A "ghost character." The Duke of Alençon is among the French nobles killed in the battle of Agincourt. Alençon kills the Duke of York (offstage). Henry defeats Alençon himself and took his glove (again, offstage). It is this glove that he later gives to Fluellen.
ALEXANDER the GREAT
Only mentioned. Fluellen makes a lengthy comparison between King Henry and Alexander, whom Fluellen calls "Alexander the pig" in his comic Welsh accent.
ALICE
Alice is Katherine's attendant. She shares her rudimentary grasp of English with Katherine, and later serves as her interpreter in the "wooing scene" when Henry has conquered France and is seeking to marry Katherine.
AMBASSADORS, FRENCH
Two French ambassadors arrive at Henry's court, bearing the Dauphin's derisory gift of tennis balls. They return to France with a message, Henry's warning that the Dauphin's joke will have lethal consequences for France.
ANTHONY
A "ghost character." Duke of Brabant, brother to Burgundy. He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
ARCHBISHOP of CANTERBURY
The Archbishop of Canterbury advises Henry about his right to invade France. In a long and convoluted speech, Canterbury explains that the Salic law would justify Henry's invasion. His is motivated to do so through self interest as Henry has suggested taxing the church if he remains in England.
BARDOLPH
Along with Pistol and Nym, Lieutenant Bardolph is one of the Boar's Head characters, the companions of Henry's youth. When Bardolph is caught stealing and faces execution, Pistol endeavors to save his life, but Henry agrees that Bardolph deserves to be hanged. Although the text only reports his hanging, it has become a modern theatrical feature to present the execution on stage.
BATES, JOHN
John Bates is an English soldier in Henry's army. On the eve of the battle at Agincourt, when Henry puts on Sir Thomas Erpingham's cloak and wanders among the soldiers incognito, he speaks with Bates, Williams, and Court about his responsibilities in battle and their own. Still unrecognized, Henry quarrels with Williams about the king's promise not to be ransomed if the English lose, Williams mistrusting the vow and Henry defending it. Bates reminds them that they should be fighting the French, not each other.
BEAUFORT, THOMAS
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, is the half-brother of Henry IV and therefore Henry V's uncle. He serves the function of English ambassador in II.iv, when he brings Charles VI Henry's challenge to cede the crown of France or prepare for war. Exeter also conveys a message to the Dauphin, reiterating Henry's threat that he will repay the Dauphin's scornful gift to him with war on France. When the governor of Harfleur surrenders, Henry puts Exeter in charge of the town.
BEAUMONT
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
BEDFORD
John of Lancaster, duke of Bedford, is brother of Henry, Clarence, and Gloucester, and is present at Agincourt. Historically, he remained in England as Lieutenant of the realm and was therefore not at Harfleur or Agincourt.
BERRI
The Duke of Berri, uncle of the French King Charles VI, is a mute character.
BISHOP of ELY
The Bishop of Ely along with the Archbishop of Canterbury advises Henry about his right to invade France and claim the crown.
BOURBON
The Duke of Bourbon is uncle of the French King Charles VI. At Agincourt, Bourbon refuses to capitulate and urges the other French leaders to continue fighting what appears to be a losing battle. He is killed on the battlefield.
BOY
The Boy, formerly Falstaff's page, attends Pistol, Bardolph and Nym when they join Henry's army. When Pistol captures a French soldier at the battle of Agincourt, Pistol's questions and the soldier's pleas for mercy work at cross purposes until the Boy arrives to serve as their translator. The Boy is able to explain that the soldier's name is Monsieur Le Fer, and eventually a ransom agreement is reached. Later, Fluellen is outraged when the French contravene the rules of engagement by killing the boys guarding the English army's luggage. The Boy is among those killed.
BRITTANY
As Henry's army continues its invasion of France, Brittany agrees with the French Dauphin's low estimate of army and leader.
BURGUNDY
After England has conquered France, the Duke of Burgundy is instrumental in bringing about the peace treaty between Henry and Charles VI. At the meeting of the two kings, Burgundy describes how France has been ravaged by their war.
CAMBRIDGE
Richard, Earl of Cambridge, is a traitor to England. Along with Scroop and Grey, Cambridge works to promote French interests. After asking the men for their advice regarding the punishment of a petty traitor, Henry reveals that he has discovered their plot, and that he plans to punish them with as little mercy as they have shown to the petty traitor. After his arrest, Cambridge rejects Henry's claim that French gold motivated the treason, but he offers no alternative explanation. The three traitors are executed on Henry's orders. Historically, he was Richard of Conisburgh, father of Richard, third duke of York, and grandfather of Edward IV.
