Pistol

Play

Henry V

Summary

Ancient Pistol is the most extravagant of the tavern crew who follow into Henry V's French campaign — a roaring, bombastic coward whose speech is larded with mangled heroic quotation and theatrical bluster. He is Falstaff's ancient (ensign) and has married Mistress Quickly after Falstaff's death. His pretensions to military glory are punctured completely by Fluellen, who forces him to eat a leek after Pistol mocks Welsh customs; at the play's end he announces his intention to return to England and turn cutpurse. He appears briefly in 2 Henry IV and is part of the Boar's Head world throughout.

Notable Quotations

"The fig of Spain!" *(Henry V, 3.6 — his characteristic oath and gesture of contempt)*

"To England will I steal, and there I'll steal; / And patches will I get unto these cudgell'd scars, / And swear I got them in the Gallia wars." *(Henry V, 5.1 — his final, deflating soliloquy)*

"Couple gorge!" *(Henry V, 2.1 — his mock-heroic battle cry)*

Cross-references

• Henry V — the play
• Histories — the genre
• character_falstaff — Falstaff, his master and companion
• character_fluellen — Fluellen, who humiliates him with the leek
• character_hostess_quickly — Mistress Quickly, whom he marries