History Series / Sharpe

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner. corner.
** Though the fighting is occasionally interspersed with with brief glimpses of glory and heroism, UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars are consistently portrayed as either [[WarIsHell hellish]] or [[MundaneHorror mundane]]. mundane]].
** [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant. rampant.
** Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal. animal.
** Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times. times.
** The officer corps is, as a rule, made up of [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]] and despite [[TheNeidermeyer their obsessions with class and their crippling arrogance]], they often rival their men in terms of boorishness and brutality. brutality.

** The [[BigGood commanding officers]], despite usually being more gracious, competent and objective than the average officer, certainly [[GoodIsNotNice aren't above intrigue, dirty dealings and unnecessarily gambling with the lives of their men (especially with those of Sharpe and his crew) for little gain]]. gain]].
** The King they're fighting for is mad as a march hare (as is his Prince Regent), while his government is frightfully debauched and hideously corrupt; the country they're fighting for is plagued by social inequality and sectarianism. sectarianism.
** The enemies they're fighting against, despite being led by an imperialistic autocrat, [[MirroringFactions are seldomly portrayed as much worse than Sharpe's own side]]. side]].

** Those officers that earned their commission by merit, like Sharpe, are [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer actively ostracised and sabotaged at every turn]], to the point that that any promotion chances more on either dumb luck, a generous superior, a ''[[YouAreInCommandNow dead]]'' superior, [[DirtyBusiness quid-pro-quo]] or on [[DudeWheresMyRespect shamelessly rubbing any kind of success in everyone's faces]] - and even then, the prospect of advancement ''will'' eventually be capped by an impenetrable social glass ceiling. ceiling.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner. Though the fighting is occasionally interspersed with with brief glimpses of glory and heroism, UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars are consistently portrayed as either [[WarIsHell hellish]] or [[MundaneHorror mundane]]. [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant. Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal. Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times. The officer corps is, as a rule, made up of [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]] and despite [[TheNeidermeyer their obsessions with class and their crippling arrogance]], they often rival their men in terms of boorishness and brutality. Those officers that earned their commission by merit, like Sharpe, are [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer actively ostracised and sabotaged at every turn]], to the point that that any promotion chances more on either dumb luck, a generous superior, a ''[[YouAreInCommandNow dead]]'' superior, [[DirtyBusiness quid-pro-quo]] or on [[DudeWheresMyRespect shamelessly rubbing any kind of success in everyone's faces]] - and even then, the prospect of advancement ''will'' eventually be capped by an impenetrable social glass ceiling. The [[BigGood commanding officers]], despite usually being more gracious, competent and objective than the average officer, certainly [[GoodIsNotNice aren't above intrigue, dirty dealings and unnecessarily gambling with the lives of their men (especially with those of Sharpe and his crew) for little gain]]. The King they're fighting for is mad as a march hare (as is his Prince Regent), while his government is frightfully debauched and hideously corrupt; the country they're fighting for is plagued by social inequality and sectarianism. The enemies they're fighting against, despite being led by an imperialistic autocrat, [[MirroringFactions are seldomly portrayed as much worse than Sharpe's own side]]. The only things that Sharpe - [[AntiHero who's a self-admitted bastard]] [[LowerClasslout in every sense of the word]] - is fighting for are his own survival and that of his ([[AnyoneCanDie few and short-lived]]) comrades, friends and loved ones, as well as for a better, more dignified life.

* ChronicallyKilledActor: {{Averted|Trope}}. Richard Sharpe is apparently so badass that not even being played by Creator/SeanBean can kill him. Watching the series today becomes pretty surreal thanks to this, as scenes in which the original audience would have been confident in Sharpe's PlotArmor holding are much more suspenseful to modern viewers who are aware of Bean's reputation.

** The Prince Regent is a harmless version of the MilesGloriosus. He claims credit for great victories and exploits despite never having gone near a battlefield in his life, but everyone humors him since he's more concerned with the ego boost he gets from having his name associated with successful units. Plus, it doesn't hurt one's career to earn his favour when jockeying for position within the army hierarchy.

