Justice for Joan

The Passion of Joan of Arc tells the story of Joan, the French court, and justice. The

different characters in this silent film are operating on various levels of justice that do not

always meet eye-to-eye. There are multiple types of justice found in this film, including human

justice, divine justice, and political justice. Human justice is the notion that people will receive

what they deserve, but this is decided by other people. Divine justice is the idea that God gives

each one what they deserve, but in the most perfect way because He is the judge. Finally, there

is political justice which indicates the use of the judicial process to increase of decrease the

power or influence of another. Unfortunately, it is the miscarriage of justice that ultimately

leads to Joan of Arc’s death.

The first depiction of justice that appears in the film The Passion of Joan of Arc is

political justice in the form of the court and jury made up of French clergymen who have put

Joan of Arc on trial. This form of justice should come with a fair trial, but unfortunately many of

the clergymen are blinded by their emotions and beliefs that Joan is sent from the devil rather

than God. The clergymen’s idea of justice ended up being a combination of political and human

justice. They have the ideals of human justice within a political justice system. They based their

actions and rulings on what they believed Joan deserved. However, the combination of the two

forms was rife with injustice. Joan was coerced and deceived into saying things in court that

would incriminate herself. They threatened her with torture instruments and tried to guilt her

by using the sacraments as a bribe to stop wearing men’s clothing or sign the abjure. Clergymen

and the soldiers they are allied with even forge a letter to Joan from the king of France that

gives her false hope, and asking her to trust a clergyman whose intentions are to show that she
is guilty. Nevertheless, there are a few exceptions within the clergymen where true human

justice is seen. There are two clergymen who believe Joan and recognize that when she says

she has been sent on a mission from God that she is telling the truth. They also exercise human

justice in giving Joan what they believe she deserves, but in this case it is respect and kindness

in the place of mockery and cruelty.

These dramatic contrasts between the two divided groups of clergymen highlight some

of the values that are reflected by these two types of justice. Political justice demands a

commitment to fairness and objectivity, which can often be difficult because as humans we are

all affected by different life experiences that produce different emotions and biases. Despite

personal opinions it is imperative to remain open, in order to see the real truth of the situation

upon which to make judgments. Likewise, respect must be valued and shown for the process as

well as toward the person seeking justice. This is true for both political and human justices.

Likewise, human justice requires fair judgment and open-mindedness, as well as loyalty to your

own beliefs and values. A key component for each of those values is self-awareness. Human

justice requires a reflection on the actions of the other person and on our own motives for why

you believe they deserve a certain thing. A little compassion is also necessary because it must

be recognized that we are all human and that whoever is judging the other is also imperfect.

This leads us the divine justice, in which God is the perfect judge of all men and women.

In The Passion of Joan of Arc divine justice will come after death for Joan. Her devotion to God

and refusal to reject Him by giving up the mission He gave to her will lead to her salvation. In

choosing to trust in God that He would deliver her from this evil, Joan stays true to her faith,

which frees her from the bonds of earth in her physical death and ensures the safe passage of
her soul. Joan’s justice is rewarded in heaven where she can be reunited with God and await

the judgment of those who tried to condemn her. Joan periodically illustrates the values

necessary for divine justice by demonstrating her faith and trust in God, as well as her

commitment to her spirituality.

In conclusion, Joan is sentenced to death on the stake, but the values she held

throughout her life as depicted in this film inspired and converted those around her to take up

some of the same values. Joan reference the passage from Isaiah emphasizes that it is possible

for each individual to be operating on a separate level of justice in the same situation. The

extreme contrasts of justice and injustice apparent from the beginning of the trial are not

reconciled in time to spare Joan’s life. In order to preserve innocent lives, it is necessary to

recognize the different forms of justice and the values that required to achieve reconciliation.

Works Cited
The Passion of Joan of Arc, film produced by Carl Dreyer, France, (distributed by Société
Générale des Films, 1928), 110minutes.