CHARLES DELABRETH
Name of the Constable of France. See "CONSTABLE of FRANCE."
CHARLES VI
Charles VI, King of France, is father of the Dauphin and Katherine. Charles is less sanguine than his son about France's ability to withstand an English invasion, and his fears prove well founded when Henry's army triumphs. Charles acquiesces to Henry's demands, which include Henry's marriage to Katherine. After Henry has wooed Katherine and obtained her consent, Charles and Queen Isabel voice their approval of the match.
CHORUS
In the Folio but not the Quarto version of Henry V, the Chorus introduces each act of the play and speaks an epilogue. His prologue apologizes for the shortcomings of the spectacle, perhaps Shakespeare's most famous and sustained instance of meta-theatricality in which the amphitheatre is referred to as a "wooden O." Sometimes the Chorus' speeches glorifying Henry's war are undercut by the ensuing action: his introduction to the second act begins "Now all the youth of England are on fire," but the act begins in Eastcheap with a conversation between the reluctant soldiers Bardolph and Nym. The Chorus' epilogue reminds the audience that although Henry V ends on a positive note, with the union of Katherine and Henry, their son would assume the English throne as a boy (in history only nine months of age) and soon lose all that his father had won in France.
CLARENCE
The Duke of Clarence is the second son of Henry IV, brother of the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Gloucester and Henry. He appears at Troyes in V.ii but is not listed in any edition of the dramatis personae.
CONSTABLE of FRANCE
Charles Delabreth, Constable of France does not share the Dauphin's underestimation of Henry's abilities as king. When Charles VI begins to ready France's defenses against an expected English attack, the Dauphin urges his father not to over-react, but the Constable rebukes the Dauphin for failing to understand the true extent of Henry's powers. Still, when Orleans predicts a French victory, the constable agrees. Both men die on the battlefield.
COURT, ALEXANDER
Alexander Court is an English soldier in Henry's army. On the eve of the battle at Agincourt, when Henry puts on Sir Thomas Erpingham's cloak and wanders among the soldiers incognito, he speaks with Court, Williams, and Bate about his responsibilities in battle and their own.
DAUPHIN
Louis, the dauphin of France, is the eldest son of the French King Charles VI. He repeatedly underestimates Henry's abilities, helping to provoke England's invasion of France with an ill-advised gift mocking what he believes to be Henry's love of diversion. When the English do invade, Harfleur surrenders after the Dauphin cannot supply the troops needed to defend the town. On the eve of the battle of Agincourt, when Henry is preparing himself and his soldiers for battle, the Dauphin engages in a bragging session about his horse and about the victory he expects to savor in the morning. The French lose the battle, and he calls on the French nobles to stab themselves. The Dauphin's father signs a treaty capitulating to all of Henry's demands. In history Louis died in 1415 and was not present at Agincourt. He was succeeded by Jean, who died in 1416, and after by Charles, who became Charles VII. Shakespeare apparently conflates the three Dauphins here.
DAVY GAM
A "ghost character." He is reported among the English dead on the Agincourt battlefield. His title is esquire.
DOLL TEARSHEET
A "ghost character." When Pistol and Nym fight over Nell Quickly, who has married Pistol after promising to marry Nym, Pistol recommends that Nym forget about her and pursue Doll Tearsheet instead. In 2 Henry IV, Doll Tearsheet had been involved with Falstaff. Pistol later laments "my Doll is dead," which may be a corruption in the text and meant to be "Nell" (Mistress Quickly). The reference could be a vestige from an earlier draft that included Falstaff.
EDWARD
A "ghost character." Duke of Bar. He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
ENGLISH HERALD
After Agincourt, Henry sends heralds to collect the tally of casualties on both sides. One herald returns with a letter that he delivers to Exeter and Henry. The letter indicates that Orleans, Bourbon, and Bouciqualt along with fifteen hundred Frenchmen not including commoners are captured; ten thousand French are dead; one hundred twenty six of the dead were nobles with coats of arms and another eight thousand four hundred knights and gallants; sixteen hundred were mercenaries. On the English side, only York, Suffolk, Sir Richard Ketly, and Davy Gam, gentleman are named. Beside them, a mere twenty-five English died.