* NoFullNameGiven: Harris is only ever known as Harris. Hagman lampshades it when he asks about his name. WordOfGod gives his name as [[spoiler:Benjamin]].[[note]]Benjamin Harris was a real person, who served in the 95th in the Peninsular War, and later dictated a memoir which was one of the chief inspirations for the series.[[/note]]

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The Prince of Orange in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', to the point where the only witness to Sharpe's attempt to frag him is more than happy to turn a blind eye to it.
* AboveTheInfluence: [[spoiler: Catherine]] offers herself to Sharpe the night before the FinalBattle in "[[Recap/SharpeS4E2SharpesSiege Sharpe’s Siege]]". Sharpe, being recently married, refuses. But notes to himself that he'd have trouble doing it if she offered a second time.
* AdaptationalBadass: Lt. Berry from ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' is a fat blubbering henchman to Lt. Gibbons in the novel. In the TV version he's played by Creator/DanielCraig and becomes a considerably more dangerous villain, while Lt. Gibbons is secondary to him.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Lord Kiely, in the TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]]'' is much more heroic (and likeable) than his book counterpart (who, notably, is ''not'' married; and, rather than the TV version's RedemptionEqualsDeath, is instead DrivenToSuicide).

** ''[[Recap/SharpeF1SharpesChallenge Sharpe’s Challenge]]'' is an adaptation of prequel books in which Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill is the main villain, but is set ''after'' most of the episodes including the one where Hakeswill finally dies, so Sharpe is given a Hakeswill {{expy}} villain who isn't particularly convincing.
* AdaptationDistillation: In the novels, Sharpe saves Wellington's life in India in 1803. This is moved to 1809 Spain for the film of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]''.

* AffablyEvil: Pot au Feu, the French quartermaster in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'' and one half of a BigBadDuumvirate with Hakeswill, is noticeably cordial and welcoming for a deserter, offering to cook for his captives.
** [[spoiler: Sir Willoughby Parfitt]] from ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E2SharpesJustice Sharpe’s Justice]]'' is another good example and is incidentally played by the same actor.

* AnAsskickingChristmas: The climax of ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'' takes place on Christmas Day.

* ArchEnemy: Obadiah Hakeswill is somewhat downplayed in this role in the series, appearing only in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]'' and ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]''. However, the effect he has on Sharpe still lasts throughout the series.
** Major Pierre Ducos does a decent job of picking up the baton, repeatedly attempting to not only have Sharpe killed but have him die a dishonourable death in revenge for a relatively minor insult, which was in an incident that Ducos caused by insulting [[spoiler:Sharpe's recently departed wife Teresa]]. Following his introduction in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'', he acts as the ManBehindTheMan in later episodes ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E2SharpesSiege Sharpe’s Siege]]'' (in which he and Sharpe never meet despite being aware of each other's involvement) and ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E1SharpesRevenge Sharpe’s Revenge]]''.
** Arguably, Sir Henry Simmerson, by virtue of appearances throughout the series, serving as a recurring obstacle of Sharpe's in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'', ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]'', ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E1SharpesRegiment Sharpe’s Regiment]]'' and ''[[Recap/SharpeF1SharpesChallenge Sharpe’s Challenge]]''.
* AristocratsAreEvil: PlayedStraight and Subverted. On screen at least pretty much ever other officer Sharpe meets is an aristocrat, and while many turn out to be antagonists or incompetents, others are honourable characters and become allies of Sharpe. The Duke of Wellington is portrayed in a generally favourable light, and the Prince of Wales, while being portrayed as a total lunatic, becomes a patron of Sharpe's. The trope is further subverted in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E2SharpesJustice Sharpe’s Justice]]'' in which the villain is not an aristocrat, but a monied commoner who compares himself directly to Sharpe as a man from humble beginnings who rose to prominence on his own merit.

* AscendedExtra: Most of the Chosen Men are only featured in the book ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]].'' They are all prominent characters on the show.

* BadassPreacher: Father Curtis from ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword [[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]]]''. In addition to his being an expert swordsman, as El Mirador, he also acts as the centre of the British spy network in the region. Excellent singer, too.

