And so we return from break to start the next Henriad, only to find our friend Shakespeare absolutely trashing one of history’s most beloved heroic women.

This play is something of an outlier among Shakespeare’s histories. It doesn’t have as much going for it as many of the others, containing several moments of weak dialogue and slapstick action to mock the French. It was written as a way to cash in on the popularity of 2 Henry VI, a prequel with many moments that are frustrating and flat, which probably weren’t even from Shakespeare’s pen (unless he was REALLY phoning it in for those scenes).

And yet, I still have a good time reading this play. The ridiculousness of the Joan parts is hilarious; she’s over the top as a villain, even conjuring demons to give her battle strength and then trying to get out of a burning by claiming to be pregnant by whichever man will drum up the most sympathy for her. Given her current status as a saint, it’s a wild picture of a thorn in the flesh of the English. I imagine Shakespeare feels about her what the Canadians are feeling about American Olympic Hockey player Jack Hughes today.

The play is also lively with heroes and self-interested statemen—and a vision of what happens when a nation loses its heroes and gives control over to the power-hungry, squabbling, and self-interested elites. It’s not a pretty picture, and it’s going to take us down a dark path, leading to Shakespeare’s charming Machiavellian villain Richard III in a few plays.

So, watch the heroes fall and new scheming villains take their places. Keep your eyes on the fun ones: Margaret of Anjou, Richard Plantagenet, Cardinal Beaufort. It’s going to be a fun ride through the second Henriad! Here we go!

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