ERPINGHAM, SIR THOMAS
Despite his "good white head" which Henry suggests would grace a soft pillow in England better than the battlefield, Sir Thomas Erpingham is a loyal and determined soldier in Henry's army. On the eve of the battle at Agincourt, Henry borrows Sir Thomas' cloak and, thus disguised, wanders among his soldiers.
EXETER
Thomas Beaufort, Duke of Exeter, is the half-brother of Henry IV and therefore Henry V's uncle. He serves the function of English ambassador in II.iv, when he brings Charles VI Henry's challenge to cede the crown of France or prepare for war. Exeter also conveys a message to the Dauphin, reiterating Henry's threat that he will repay the Dauphin's scornful gift to him with war on France. When the governor of Harfleur surrenders, Henry puts Exeter in charge of the town. He appears at the end of the play in Troyes. Historically, he was the youngest son of John of Gaunt and Catherine Swynford. He did not become duke of Exeter until 1416, a year after Agincourt.
FAULCONBRIDGE
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
FALSTAFF
A "ghost character." Falstaff was a major figure in the Henry IV plays, where he was Henry's constant companion, but he does not appear in Henry V. His death is described by Nell Quickly, who suggests that Henry's rejection has killed Falstaff.
FLUELLEN
Captain Fluellen, a Welsh officer in Henry's army, exhibits a keen interest in the "disciplines of the wars" and a fierce pride in the Welsh heritage he shares with his monarch. Henry acknowledges the kinship, and the value of his Welsh captain. Fluellen's ongoing dispute with Pistol often threatens to erupt into violence, but it ends comically when Fluellen forces Pistol to eat a leek, symbol of the Welsh identity.
FOIX
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
FRENCH SOLDIER
When Pistol captures a French soldier at the battle of Agincourt, Pistol's questions and the soldier's pleas for mercy work at cross purposes until the Boy arrives to serve as their translator. The Boy is able to explain that the soldier's name is Monsieur Le Fer, and eventually a ransom agreement is reached. Later, Henry orders his soldiers to kill their prisoners, so Pistol loses the ransom and Monsieur Le Fer loses his life.
GLOUCESTER
Humphrey, duke of Gloucester is the youngest son of Henry IV, brother of the Duke of Bedford, the Duke of Clarence and Henry. Although he is in charge of the siege at Harfleur, Gower suggests that he is "altogether directed" by Macmorris.
GOVERNOR of HARFLEUR
At the gates of the French town of Harfleur, Henry warns the governor to surrender or see the English army violate the town and its residents in ways Henry describes in compelling terms. The governor is persuaded to surrender, admitting that the Dauphin has not seen fit to send troops to defend the town.
GOWER
Captain Gower is an English officer in Henry's army. He spends most of the play acting as audience to Fluellen.
GRANDPRÉ
Grandpré is a noble in the French army. As the battle of Agincourt is about to begin, Grandpré follows the Constable's call to arms with his own speech mocking the ragged English army. He is killed in battle.
GREY, SIR THOMAS
Sir Thomas Grey is a traitor to England. Along with Cambridge and Scroop, Grey works to promote French interests. After asking the men for their advice regarding the punishment of a petty traitor, Henry reveals that he has discovered their plot, and that he plans to punish them with as little mercy as they have shown to the petty traitor. After he is arrested, Grey claims to be glad to have been detected before he had done any harm. The three traitors are executed on Henry's orders. In history he was the second son of Sir Thomas Grey of Berwick.
HENRY V
The "mirror of all Christian kings." Shakespeare shows the completion of Henry's maturation that began in 1 Henry IV. At the beginning of the play, Henry, now king of England, is uncertain whether to invade France. After his advisors reassure him that his claim to the French throne is legitimate, and an ill-timed mockery from the French Dauphin spurs him to revenge, Henry decides to pursue his claim. The governor of Harfleur surrenders his town after listening to Henry's threats, and the English army triumphs there, but by the time they reach Agincourt it is late October, and Henry's soldiers are tired and ill. They face a French army stronger in numbers and in health, but they fight well, and the French capitulate. The terms of Henry's peace treaty include his proposed marriage to the French King, Charles VI's daughter Katherine, and the final scene of the play depicts Henry wooing her in broken French and in English. The match is approved, and the play concludes with the promise of a return to peace, a hope that the epilogue undermines when the Chorus reminds the audience how short-lived Henry's triumphs would be. As Shakespeare had already dramatized in his Henry VI plays, Henry and Katherine's son would lose France and precipitate the Wars of the Roses.
