# Bardolph — The Merry Wives of Windsor character guide

> Bardolph in The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shakespeare.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Bardolph Sir John

**First appearance:** 0004-act-i-scene-iii

## Snapshot

Falstaff's red-nosed, light-fingered crony, forever holding a taper at the edge of mischief and ready to pinch a fairy or a purse with equal nerve.

## Who they are

Bardolph belongs to the ragged retinue Falstaff drags into Windsor, a follower whose face glows like a warning sign and whose loyalty runs only as far as the next scheme. When the wives stage their fairy masque at Herne's oak, he is there among the tapers and the pinching, a petty thief dressed up as an elf. His presence keeps Falstaff's crew visible as a shabby, comic menace, the kind of company that makes the knight's pretensions to romance look ridiculous before the plot even starts.

## Relationships

### [Sir John Falstaff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/characters/sir_john_falstaff)

_professional_

Bardolph is one of Falstaff's disreputable followers, serving as his companion and accomplice in mischief.

### [Sir John Falstaff](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/characters/sir_john_falstaff)

_professional_

Bardolph is one of Falstaff's disreputable followers, serving as his companion and accomplice in mischief.

## In the story

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/chapters/act-i-scene-iii)

Leaves Falstaff's service to become a tapster at the Garter Inn.

### [Scene II](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/chapters/act-ii-scene-ii)

Announces Master Brook's arrival and brings a cup of sack to Falstaff.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/chapters/act-iii-scene-v)

Brings sack to Falstaff and announces Mistress Quickly.

### [Scene III](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-iii)

Bardolph delivers the Germans' request for horses to the Host.

### [Scene V](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/chapters/act-iv-scene-v)

Returns breathless and mired, reporting that the cozeners stole the Host's horses.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/characters/bardolph
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_merry_wives_of_windsor_se/characters