Bardolph (Shakespeare Character)
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Bardolph is a fictional character who appears in four plays by
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...
. He is a thief who forms part of the entourage of
Sir John Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', wh ...
. His grossly inflamed nose and constantly flushed,
carbuncle A carbuncle is a cluster of boils caused by bacterial infection, most commonly with ''Staphylococcus aureus'' or ''Streptococcus pyogenes''. The presence of a carbuncle is a sign that the immune system is active and fighting the infection. The ...
-covered face is a repeated subject for Falstaff's and
Prince Hal Prince Hal is the standard term used in literary criticism to refer to Shakespeare's portrayal of the young Henry V of England as a prince before his accession to the throne, taken from the diminutive form of his name used in the plays almost ex ...
's comic insults and word-play. Though his role in each play is minor, he often adds
comic relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic episo ...
, and helps illustrate the personality change in Henry from Prince to King. In early published versions of ''
Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...
'', the character is called Rossill or Sir John Russel. Shakespeare renamed the character to avoid suggestions that he was ridiculing the then-prominent Russell family, which included the Earls of Bedford. Bardolph is thought to be named after
Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf (22 December 1369 – 19 February 1408) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Wormegay, Norfolk, of Shelford and Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire, Hallaton (Hallughton), Leicestershire, and others, a ...
(d. 1408), one of the rebels affiliated with the insurrection of
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was Mary ...
. In ''
Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
'', Bardolph participates in the war (the
Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...
) and is good friends with
Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
and Nym. By this stage he has been promoted to the rank of
lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...
. After the Fall of Harfleur (1415), he is charged with
looting Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...
, having been discovered stealing from a church in the conquered French town. He is sentenced to punishment of death by hanging. In a focal point of ''Henry V'', King Henry, despite being friends with Bardolph in his youth, remorselessly agrees to his punishment and has him hanged.


Merry Wives of Windsor

Bardolph appears in ''
The Merry Wives of Windsor ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' or ''Sir John Falstaff and the Merry Wives of Windsor'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare first published in 1602, though believed to have been written in or before 1597. The Windsor of the play's title is a ref ...
'' as one of Falstaff's associates along with Nym and Pistol again, though his role is minor. Abraham Slender accuses him and the others of getting him drunk and then robbing him after he passed out. They all deny it. Later, Bardolph is dismissed by Falstaff because of his inadequate thieving skills ("his filching was like an unskilful singer; he kept not time.") The host of the local inn gives him a job as a tapster (
bartender A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but a ...
). Pistol and Nym consider this absurd, since Bardolph is a drunk from a family of drunks. They say his parents even conceived him when they were drunk. Bardolph later tells the Host of the inn that some German guests need to borrow horses. Bardolph goes with them, but soon returns saying the Germans have galloped away on the horses.


Character

Bardolph is continually compared to both an
angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
and a
devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of t ...
. He is Falstaff's loyal and constant companion, functioning as a form of demonic
guardian angel A guardian angel is a type of angel that is assigned to protect and guide a particular person, group or nation. Belief in tutelary beings can be traced throughout all antiquity. The idea of angels that guard over people played a major role in A ...
, who reminds Falstaff of the mouth of hell to which he may be destined. Bardolph himself is willing to follow him there. As
Harold Bloom Harold Bloom (July 11, 1930 – October 14, 2019) was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was described as "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking wor ...
says, "Bardolph, the butt of many of his jokes, want to be with him whether he is in heaven or hell (2.3.7–8); for Bardolph the jests of Falstaff cast out even the fear of hell. Yet Bardolph has reason to know otherwise. Falstaff looked at Bardolph, but he did not see Bardolph, he saw souls burning in hell." The hell imagery becomes stronger in ''Henry V'' when after Falstaff's death the page boy remembers him making a
black joke The Black Joke, sometimes spelled Black Joak, was a bawdy song heard in London around 1730. William Hogarth referenced the song in the Tavern Scene of A Rake's Progress. Grose's dictionary of the vulgar tongue notes that the refrain of the song was ...
about a flea: "a esaw a flea sticking on Bardolph's nose and a said it was a black soul burning in hellfire". Before Bardolph's execution he is described by
Fluellen Fluellen is a fictional character in the play ''Henry V'' by William Shakespeare. Fluellen is a Welsh Captain, a leader of a contingent of troops in the small army of King Henry V of England while on campaign in France during the Hundred Years' ...
as a barely-human unstable eruption of noxious forces: "his face is all bubukles, and whelks, and knobs, and flames o' fire: and his lips blows at his nose, and it is like a coal of fire, sometimes plue
lue Lue or LUE may refer to: People * Andrew Lue (born 1992), Canadian retired football player * Cachet Lue (born 1997), Canadian-born Jamaican footballer * Lue Gim Gong (1860–1925), Chinese-American horticulturalist * Lee Lue (1935–1969), Laotian ...
and sometimes red; but his nose is executed, and his fire's out". Bardolph's character in the King Henry series symbolises the change in Henry from a troublesome youth to a determined leader. Bardolph's execution is based on a real incident. A soldier, whose name is not known yet, was hanged during the campaign in France for robbing a church.