* BayonetYa: Seen frequently among line infantry, when the British go up against the French in close quarters. The Rifles are occasionally shown using their sword bayonets (such as in the climax of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'')[[note]]The Baker rifle was shorter than the standard-issue British muskets of the time. Rifle units were issued longer sword bayonets so that the length of their weapons matched that of regular infantry muskets so that the two different units could work together in formations. Because of this, the order was to [[InsistentTerminology "fix swords!"]]. Current British rifle units continue this practice, even though everyone uses the same equipment now.[[/note]], although they usually wield the bayonets as sidearms rather than fixing them to their rifles.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Pot-au Feu and Obadiah Hakeswill in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]].''
* BlatantLies: Simmerson in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' when he delivers a field report about a bridge's destruction to Wellington, stating that Major Lennox panicked and that Sharpe dithered. Doubly so since Wellington ''already'' knows what happened thanks to Hogan.
* TheBookCipher: A book cipher plays an important role in the TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]''. The key text is [[spoiler:Voltaire's ''Literature/{{Candide}}'']].
* BoomerangBigot: Sergeant Lynch from ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E1SharpesRegiment Sharpe’s Regiment]]'' is an Irish soldier who hates Irishmen.
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Hagman's fate in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]''.]]

* CallBack: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', Dan Hagman advises Sharpe to treat an old wound with brown paper and paraffin oil. Eight specials later, [[spoiler:when Sharpe has just recovered from being shot]] Dan Hagman gives Sharpe a gift of brown paper and paraffin oil.
* CampingACrapper: Sgt. Williams, while about to take a pee, is strangled by the Man in Black in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].''
* ChildSoldier: Ensign Matthews in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]'' (the actor was 17). Generally portrayed as TruthInTelevision, as teenagers were conscripted for the Napoleonic Wars on both sides; children are seen in yellow Drummers' jackets in several scenes.

** Major Hogan disappears after [[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]], even though he was present for far longer in the book series, leading the writers to create a string of SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes: Major Nairn, Major Monroe, and Major General Ross.
** Rifleman Isaiah Tongue disappears after [[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]. In the novels, he was killed in [[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]], which came directly after [[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]] in the books, but not in the TV series which made three episodes in between. No explanation is given for his disappearance from the show, and he is never mentioned again.
** Rifleman Francis Cooper disappears after [[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]]. He was present for far longer in the novels, but only after being killed in the opening battle of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'' and then (somehow) reappearing in later novels owing to the character's success in the TV series.
* CigarChomper: Captain Leroy is often shown smoking cigars in his scenes, particularly when Sharpe meets him and the Battle of Talavera during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]''.

* CombatPragmatist: Sharpe's willingness to do this is often played up to contrast his rough, line soldier upbringing to that of the officer class. When Sharpe is forced into a duel in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', his opponent proves his better in swordplay, so he wins by [[GroinAttack kicking the fellow in the jewels instead]]. Harper certainly has his moments, too; when he and Sharpe get into a fight in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', he grabs Sharpe's balls.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Captain Leroy, one of the only two competent officers on [[GeneralFailure Sir Henry Simmerson's]] staff, Sharpe's advocate in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'', and generally depicted as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure is also a man whose money was derived from the slave trade. In the TV series, he specifically has misgivings about Simmerson ordering ''white'' soldiers flogged, and Sharpe eventually calls him on it.
* DemotedToExtra: Because the TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'' introduces Teresa early, Major Blas Vivar's role is downplayed in her favour. In the books, Teresa debuts in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]]''.
* DisguisedInDrag: Perkins when the Chosen Men infiltrate a fort in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]].''

** The TV version of what was to be the last episode, ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', included [[spoiler:two of Sharpe's best men and close friends, who had appeared in every previous episode, being killed due to incompetence by the Prince of Orange]]. And then the recent revival ''[[Recap/SharpeF1SharpesChallenge Sharpe’s Challenge]]'' made matters worse by [[spoiler:killing off Sharpe's wife soon after they were married, whereas in the books they live HappilyEverAfter]].
** ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'': Sharpe's finally rid of Hakeswill, [[spoiler:but not before his enemy fatally wounds Teresa.]]

** The Man in Black (real name [[spoiler:Tomas Vivar]]) to Colonel De L'Eclin in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'' as his right-hand man.
** Lt. Berry (played by Creator/DanielCraig) plays this role to Sir Henry Simmerson in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'' Borders on DragonInChief in the second half of the episode when Simmerson tells Berry to get rid of Sharpe, since Berry makes the plans.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: The Chosen Men disguise themselves as French soldiers to rescue Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', with Perkins as a cholera infectee.

