# Bertrand de Poulengey — Saint Joan character guide

> Bertrand de Poulengey in Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** squire Bertrand de Poulengey Polly, Bertrand de Poulengey, Poulengey, Polly, Poulengey Rising, Poulengey Gravely, Mary, de Poulengey

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

## Snapshot

A dreamy, slow-spoken gentleman-at-arms whom Joan recruits by name, he becomes her first noble ally and the quiet hinge on which her mission turns.

## Who they are

Poulengey serves in the provost-marshal's department under the blustering Robert de Baudricourt, who calls him Polly and treats him like a son. Where Robert is loud and will-less, Poulengey is lymphatic, absentminded, and obstinate once he decides — and he has already decided to follow Joan before anyone asks him. His willingness to back a village girl's divine errand gives her the escort she needs and quietly shames the men who should have led.

## In the story

### [The Conflict Between Genius and Discipline](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/saint_joan_se/chapters/the-conflict-between-genius-and-discipline)

Implied as part of the military General Staff that Joan commanded, though not explicitly named in the excerpt.

## Links

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