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English Text Construction
Vol. 17:1 (2024) ► pp.106–141

Witch, strumpet, maid and saint

Joan of Arc’s characterisation through the use of epithets in Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 1

| Université de Namur,
Shakespeare’s Henry VI, Part 1 depicts Joan of Arc in contradictory terms. This paper discusses the narrative and literary techniques that are used to develop Joan of Arc’s characterisation, particularly the alternation of location between the Anglo-Burgundian and the French-Armagnac camp, the antagonistic staging of Joan of Arc compared to Lord Talbot and Margaret of Anjou, and the contrastive use of epithets, including the shifting positive, neutral or negative dictionary meanings and context-dependent meanings, as per Ray Jackendoff’s theory of Conceptual Semantics. This results in questioning the apparent meaning of words and concepts and thereby also the apparent judgment on the characters themselves, thus ambiguating, questioning, and ridiculing apparent certainties.
Keywords: antagonistic representation, characterisation, context-dependent meaning, epithets, Joan of Arc
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Historical context
  • 3. 1H6’s relation to contemporary depictions of Joan of Arc: Impact and meaning of popular appellations
    • 3.1Negative appellations
    • 3.2Positive appellations
  • 4.Literary and structural devices applied by Shakespeare in order to shape Joan of Arc’s characterisation in 1H6
    • 4.1Dual structure and antithetical use of epithets
    • 4.2Antagonistic staging and antithetical use of epithets
      • 4.2.1Joan versus Talbot
      • 4.2.2Joan versus Margaret
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • Author queries
  • References
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