the cross. I shall be remembered when men have forgotten where Rouen stood." Anyone reading or seeing the play knows that to be the truth.Shaw's pattern of giving historical information, and explaining and summarizing characters' behaviors, continue throughout the epilogue. The next character to arrive in the scene is Peter Cauchon, the Bishop of Beauvais who like Ladvenu, participated in deciding Joan's fate. He starts off by providing the facts of his life after Joan's death. "Dead. Dishonored. They pursued me beyond the grave. They excommunicated my dead body: they dug it up and flung it into the common sewer." Shaw's intention may have been to show that society is too quick to judge, and as a result, goes to extremes beyond what is reasonable and necessary. Cauchon continues, "The solid earth sways like the treacherous sea beneath the feet of men and spirits alike when the innocent are slain in the name of law, and their wrongs are undone by slandering the pure of heart." This statement can be interpreted as a theme of the play since Joan's story illustrates exactly the point that Cauchon is making. By explicitly stating such theme, Shaw undercuts the power of the preceding action and weakens the dramatic effect of the play. Cauchon continues on to summarize his action, which we've already seen throughout the play. "...I was just: I was merciful: I was faithful to my light: I could do no other than I did." As was with Ladvenu, the audience saw Cauchon behaving exactly the way he describes. Thus, his words add nothing to the play and are redundant.Next to appear is Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans. Like all the others in the epilogue, he immediately explains his actions that we've already seen. He says, "Perhaps I should never have let the priests burn you; but I was busy fighting; and it was The Church's business, not mine." He had already made it clear that fighting the war was his priority in Scene V. Referring to Jo...
