# Dunois — Saint Joan character guide

> Dunois in Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Jack, Jack Dunois, the brave Dunois, the handsome Dunois, Seigneur, the Seigneur Dunois, Dunois Smiling, Dunois The English

**First appearance:** 0043-scene-i

## Snapshot

The Bastard of Orleans, a good-natured, battle-tested commander who becomes Joan's most reliable ally in the field.

## Who they are

Dunois knows war and knows the court's cowardice, so he recognizes Joan's military instinct faster than the politicians do. He fights beside her at Orleans and Rheims, loyal without being blind, and his easy competence throws the Dauphin's paralysis into relief. He matters because he shows what Joan could accomplish when a capable man simply says yes.

## Relationships

### [Joan of Arc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/joan_of_arc)

_friendship_

Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, becomes Joan's loyal military ally and one of her few genuine friends.

### [King Charles VII](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/king_charles_vii)

_professional_

Dunois serves as a loyal but frustrated military commander under the indecisive King Charles VII.

### [Peter Cauchon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/peter_cauchon)

_rivalry_

Dunois despises Cauchon as a traitorous French bishop who sides with the English against Joan.

### [Joan of Arc](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/joan_of_arc)

_friendship_

Dunois, the Bastard of Orleans, becomes Joan's loyal military ally and one of her few genuine friends.

## In the story

### [Joan's Manliness and Militarism](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/joan-s-manliness-and-militarism)

Mentioned as the commander at Orleans whom Joan sought to relieve.

### [Joan Summed Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/joan-summed-up)

Mentioned as Joan's commander who sounded the retreat at Orleans before her final triumph.

### [The Maid in Literature](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-maid-in-literature)

Referenced as 'the brave Dunois' in Voltaire's poem, and later in Anatole France's Life of Joan, where France attributes Joan's military success to Dunois's adroit use of her as a mascotte.

### [Unbroken Success Essential in Theocracy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/unbroken-success-essential-in-theocracy)

Mentioned as the Bastard of Orleans, part of the chain Joan needed to forge but could not.

### [The Stage Limits of Historical Representation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-stage-limits-of-historical-representation)

Shaw notes he has merged Dunois with the Duc d'Alençon into a single character for the play.

### [The Inevitable Flatteries of Tragedy](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-inevitable-flatteries-of-tragedy)

Mentioned as being falsified in melodramas as a lover, whereas the play aims for a truer portrayal.

### [Saint Joan](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/saint-joan)

A military commander who supports Joan's campaign.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters/dunois
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/characters