History Characters / MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Because of him, [[spoiler:the French basically won.]] [[MindScrew Probably.]]

->'''Played By:''' Creator/TerryGilliam

* HumanPackMule: Parodied. Besides toting a huge amount of gear for Arthur, he also mimics the sounds of hoofbeats when they travel.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: [[InsaneTrollLogic Questionable as his logic may be]], he still holds a trial for the woman accused of witchcraft, treats the accusations thrown her way with skepticism, and sets out to prove she's a witch before executing her when the peasants just want to burn her even he pokes holes their arguments. [[TheCuckoolanderWasRight His logic also turns out to be sound]], somehow, as he devises a method that does in fact prove she's a witch. [[GracefulLoser She even remarks it was a fair cop]] when the truth is revealed.

* TheSmartGuy: Explicitly stated to be the wisest of the bunch.

* SomeCallMeTim: [[invoked]]TropeNamer, but [[BeamMeUpScotty does not actually use it]]. Amusingly, this was [[ThrowItIn an ad-lib]] because Cleese forgot the character's name.

[[folder:The Three Headed Knight]]
!!The Three Headed Knight

A large three headed knight who seems to be a formidable fighter, were it not that the heads first must agree before an action can be taken.

* AllegoricalCharacter: This character can be seen as a TakeThat towards bureaucracy. The body of the knight can only act once all three heads agree. But by that time, new developments have taken place that render their previous agreement useless. In this case, Sir Robin appeared, causing the Three Headed Knight to argue how to deal with him. But after reaching an agreement, Robin already left. Likewise, a large company or institution might run into trouble adapting to new technological advancements or other societal developments. When the administration of said company or institution finally decided how to deal with said developments, other developments have already taken place.

160 blonds and brunettes, between 16 and 19 and a half years old. They light a grail-shaped beacon to lure knights to them in order to tempt them with great [[UnusualEuphemism peril]].

160 blonds and brunettes, between 16 and 19 and a half years old. They light a grail-shaped beacon to lure knights to them in order to tempt them with great [[UnusualEuphamism peril]].

160 blonds and brunettes, between 16 and 19 and a half years old. They light a grail-shaped beacon to lure knights to them in order to tempt them.

!!The Bridgekeeper

* EarlyBirdCameo: First appears as a mad soothsayer telling Arthur and Bedivere where to look for the Grail before his iconic appearance as the Bridgekeeper.

* TheLancer: Accompanies Arthur throughout the film and seems to be his right hand man.

* AdaptationalKarma: Not only is he on the receiving end of an epic TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, but at the very end of the show, when he tries to stop the final song, Lancelot lays him out flat with one whack. Usually to tremendous applause from the aundience.

* AmbiguouslyChristian / AmbiguouslyJewish: His religious beliefs are vague. It's outright stated that [[spoiler: he's half-Jewish on his mother's side]], but that's more ethnic than religious. He's the top servant closest friend of a devout Christian king and joins with Christian knights on a quest to find the Holy Grail and it's likely his father was a Christian. However, he's also given the AntiNihilist song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", implying he may be an atheist (or at least not believe in an afterlife); and his line "It's not the kind of thing you tell a heavily armed Christian" implies he may not consider himself a Christian.

Character page for ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.

Characters in ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail''.

-->'''Bedevere:''' And that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.
-->'''Arthur''': This new learning amazes me, Sir Bedevere. Explain again how sheep's bladders can be used to prevent earthquakes.

-->'''Bedivere:''' And that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped.

* UngratefulBastard: Comes across this way in "I'm All Alone", ignoring that Patsy is by his side. [[spoiler: He actually does appreciate Patsy, but takes him somewhat for granted because he's "family".]]

* AscendedExtra: He only had two lines in the original. Here, he takes Bedevere's place as Arthur's closest confidant, gets to lead "Always Look On the Bright Side of Life", and is [[spoiler: the key to getting the grail]].

* RaceLift: Being a servant to King Arthur, it can be assumed in the original version he was probably an Anglo-Saxon or Celtic Christian. [[spoiler: In Spamalot, he's half-Jewish. He didn't tell Arthur at first because, "It's not the kind of thing you tell a heavily-armed Christian.]]
* TheReveal: [[spoiler: He's Jewish]].

-->'''King Arthur:''' I thought you were a fairy?
-->'''Lady of the Lake:''' Oh no, that's Lancelot.

A bunch of French soldiers that like to insult 'English types' with random insults. [[spoiler: Reappear in the end where they claim Castle Aaargh as their own.]]

* AmbiguouslyHuman: Their leader is abnormally tall and is the only one of them seen actively engaging in conversation. As noted in the description the rest of the knights mostly limit themselves to saying 'NI!' and they sometimes repeat the last words the head knight is saying. They also have [[spoiler: a ridiculous weakness in the form of the word "it" [[note]]Argh![[/note]]]].

* CatchPhrase:

* CatchPhrase: "[[YouShallNotPass None shall pass!]]"

* TheseQuestionsThree: [[invoked]]{{Trope Namer|s}}. His CatchPhrase is "Who would cross the Bridge of Death must answer me these questions three, ere the other side he see..."

* CatchPhrase: "Bring out your dead!"

* FakeShemp: Since Brother Maynard is also played by Eric Idle, in the scene in the cave when the two are in the same frame, Robin is played by a body double who is either hiding behind another knight or facing away from the camera, freeing up Eric Idle to play Brother Maynard.

* DeathByIrony: [[spoiler:Dies at the bridge of death when caught with a question he doesn't know the answer to, after he decides it's too easy to not get scared by, something he's done the whole film.]]