Name

Bardolph shares his name with the historical
Lord Bardolph Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf (22 December 1369 – 19 February 1408) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Wormegay, Norfolk, of Shelford and Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire, Hallaton (Hallughton), Leicestershire, and other ...
, who appears in the opening scene of ''Henry IV, Part 2'' as one of the supporters of the Percy rebellions. Lord Bardolph thus plays a similar role in the disruptive "
high politics In political science (and within the subfield of international relations in particular), the concept high politics covers all matters that are vital to the very survival of the state: namely national and international security concerns. It is ofte ...
" of the play, paralleling the fictional criminal Bardolph's role as a supporting figure in the disruption of law and order among the "low" characters. According to René Weis, "In the context of the play's opposing a crumbling main plot in its final throes to an equally collapsing low plot, the two Bardolphs pose similar threats to the welfare of the kingdom, through
high treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...
and corruption of the heir to the throne respectively." Some commentators nevertheless have found the choice of the name puzzling, since having two characters in the same play with the same name is potentially confusing for the audience. Weis argues that Bardolph's distinctive appearance would be enough to avoid confusion. In the earliest published version of ''Henry IV, Part I'', the 1598 quarto, he is called "Rossill" (an archaic spelling of the name Russell) and is at one point specified as "sir Iohn Russel".René Weis (ed), William Shakespeare, ''Henry IV, Part 2'', Oxford University Press, New York, 1997, p.29-30. This is generally taken to mean that he originally had that name in the first performances of the play, just as Falstaff too had originally been given another name: Sir John Oldcastle. Shakespeare may have changed the name when he was forced to change Oldcastle to Falstaff after complaints from the Oldcastle family. It is possible he decided to remove any suggestion that he was ridiculing the Russell family (which included
William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh William Russell, 1st Baron Russell of Thornhaugh (died 9 August 1613) was an English nobleman, politician, peer, and knight. He was the younger son of Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford and his first wife Margaret St. John. His birthdate is un ...
and
Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford Edward Russell, 3rd Earl of Bedford (20 December 1572 – 3 May 1627) was an English nobleman and politician. Early life He was the son of Sir Francis Russell, Lord Russell and his wife, Eleanor Forster.Collins, A. (1720). ''The Baronettag ...
), and so used the name of the rebel.J. Madison Davis, ''The Shakespeare Name and Place Dictionary'', Routledge, 2012, p.43. Since the character originally appears to have been a knight (both the Norman-French names "Russell" and "Bardolph" imply knightly status), this suggests that Shakespeare was following closely his source ''
The Famous Victories of Henry V ''The Famous Victories of Henry the fifth: Containing the Honourable Battel of Agin-court: As it was plaide by the Queenes Maiesties Players'', is an anonymous Elizabethan play, which is generally thought to be a source for Shakespeare's ''Henriad ...
'' in which Prince Hal's disreputable companions are unruly knights rather than vagabonds. However Bardolph is clearly identified as a mere servant of Falstaff's in ''Henry IV, Part 2'', something that is not explicit in Part 1. In Part 2 Bardolph seems to copy the role of Hal's criminal servant "Cuthbert Cutter" in ''Famous Victories'' when the Lord Chief Justice is referred to as "the nobleman that committed the Prince for striking him about Bardolph". This recalls a scene in ''Famous Victories'' when Hal assaults the Lord Chief Justice for arresting and intending to hang Cutter for theft. The name Bardolph therefore seems to have been deliberately chosen specifically for ''Henry IV, Part 2'' to parallel Lord Bardolph at a low-class level. His servant-class status is confirmed in the ''Merry Wives'' by his job as a tapster.


