financial

ruin. Vampyr (1932) is a surreal meditation on fear. The movie contains many indelible images,


67

such as the hero, played by de Gunzburg, dreaming of his own burial and the animal blood lust

on the face of one of the sisters as she suffers under the vampire’s spell. The film was shot

mostly silent but with sparse, cryptic dialogue in three separate versions; English, French and

German.

Both films were box office failures, and Dreyer did not make another movie until 1943.

Denmark was by now under Nazi occupation, and his Day of Wrath had as its theme the paranioa

surrounding witch hunts in the seventeenth century in a strongly theocratic culture. With this

work, Dreyer established the style that would mark his sound films; careful compositions, stark

monochrome cinematography, and very long takes. In the more than a decade before his next

full-length feature film, Dreyer made two documentaries. In 1995, he made Ordet (The word)

based on the play of the same name by Kaj Munk. The film combines a love story with a conflict

of faith. Dreyer’s last film was 1964’s Gertrud. Although seen by some as a lesser film than its

predecessor, it is a fitting close to Dreyer’s career, as it deals with a woman who through the

tribulations of her life, never expresses regret for her choices.

The great, never finished project of Dreyer’s career was a film about Jesus. Though a

manuscript was written (published 1968) the unstable economic conditions and Dreyer’s own

demands of realism together with his switching engagement let it remain a dream.

Dreyer died of pneumonia in Copenhagen at age 79. The documentary Carl Th. Dreyer:

My Metier contains reminiscence from those who knew him.


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