** Isaiah Tongue: Disappears after ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]''.
** Francis Cooper: Wounded during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]]'' (though he shows up again as the narrator of ''Sharpe: The Legend'').
** Ben Perkins: [[spoiler:Speared by O'Rourke during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]].'']]
** Daniel Hagman: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]''.]]
** Harris: [[spoiler:Speared by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]''.]]
* EdibleAmmunition: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', Major Richard Sharpe goes to a convent to rescue/retrieve a woman who was set up to accuse him of murder and is actually a French spy. She's held in the kitchen, cooking, and when Sharpe makes his appearance, the nuns attack him with food like chicken and vegetables. Sharpe grabs the chicken himself and uses the classic move of turning around. That's how you fight wicked nuns.

** Sharpe and Colonel Duberton versus the deserters in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]].''
** Sharpe and Lieutentant Barbier versus El Casco in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]]''.
** Sharpe and General Calvet in the TV episode ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E1SharpesRevenge Sharpe’s Revenge]]''.

** Ensign Denny in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'' [[spoiler: He doesn't make it through the episode.]]
** Ensign Matthews from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]'' is 16. [[spoiler:Hakeswill kills him in an attempt to kill Sharpe]].

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Sharpe fends off the nuns in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'' by spinning a chicken over his head.

* FakingTheDead: Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', the entire squad of Chosen Men in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]].''
* FireForgedFriends: In the TV series, Sir Henry Simmerson is one of the longest-running Sharpe antagonists, appearing intermittedly ever since the second episode. However, it's only in the latest episode, ''[[Recap/SharpeF2SharpesPeril Sharpe’s Peril]]'', that Sharpe and Simmerson find themselves actually fighting the bad guys as part of the same unit, and after the battle, Simmerson is a good deal friendlier to Sharpe than ever before, actually shaking his hand and calling him "Richard".

* FoodSlap: Wine tossed into face, courtesy of Richard Sharpe to two jerk officers in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]''.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Sharpe periodically removes his shirt with his back to the camera, thus reminding viewers that he still carries scars from a long-ago (and nearly lethal) flogging. In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' he does so before a group of soldiers, making sure they know he too was once one of them.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: Sharpe gets into a fist fight with Lt. Berry in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' when the latter tries to rape Josefina.

** Harper grabs Sharpe in the balls during a fight in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].'' Sharpe returns the favour in another fight in the same episode.
** Sharpe tries to kick Berry in the balls in a fight in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'' Berry only sniggers.
* HatDamage: Harper shoots off the Man in Black's hat as he retreats during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]''.
* HeavySleeper: Colonel Runciman sleeps through an entire battle during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]].''
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'' depicts Prince of Orange as a selfish, buffoonish glory hog that doesn't care at all for the men he commands and [[spoiler:we're supposed to cheer when Sharpe kills him in cold blood after a botched assault]]. This depiction is considered an exaggeration, although historical debates as to his merits continue to this day, due to some serious mistakes he made at Waterloo.
* HollywoodTactics: Both the British and French armies often display horrendous tactics. In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', the British company Sharpe is initially assigned to gets completely wiped out by French cavalry, mainly because they make no attempt form up and fight in lines or squares. Likewise, the French cavalry seems only capable of doing a ZergRush. They never dismount and fight on foot with carbines, not even when in narrow city streets where fighting from horseback is totally impractical.
* HumanShield: Theresa uses Perkins as one when the Spanish guerillas encounter Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].''
* HypercompetentSidekick: Berry to Gibbons in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'' Gibbons is on higher social standing, being the nephew of an aristocrat, while Berry is his friend (and Berry remarks that he's not "top drawer"), but Berry is smarter and tougher.

** [[spoiler: Lt. Berry is run through by Harper with a bayonet in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'']]
** [[spoiler: Ensign Denny is impaled by a French rifleman at the end of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'']]
** [[spoiler: Harris is speared by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]].'']]
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Berry boasts of these in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].''

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Harper uses a ramrod as a bullet in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].''
* InNameOnly: The TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]]'', which involves Aztec human sacrifice in Spain.