Nose

Bardolph's distinguishing feature, his inflamed nose ("that salamander of yours"), has led to some debate, and has affected the way the character is portrayed in productions. The portrayal of the condition ranges from basic
rosacea Rosacea is a long-term skin condition that typically affects the face. It results in redness, pimples, swelling, and small and superficial dilated blood vessels. Often, the nose, cheeks, forehead, and chin are most involved. A red, enlarge ...
to
rhinophyma Rhinophyma is a condition causing development of a large, bulbous nose associated with granulomatous infiltration, commonly due to untreated rosacea. The condition is most common in older white males. Colloquial terms for the rhinophyma includ ...
. The idea that a ruddy face and red nose is associated with excessive drinking has a long history. However, Fluellen's reference to Bardolph's whole face being covered with abnormal growths suggests an extensive skin condition. It is possible that Fluellen's word "bubuckles" is a portmanteau of "
carbuncle A carbuncle is a cluster of boils caused by bacterial infection, most commonly with ''Staphylococcus aureus'' or ''Streptococcus pyogenes''. The presence of a carbuncle is a sign that the immune system is active and fighting the infection. The ...
s" and "
bubo A bubo (Greek βουβών, ''boubṓn'', 'groin') is adenitis or inflammation of the lymph nodes and is an example of reactive lymphadenopathy. Classification Buboes are a symptom of bubonic plague and occur as painful swellings in the thigh ...
s", implying swellings produced by syphilis. Various comic explanations are given for Bardolph's face. Prince Hal imagines that he blushed when he was caught stealing his first alcoholic drink and the blush stuck. Falstaff says it is a providentially ordained lamp to lead them in the dark on their criminal enterprises. Bardolph himself claims that his flushed appearance comes from "choler", a reference to the theory of the
four humours Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers. Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 1850s ...
, according to which a
choleric The four temperament theory is a proto-psychological theory which suggests that there are four fundamental personality types: sanguine, choleric, melancholic, and phlegmatic. Most formulations include the possibility of mixtures among the types w ...
temperament denotes courage.


In literature

Bardolph's fiery nose became a reference point in later literature. An anonymous poem satirising the Whig party included the line, "Fat Whigs, whose noses gilded well with wine,/ Like Bardolph's famed proboscis swell and shine". George Daniel's ''Merrie England in the Olden Time'' includes a verse with the line "Here honest Sir John took his ease at his inn / Bardolph's proboscis, and Jack's double chin." In 1831, a humorous article on the "Genius and Poetry of the Nose" in
Edward Moxon Edward Moxon (12 December 1801 – 3 June 1858) was a British poet and publisher, significant in Victorian literature. Biography Moxon was born at Wakefield in Yorkshire, where his father Michael worked in the wool trade. In 1817 he left ...
's ''The Englishman's Magazine'' stated that "the celebrity of Bardolph's nose will endure as long as the name of the mighty bard himself", going on to complain that scholars had not devoted effort to the "erudite illustration and exposition of Bardolph's extraordinary feature". Bardolph's lamp-like nose consumed no oil, but derived its vital power from the "''pure spirits'' that presided over Bardolph's potations". In
Robert Nye The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, hono ...
's novel ''Falstaff'' (1976) the eponymous narrator says "there never was a nose that came near to the nose of my man Bardolph. Not for brilliance, refulgor or resplendence...It was not a nose, it was phosphorous."


