Henry V
(William Shakespeare)

Henry V

Henry V is the King of England and has a claim to the French throne. He is described by many characters as having had a wild youth. Even the Dauphin has heard of it and tries to use this reputation as an insult. However, once his father died, and Henry V ascended to the throne he became studious and serious. He is a brilliant speaker, as his speech to the French Ambassadors can attest to, and uses this to rally his downtrodden troops. Henry is also a tenacious and focused ruler: once he has set his mind to something, like conquering France, he does not give up for one moment. There is a moment when Henry is unhappy he cannot express his true emotions or live primarily for himself, but this moment is fleeting, and he returns to his duties with gusto.

Exeter (Ex-eh-ter)

The Duke of Exeter is Henry's Uncle and is often relied upon to carry out tasks with considerable responsibility: he is given control of Harfleur to transform it into a defence against the French and is also given messages to take to the King of France. While he is a diplomatic man, he is also a tenacious and skilled fighter who manages to hold his own against the French army and keep his men in order on the bridge.

Gloucester (Gloss-ter)

Gloucester is one of Henry's younger brothers and accompanies him on his invasion of France. He fights alongside Henry and the others at the battle of Agincourt and manages to stay alive through it. Although he does not have many lines, his loyalty to the King throughout is obvious. He is in charge of the siege at Harfleur, which is a smashing success.

Ensign Pistol

Ensign Pistol is an impulsive man who thinks he is a magnificent warrior and man, but is actually quite cowardly and villainous. For example, he blackmails a soldier into giving him as much money as he can in exchange for his life. He is married to Nell and runs a tavern in London. Despite his common background, Pistol tries to speak in a grandiose way. He is friends with Nym and Bardolph. He does stand up for Bardolph, who is to be hung for his crimes, but it is not exactly clear if this is out of the goodness of his own heart, or just because he wants something from Bardolph in return.

Bardolph (Bar-dolf)

Bardolph is another commoner who travels with Nym and Pistol to join the English army. While he does threaten to kill people, he is not a courageous man. The only time we see him with his sword out is to challenge Nym and Pistol to put theirs away, which suggests he tries to avoid conflict at all times. He ends up sentenced to death after he steals something from a Church in France.

Williams

Williams is one of many soldiers in Henry's army. Henry and Williams argue when Henry has disguised himself, and their argument leads to Williams challenging him to a fight if they manage to survive the war. When Henry reveals he is the King and asks Williams to apologize, Williams refuses and stands up for himself, citing that he would not have challenged Henry had he known he was the King. This suggests he is quite a brave man. He also does not shy away from the challenge he made and is wholeheartedly intent on seeing it through.

Dauphin (Daw-fan)

The Dauphin is the King of France's son and the heir to the throne. He is hot headed, insulting and generally over-confident, which spreads to his men in his immediate surroundings. His attitude could be to blame for the French army's loss, as they all spend the night betting how many men they will kill, rather than preparing themselves for a hard battle. The Dauphin totally underestimates Henry and would rather listen to gossip about his past than admit he could be a threat to France. The Dauphin also loves his horse a lot, which is something his peers tease him for, especially when he compares his horse to a mistress.

Gower (Gow-er)

Captain Gower is an officer in King Henry's army and is a companion to Fluellen. He stands up for Fluellen when Pistol insults him, which proves his loyalty to his friend. Beyond this not much more is known about his character.

Fluellen (Flu-ellen)

Fluellen is an intelligent strategist who is well read and educated about the procedures and standards of warfare. He is often the one Henry comes to for updates on the battle as he seems to know exactly what is going on. Because Fluellen is Welsh, other characters tend to pick on him for his way of speaking. Ensign Pistol even goes as far as insulting his country's Saint day, but Fluellen stands up for himself while maintaining other people's respect for him.

Katherine (Kath-er-rine)

Katherine is the Princess of France, and the King of France's daughter. She attempts to learn how to speak English, which usually ends in funny moments between her and her servant, Alice. She ends up marrying Henry to cement the peace treaty between England and France, but does not think she can love Henry who she sees as an enemy of France.

Constable

The Constable is a high ranking member of the French court and is one of the most eager to get the battle against the English started. Although the Dauphin suggests they could give the starving English something to eat before they start the battle, the Constable does not want to show the English even the slightest bit of kindness or mercy. It is fitting, then, that he dies in battle.

Boy

The Boy begins the play as the disgraced Knight Falstaff's servant, but after he dies he is taken as three commoners' servants. He can speak some passable French, which is more than most of the English people can. The Boy hates his Masters Pistol, Bardolph and Nym and thinks that they are the most cowardly men he has ever come across. He does not even think he can call them men. Although he vows to leave them and find better Masters to serve, he ends up stuck in the middle of the invasion of France and cannot. He is killed along with the other servants while French soldiers desert the battle and steal Henry's belongings. It is his death, along with the others, that forces Henry to give the order for French prisoners to have their throats cut and makes him angry enough to withdraw all mercy for the French army.

Nym (Nim)

Nym is a Corporal in the English army and is introduced in the middle of a quarrel with Ensign Pistol, who married Nell. Nym reveals that they were to be married. Nym is also a petty thief like Pistol and Bardolph and is called a coward by the Boy. Nym has a fairly carefree attitude towards most things and believes that fate will lead everyone to their end eventually.

Cambridge/Scroop/Grey

These three are tempted by the French to commit treason against their English King and kill him before he manages to set sail for France. However, the King finds out about their plot and confronts them with it. After they admit to their crimes, they beg for mercy and then forgiveness from the King, and their apologies are enough to soothe the King into giving his forgiveness so that they might go to Heaven, but not to provide them with mercy. They are carried away to be hung for their treasonous behaviour.

Chorus

The Chorus is a character archetype borrowed from Greek theatre and comes on stage at the beginning of each Act to reveal what has happened off stage to keep the audience up to date. He also apologizes regularly for things on stage not appearing in their truest nature and implores the audience to be kind when they judge the play.