Alice:
Alice
is Catherine's lady-in-waiting.
Bardolph:
Bardolph
is an old drinking companion of the King, in the days when Henry was
Prince of Wales and known for his wild living. People make jokes about
Bardolph's red nose, the consequence of his heavy drinking.
Bardolph is hanged after he steals from a church in France.
John
Bates: John
Bates is one of the English soldiers that the disguised Henry encounters
on the eve of the battle of Agincourt. Bates wishes the King would
ransom himself, although he also considers himself to be a loyal subject
of the King and does not think it proper to inquire about whether the
King's cause is just.
Duke
of Bourbon: The
Duke of Bourbon is a French noble who is captured at the battle of
Agincourt.
Boy:
The Boy is in service to Pistol, Nym and Bardolph. But he despises them
and vows to seek other masters.
Duke
of Burgundy:
The
Duke of Burgundy is a French noble who arranges the terms of peace
between the English and the French. In Act 5, scene 2, he gives a long
speech that vividly describes the devastation that war has brought
to France.
Richard,
Earl of Cambridge:
Richard,
Earl of Cambridge, is one of the three traitors whose conspiracy is
discovered before the King sails for France. He confesses to the crime
and begs for mercy, but the king will not listen, and Cambridge is
executed.
Archbishop
of Canterbury:
The
Archbishop of Canterbury is the highest church official in the land. He
makes great efforts to persuade Henry to make a claim to the throne of
France. He also promises to donate large sums of church money to the
crown.
Catherine:
Catherine
is the daughter of the French King Charles VI. She is given in marriage
to Henry V.
Charles
VI:
Charles
VI is the King of France. He does not share his nobles' belief that
King Henry will be easily defeated. Historically, Charles VI was subject
to bouts of mental illness, although Shakespeare does not depict him in
this light.
Louis
the Dauphin: Louis
the Dauphin is the son of King Charles VI. He sends Henry V an insulting
gift of tennis balls, and throughout the play exudes arrogance and
contempt toward the English army. Before the battle of Agincourt he
boasts of the prowess of the French.
Duke
of Clarence:
The
Duke of Clarence is Henry V's brother. He fights at Agincourt.
The
Constable of France: The
Constable of France is the commander of the French forces during the
battle of Agincourt. He is killed in the battle.
Bishop
of Ely: The
Bishop of Ely shares the views of the Archbishop of Canterbury regarding
the rightfulness of Henry's claims to the French throne.
Sir
Thomas Erpingham:
Sir
Thomas Erpingham is an old but loyal soldier who fights at Agincourt.
Duke
of Exeter:
The
Duke of Exeter is Henry's uncle and one of his closest advisers. He
distinguishes himself by leading an English force that captures a bridge
from the French.
Captain
Fluellen:
Captain
Fluellen is a Welsh officer in Henry V's army. He is talkative and
quarrelsome, but is a courageous soldier. He has an interest in military
history and military strategy, and he admires the ancient Romans. He
resolves his quarrel with Pistol by beating him and forcing him to eat a
leek.
Duke
of Gloucester: The
Duke of Gloucester is Henry V's brother. He fights at Agincourt.
Captain
Gower:
Captain
Gower is an English officer in Henry V's army. He is the friend and
confidant of Fluellen.
Lord
Grandpré:
Lord
Grandpré is a French lord who is killed at Agincourt. He describes the
pitiful appearance of the English army on the morning of the battle.
Sir
Thomas Grey:
Sir
Thomas Grey is one of the conspirators against the King. He is sentenced
to death.
Henry
V:
Henry
V is the English king who renounces the wild living of his youth and
becomes a mature, responsible monarch. He claims the French throne
because his most senior counselors advise him of the justice of his
claim. Once in France, he shows himself to be a ruthless and effective
military leader, able to inspire his men to great feats. He marries
Catherine of France.
Hostess:
Hostess
is the wife of Pistol. Formerly Mistress Quickly, she is the
hostess of the Boar's Head in Eastcheap, where Prince Henry and his
drinking pals used to meet.
Isabel:
Isabel
is the French queen, the wife of France's King Charles VI.
Captain
Jamy:
Captain
Jamy is a Scottish officer in Henry V's army.
Captain
Macmorris:
Captain
Macmorris is an Irish officer in Henry V's army. He is responsible for
preparing the mines (tunnels dug under the enemy position that can be
blown up), although he admits they are not well constructed.
Montjoy:
Montjoy
is the French herald who conveys the French demands to Henry before the
battle. He also conveys the French surrender.
Nym:
Nym
is a corporal, and a friend of Bardolph, Pistol and Falstaff. He
quarrels with his friend Pistol because Pistol married Hostess Quickly,
to whom Nym claims he was engaged. Nym is a petty thief, and like
Bardolph is hanged for looting a French church.
Duke
of Orleans: The
Duke of Orleans is one of the French nobles. Historically, he was
captured by the English at Agincourt, but Shakespeare does not mention
this.
Pistol:
Ensign
Pistol is a friend of Nym and Bardolph, even though he and Nym quarrel.
He is married to Hostess Quickly, and is also one of the King's pals
from his earlier drinking days. Pistol enlists for the war in France,
during which he quarrels with Fluellen because Fluellen will not
intervene to save Bardolph's life. Pistol is a braggart soldier, all
swagger and no courage (even though he does manage to capture one
French soldier).
Lord
Rambures:
Lord
Rambures is a French lord who is killed at Agincourt.
Earl
of Salisbury: Earl
of Salisbury is one of the English commanders at the battle of Agincourt.
Henry,
Lord Scrope of Masham:
Henry,
Lord Scrope of Masham is one of the three traitors who plan to kill
Henry V, but their plot is foiled before the King sails for France.
Henry is particularly angry with Scrope's treachery because they were
close friends and Henry confided in him.
Earl
of Warwick: The
Earl of Warwick is one of the English commanders at the battle of
Agincourt. His wish that the English had a larger army is what prompts
Henry's great speech to his men before the battle.
Earl
of Westmoreland:
The
Earl of Westmoreland is one of the English commanders at the battle of
Agincourt.
Michael
Williams: Michael
Williams is one of the English soldiers that the disguised Henry
encounters on the eve of the battle of Agincourt. He is skeptical of the
rightness of the King's cause, and thinks that the King will bear
responsibility for those killed in the battle. Williams picks a quarrel
with Henry and they agree to settle it after the battle.
Duke
of York: The
Duke of York, having begged the king that he be allowed to be in the
vanguard of the battle at Agincourt, dies a heroic death.
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