References in other works

Bardolph appears along with Falstaff's other cronies in ''
Falstaff's Wedding ''Falstaff's Wedding'' (1760 and 1766) is a play by William Kenrick (writer), William Kenrick. It is a sequel to Shakespeare's plays ''Henry IV, Part 2'' and ''The Merry Wives of Windsor''. Most of the characters are carried over from the two Shak ...
'' (1766), a play by
William Kenrick William Kenrick may refer to: *William Kenrick (Member of Barebone's Parliament), MP for Kent (UK Parliament constituency) *William Kenrick (writer) (1725–1779), English novelist, playwright and satirist *William Kenrick (nurseryman) (1795&nda ...
, which is set after the events of ''Henry IV, Part 2''. In Robert Brough's novel ''The Life of Sir John Falstaff'' (1858), a fictional autobiography of the knight, it is revealed that Bardolph's real name is Peter, and that Bardolph is a nickname derived from "a fancied resemblance to a nobleman at the court" (i.e.
Lord Bardolph Thomas Bardolf, 5th Baron Bardolf (22 December 1369 – 19 February 1408) was a baron in the Peerage of England, Lord of Wormegay, Norfolk, of Shelford and Stoke Bardolph in Nottinghamshire, Hallaton (Hallughton), Leicestershire, and other ...
). Peter "took kindly to the name" to such an extent that he eventually believed that he was a member of the aristocratic family. Bardolph's supposed coat of arms is "a bottle gules, on an oak table proper, with a corkscrew trenchant, supported by thirst rampant". In A. M. F Randolph's fantasy ''The Trial of Sir John Falstaff'' (1893), Falstaff is brought to trial, with Justice Shallow presiding. Bardolph is called as a witness, but refuses to say anything. The light from the window strikes his nose, creating such an intense reflection that the whole court is temporarily blinded. Bardolph is cited for contempt of court. In Nye's novel ''Falstaff'' Bardoph tells Falstaff that his mother was Tannakin Skinker, the famous pig-faced woman. His family were originally wealthy burghers from the Netherlands, but were shamed when a gypsy curse led his grandmother to give birth to a pig-faced child. They kept the child secret, but when she reached adulthood, they moved to England to consult
Roger Bacon Roger Bacon (; la, Rogerus or ', also '' Rogerus''; ), also known by the scholastic accolade ''Doctor Mirabilis'', was a medieval English philosopher and Franciscan friar who placed considerable emphasis on the study of nature through empiri ...
, who informed them that only vigorous sex would cure their daughter's facial deformity. They advertised for a partner, who had to have sex with her through a partition. The cure worked and the couple were married. She gave birth to Bardolph, but her husband killed himself when, as a side-effect of the cure, his penis shrank to the size and shape of a pig's tail. Bardolph inherited the tendency to nasal abnormality. Bardolph appears in several operatic works. In Salieri's ''
Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
'' the role is for a baritone. As "Bardolfo" he appears in Verdi's ''
Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays '' Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...
''. He also appears in Vaughan Williams' opera ''
Sir John in Love ''Sir John in Love'' is an opera in four acts by the English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. The libretto, by the composer himself, is based on Shakespeare's ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' and supplemented with texts by Philip Sidney, Thomas Mi ...
''. In both of these the role is for a tenor. In Holst's ''
At the Boar's Head ''At the Boar's Head'' is an opera in one act by the English composer Gustav Holst, his op. 42. Holst himself described the work as "A Musical Interlude in One Act". The libretto, by the composer himself, is based on Shakespeare's '' Henry IV, ...
'' the role is for a baritone. Bardolph comments on various events, factions, and characters in Jason Sholtis's
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by TSR (company)#Tactical Studies Rules ...
adventure Operation Unfathomable.