HENRY VI
A "ghost character." The Chorus' epilogue looks ahead in history to the reign of Katherine and Henry's son, Henry VI, who would lose all that Henry had won in France.
HOSTESS
Pistol's wife, the Eastcheap tavern hostess known as Mistress Quickly in the Henry IV plays, is usually identified by the speech prefix "Hostess." See "QUICKLY, MISTRESS."
ISABEL
Isabel, queen of France, twice expresses her sense of her function as a peacemaker. After France has been conquered, when Charles VI and his advisors discuss Henry's demands, Isabel says she will join the discussion to help them accept the terms of the treaty. Later, when Charles consents to a marriage between Henry and Katherine, Isabel offers a maternal blessing replete with images of harmony and accord.
JACQUES of CHATILLON
A "ghost character." Admiral of France. He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
JAMY
Captain Jamy is a Scots officer in Henry's army. In I.ii, when Henry and his advisors are debating the desirability of invading France, the Scots are seen as a potential threat, who may attack England while Henry's forces are engaged abroad.
KATHERINE
Katherine is the daughter of the French King Charles VI and Queen Isabel. Katherine's English lessons from her attendant Alice prove useful when Henry's marriage to Katherine becomes a key term of the proposed treaty between the vanquished French and their English conquerors. While their marriage is being negotiated through official channels, Henry woos Katherine in a mixture of English and broken French. In the epilogue, the Chorus reminds the audience that Katherine and Henry's son, Henry VI, would be unable to retain England's control of France.
LE FER, MONSIEUR
When Pistol captures a French soldier at the battle of Agincourt, Pistol's questions and the soldier's pleas for mercy work at cross purposes until the Boy arrives to serve as their translator. The Boy is able to explain that the soldier's name is Monsieur Le Fer, and eventually a ransom agreement is reached. Later, Henry orders his soldiers to kill their prisoners, so Pistol loses the ransom and Monsieur Le Fer loses his life.
LESTRALE
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
LEWIS or LOUIS
The Dauphin of France. See "DAUPHIN."
MACMORRIS
Captain Macmorris is an Irish officer in Henry's army. He is a comic hothead skilled in mining and is displeased when he is recalled from the mines at Harfleur, where he says he could have blown up the town within the hour.
MAN
A "ghost character." A "poor wretch" who apparently took too much wine and railed against the king. Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey advise the king to punish this petty traitor. Henry orders the man released but uses the arguments of Cambridge, Scroop, and Grey against them when their own high treason is discovered.
MARLE
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
MESSENGERS
Aside from Montjoy, the play includes several unnamed messengers. One announces the arrival of Exeter, who serves the function of Henry's ambassador in II.iv. In IV.ii. A messenger also informs the French leaders that the English are ready for battle.
MISTRESS QUICKLY
Pistol's wife, a London tavern hostess, was known as Mistress Quickly in the Henry IV plays. She reports Falstaff's death, blaming Henry's rejection for killing him. She bids farewell to her husband and his comrades as they depart for the French war. Near the end of the play, Pistol learns that she has died of the "malady of France", syphilis.
MONTJOY
Montjoy, the French herald and messenger, performs his duties with an honour that Henry praises. He brings Henry news that the English have won Agincourt, and he requests permission to bury the French dead. Some scholars suggest that the name was a compliment to Shakespeare's friend, Christopher Mountjoy, a Huguenot with whom Shakespeare lodged on Silver Street. However, there is no evidence of Shakespeare's connection with Mountjoy until 1604, five years after the play.
NELL
Nell, a London tavern hostess known as Mistress Quickly in the Henry IV plays, is Pistol's wife. She reports Falstaff's death, blaming Henry's rejection for killing him. Near the end of the play, Pistol learns that Nell has died of the "malady of France", syphilis.
NYM
Along with Pistol and Bardolph, Corporal Nym is one of the Boar's
Head characters, the companions of Henry's youth. He is betrothed to Nell Quickly, but when they argue she marries Pistol instead. He goes into France with the soldiers and the Boy later says (in IV.iv) that he, as Bardolph, was hanged for looting.
