Bardolph (Shakespeare character) Bardolph (Shakespeare character) Bardolph is a fictional character who appears in four plays by William Shakespeare. He is a thief who forms part of the entourage of Sir John Falstaff. His grossly inflamed nose and constantly flushed, carbuncle-covered face is a repeated subject for Falstaff's and Prince Hal's comic insults and word-play. Though his role in each play is minor, he often adds comic relief, and helps illustrate the personality change in Henry from Prince to King. In early published versions of "Henry IV, Part 1", the character is called Rossill or sir Iohn Russel. Shakespeare renamed the character to
Bardolph (Shakespeare character) the film "Cold Mountain" are named Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol. Bardolph comments on various events, factions, and characters in Jason Sholtis's Dungeons & Dragons adventure Operation Unfathomable. On screen Bardolph has been portrayed twice by Gordon Gostelow, an actor who was described as "born" to play the part. He depicted him in the 1960 BBC production "An Age of Kings" and in the 1979 BBC Television Shakespeare films of the Henriad plays. In the "Age of Kings" version of "Henry V", after Bardolph dies Gostelow is 'reborn' to become Sir Thomas Erpingham, mutating from the king's disreputable companion in criminality