Joan of Arc in Twelfth Night

[Shaneman]

Hi there,

I'm working on my dissertation which looks at Joan of Arc's influence in Twelfth Night and Henry VI part one. I'm looking for allusions to Joan of Arc in Twelfth Night at the moment. So far I've found these:

* Viola shares many similarities with Jeanne d’Arc, she too was a strong, young woman who worked for and had a special relationship with royalty, the Duke of Orleans in Jeanne d’Arc’s case, rather than Duke Orsino.
* Illyria: ancient land once ruled by that other great warrior woman; Queen Teuta
* Joan of Arc thought to be born on Twelfth Night
* Joan also dressed as a man


If anybody could add anything to this I would be very grateful. If anyone has any seful comments on Joan of Arc in Henry VI, that too would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[Beewulf]

Not to rain on your analysis, but Viola seems the antithesis of Joan. She shows no interest in religion, she dresses as a man to protect herself, not for purposes of war, and while clever and resourceful, she is comically ill-equipped for violent action. Moreover, while Joan wanted to remain a chaste virgin in service of God, Viola sought union with Orsino.

[emander]

This page about Joan of Arc's birthday may be of help to you:
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_birthday.asp

Cheers!