ORLEANS
The Duke of Orleans, nephew of the French King Charles VI, is among the French nobles captured in the battle of Agincourt. Historically, his name was Charles.
PISTOL
Along with Nym and Bardolph, Ancient Pistol is one of the Boar's Head characters, the companions of Henry's youth. Pistol has married Mistress Quickly, even though she had promised to marry Nym. When Bardolph is caught stealing and faces execution, Pistol endeavors to save his life, but his appeals do not spare Bardolph from being hanged. When Pistol captures a French soldier at the battle of Agincourt, Pistol's questions and the soldier's pleas for mercy work at cross purposes until the Boy arrives to serve as their translator. The Boy is able to explain that the soldier's name is Monsieur Le Fer, and eventually a ransom agreement is reached. Later, Henry orders his soldiers to kill their prisoners, so Pistol loses the ransom and Monsieur Le Fer loses his life. After the victory at Agincourt, Pistol bemoans the death of his friends (including Mistress Quickly of the malady of France and perhaps also Doll Tearsheet). He offends Fluellen, who makes him eat a leek. He determines to sneak back to England and make his living through thievery.
PISTOL'S WIFE
Nell, a London tavern hostess known as Mistress Quickly in the Henry IV plays, is Pistol's wife. She reports Falstaff's death, blaming Henry's rejection for killing him. Near the end of the play, Pistol learns that Nell has died of the "malady of France", syphilis.
RAMBURES
Lord Rambures, a noble in the French army and master of the crossbows, is killed in the battle of Agincourt.
ROUSSI
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
SALISBURY
When the English leaders discuss the disproportion of fresh French soldiers to exhausted English ones, Salisbury admits that the odds are "fearful" but remains committed to the battle. He bids adieu to Bedford, Gloucester and Exeter, acknowledging that their next meeting could be in heaven. Historically, his name was Thomas Montacute, who became one of the most famous captains under Henry VI.
SCROOP, LORD
Henry, Lord Scroop of Masham, is a traitor to England. Along with Richard, Earl of Cambridge and Sir Thomas Grey, Scroop works to promote French interests. Scroop's betrayal is felt the most keenly because he has been Henry's close companion. After asking the men for their advice regarding the punishment of a petty traitor, Henry reveals that he has discovered their plot, and that he plans to punish them with as little mercy as they have advised for the other traitor. The three traitors are executed on Henry's orders.
SIR GUICHARD DAUPHIN
A "ghost character." Great Master of France. He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield. Henry refers to him as brave.
SIR RICHARD KETLY
A "ghost character." He is reported among the English dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
SUFFOLK
A "ghost character." Exeter reports that the Earl of Suffolk has died on the Agincourt battlefield. In history, he was the third earl of Suffolk, Michael de la Pole.
VAUDEMONT
A "ghost character." He is reported among the French dead on the Agincourt battlefield.
WARWICK
The earl of Warwick intervenes in the contretemps between Fluellen and Williams. Historically, he was Richard Beauchamp and was sent back to England with the spoils of Harfleur and was not, therefore, at Agincourt.
WESTMORELAND
After the English leaders discuss the disproportion of fresh French soldiers to exhausted English ones at Agincourt, Westmoreland expresses a wish for more soldiers on the English side. His comment prompts Henry's rousing "St. Crispin" speech to his troops. After the speech, Westmoreland is deeply moved and wishes that he alone could stand by Henry in the battle. In history, he was Ralph Neville.
WILLIAMS, MICHAEL
Michael Williams is a soldier in Henry's army. On the eve of the battle at Agincourt, when Henry puts on Sir Thomas Erpingham's cloak and wanders among the soldiers incognito, he speaks with Williams, Bates, and Court about his responsibilities in battle and their own. Still unrecognized, Henry quarrels with Williams about the king's promise not to be ransomed if the English lose, Williams mistrusting the vow and Henry defending it. They agree to resume their argument after the battle if they both survive, but Henry tricks Fluellen into fighting on his behalf, then recompenses Williams with gold.
YORK
The Duke of York, Henry's cousin, bravely requests to lead the vanguard at Agincourt. Later he is reported killed in battle. Historically, this was Edward, second duke of York, son to Edmund of Langley, and brother to Richard, the earl of Cambridge who is executed for treason in the play.