ASPECTS OF POWER IN THE DRAMA “THE MAID OF ORLEANS” BY FRIEDRICH SCHILLER
Keywords:
power, ideal, divine providence, transformation, autonomyAbstract
This paper analyzes Friedrich Schiller's play The Maid of Orleans through the prism of power dynamics, examining how divine providence, human agency, and personal transformation shape the protagonist Joan of Arc's authority. The purpose is to identify the sources of Joan's power and trace their transformation throughout the dramatic narrative. Methodologically, the research employs close textual analysis of Schiller's 1801 drama, combined with historical-contextual interpretation and comparative literary theory. Particular attention is given to the play's structural division into two distinct halves, mirroring Joan's internal metamorphosis. Results indicate that Joan's power operates in two distinct phases: first as an external, divinely-sanctioned force requiring absolute devotion, and subsequently as an internal, human-derived strength emerging through personal crisis and moral autonomy. The first phase is characterized by miraculous feats, martial invincibility, and an asexual, saintly persona. The second phase begins with Joan's forbidden romantic feeling for the English soldier Lionel, which triggers the loss of her divine mandate. Stripped of supernatural aid, Joan must confront captivity, shame, and public condemnation. Paradoxically, this fall enables her ultimate triumph: she liberates Orleans not through divine miracles but through authentic, self-determined courage. The analysis reveals that Schiller deliberately parallels 15th-century France with contemporary German political conditions, using Joan's character to reflect on the Napoleonic phenomenon of power and the dangers of charismatic authority. Conclusions demonstrate that true greatness, according to Schiller, resides not in being an instrument of higher forces but in finding inner strength when all external support disappears. This study recommends further comparative studies examining Schiller’s historical dramas as e cohesive research of power manifestations across different cultural contexts, including Wallenstein and Mary Stuart.
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