Screen portrayals

*On film, in the 1944 Laurence Olivier version of ''Henry V'', Bardolph was played by
Roy Emerton Roy Emerton (9 October 1892 – 30 November 1944) was a British film actor. Earlier in his life, he was a sailor, stoker, docker, railway worker, and miner and served in the First World War. He played in a great number of popular London stage p ...
. In that version, because the British public of that time needed a boost in morale due to
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, Olivier completely omitted the part about Bardolph's execution on Henry's approval in order to present a more positive take on the titular character. This results in Bardolph simply disappearing from the film without explanation after the Harfleur scene. *In the 1965 film ''
Chimes at Midnight ''Falstaff (Chimes at Midnight)'' (Spanish: ''Campanadas a medianoche'') is a 1966 period comedy-drama film directed by and starring Orson Welles. The Spanish-Swiss co-production was released in the United States as ''Chimes at Midnight'' and in ...
'',
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
' adaptation of ''Henry IV'' (with brief passages from various other plays by Shakespeare), Bardolph was played by
Patrick Bedford Patrick Bedford (May 30, 1932, Dublin, Ireland – November 20, 1999; New York City, United States) was an Irish stage and television actor. He began his career in the 1950s at the Gate Theatre in Dublin then under the direction of Hilton Ed ...
. *In the 1989
Kenneth Branagh Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (; born 10 December 1960) is a British actor and filmmaker. Branagh trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has served as its president since 2015. He has won an Academy Award, four BAFTAs (plus t ...
film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of ''Henry V'', he was played by
Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...
, in which his execution is depicted. *Three soldier characters in the film '' Cold Mountain'' are named Bardolph, Nym, and
Pistol A pistol is a handgun, more specifically one with the chamber integral to its gun barrel, though in common usage the two terms are often used interchangeably. The English word was introduced in , when early handguns were produced in Europe, an ...
. *On television Bardolph has been portrayed several times by
Gordon Gostelow Gordon Massey Gostelow (14 May 1925 – 3 June 2007) was an Australian actor. He was educated in Australia at North Sydney Boys High School and Sydney University where he graduated in Economics. Gostelow went to England in 1950 and worked ...
, an actor who was described as "born" to play the part. He first depicted him in the 1960 BBC series ''
An Age of Kings ''An Age of Kings'' is a fifteen-part serial adaptation of the eight sequential history plays of William Shakespeare (''Richard II'', ''1 Henry IV'', '' 2 Henry IV'', ''Henry V'', '' 1 Henry VI'', '' 2 Henry VI'', '' 3 Henry VI'' and ''Richard ...
'', which was a series of adaptations of Shakespeare's history plays concerning the Wars of the Roses. In the episode of ''Henry V'', after Bardolph dies Gostelow is 'reborn' to become
Sir Thomas Erpingham Sir Thomas Erpingham (27 June 1428) was an English soldier and administrator who loyally served three generations of the House of Lancaster, including Henry IV and Henry V, and whose military career spanned four decades. After the Lancastrian ...
, mutating from the king's disreputable companion in criminality to the king's noble companion before Agincourt.''An Age of Kings: Henry V'', c.f. Weiner, John, "Adapting the Histories: ''An Age of Kings'' on Screen", Illuminations. *in the 1979 season of the
BBC Television Shakespeare The ''BBC Television Shakespeare'' is a series of British television adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and broadcast by BBC Television. Transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to ...
series, Gordon Gostelow also played Bardolph in the episodes of the Henriad plays as well as ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' in the 1982 season. *In the 1989 television presentation of the Henry trilogy as co-directed by
Michael Bogdanov Michael Bogdanov (15 December 1938 – 16 April 2017) was a British theatre director known for his work with new plays, modern reinterpretations of Shakespeare, musicals and work for young people. Early years Bogdanov was born Michael Bogd ...
and
Michael Pennington Michael Vivian Fyfe Pennington (born 7 June 1943) is a British actor, director and writer. Together with director Michael Bogdanov, he founded the English Shakespeare Company in 1986 and was its Joint Artistic Director until 1992. He has writ ...
; that was taped live on stage as part of their
English Shakespeare Company The English Shakespeare Company was an English theatre company founded in 1986 by Michael Bogdanov and Michael Pennington to present and promote the works of William Shakespeare on both a national and an international level. Funding came from th ...
"War of the Roses" series, Bardolph was played by Colin Farrell (not to be confused with the
film star A movie star (also known as a film star or cinema star) is an actor or actress who is famous for their starring, or leading, roles in movies. The term is used for performers who are marketable stars as they become popular household names and w ...
of the same name). In this mostly modernized presentation of the Henrys, Farrell played Bardolph as a likeable sad sack type who covered many scene changes with brief melancholy solos on a trombone. His execution was actually depicted in ''Henry V'' by gunshot in silhouette, and just in the ''An Age of Kings'' version, Farrell afterwards was 'reborn' in the role of the more respectable Sir Thomas Erpingham. *In the 2012 television presentation of the Henrys that was part of the series ''
The Hollow Crown ''The Hollow Crown'' may refer to: * a passage in Shakespeare's play ''Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward t ...
'', he was portrayed by
Tom Georgeson Tom Georgeson (born 8 August 1937) is an English actor, known for his television and film work. His most notable credits have been supporting parts in '' Between the Lines'' (1992–94) and in three dramas by Alan Bleasdale: ''Boys from the Bl ...
. His death is again depicted by hanging as indicated in the original ''Henry V''.


References

{{Authority control Literary characters introduced in 1597 Characters in The Merry Wives of Windsor Comedy theatre characters Fictional alcohol abusers Fictional bartenders Fictional British military personnel Fictional corporals Fictional English people Fictional Hundred Years' War veterans Fictional lieutenants Fictional professional thieves Fictional soldiers Male Shakespearean characters