* LackOfEmpathy: Major Pierre Ducos has no regard for anyone, even his own allies. Take this exchange from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'':

* LastRequest: Major Lennox asks Sharpe to get him a French Imperial Eagle to make up for losing the King's Colours, before dying of his wounds in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].''
* TheLostLenore: Cecile, Sharpe's French lover (introduced in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E1SharpesRevenge Sharpe’s Revenge]]'') dies off-screen before the events of ''[[Recap/SharpeF1SharpesChallenge Sharpe’s Challenge]]'' of a fever.
* MadeOfIron: Sharpe takes a great amount of damage over the series, mostly sword slashes and shots to the leg, but he gets shot in the gut in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]''. And that's not going into the scars on his back from 200 lashes.

** Lieutenant Colonel Girdwood from ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E1SharpesRegiment Sharpe’s Regiment]]'' writes poetry extolling the glory of combat, but has never fought a real battle in his life. Sharpe eventually bullies Girdwood into leading the South Essex into combat, but a near miss from a cannonball reduces him to a blubbering mess.

** Hogan lampshades it during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'':

* NotSoDifferentRemark: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', Sharpe discovers that he's risking his men's lives for an ancient legend: that if the flag of St James is hoisted at Torre Castro, the people of Spain will rise up against the French. Furiously, he confronts Hogan:

* OnlySaneMan: Captain Leroy in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' finds himself in this role among the officers in the second half of the episode, as Simmerson is TheNeidermeyer, Lennox is dead, Sharpe gets himself caught up in a feud with Gibbons and Berry (particularly the latter) and Denny is in awe of Sharpe, [[spoiler:which gets him killed.]]

* PapaWolf: ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]'' has Sharpe's wife Teresa and his infant daughter Antonia in the city of Badajoz, where there is a large possibility that they will be killed in the ensuing RapePillageAndBurn that would result from invading the city. This is one of the reasons Sharpe wants to lead the charge into Badajoz (the other is so he can remain a captain).
* PostVictoryCollapse: Dobbs during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' when he manages to fire four rounds a minute after receiving 75 lashes.

** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', Sharpe arranges for both Harris and Hagman to be made sergeants as a favour to his old companions.
* RapeAsBackstory: Theresa has this, as explained by Major Blas Vivar in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].''

** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', the Prince of Orange is a snivelling brat and an incompetent military leader who has caused the deaths of many, many of his own men. One of his immediate subordinates has finally had enough:

** The best one in the entire series is in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle [[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]]]'':

** Sharpe gets in a true zinger in ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E2SharpesSiege Sharpe’s Siege]]'' when the Comte de Marquerre's attempt at a triumphant homecoming is rejected by his sister:

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Most times when someone makes a HeelFaceTurn, they will die. Examples include [[spoiler:Kelly]] from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'' and [[spoiler:Lord Kiely]] from ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]].''

** After ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'', someone will bring up the fact that Sharpe took an Imperial eagle at the battle of Talavera.

* SchmuckBait: In the TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', Sharpe gets Harris to make a sign reading "Keep Out" in French, and puts it at the entrance of a booby-trapped building. Sure enough, the next French cavalrymen to pass fall for it.

* ShoutOut: George Wickham, a military officer and antagonist of ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E2SharpesJustice Sharpe’s Justice]]'', shares a name with a character from ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', who is also a military officer and an antagonist.
* SinsOfOurFathers: In ''[[Recap/SharpeF2SharpesPeril Sharpe’s Peril]]'', Sharpe happens to run into the bastard son of his late nemesis Hakeswill, currently under arrest for a theft he didn't commit. Sharpe beats the poor guy up until Harper stops him, but in the end Hakeswill Jr. saves the day and Sharpe and Harper's lives.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner.
** Though the fighting is occasionally interspersed with with brief glimpses of glory and heroism, UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars are consistently portrayed as either [[WarIsHell hellish]] or [[MundaneHorror mundane]].
** [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant.
** Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal.
** Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times.
** The officer corps is, as a rule, made up of [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]] and despite [[TheNeidermeyer their obsessions with class and their crippling arrogance]], they often rival their men in terms of boorishness and brutality.
** Those officers that earned their commission by merit, like Sharpe, are [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer actively ostracised and sabotaged at every turn]], to the point that that any promotion chances more on either dumb luck, a generous superior, a ''[[YouAreInCommandNow dead]]'' superior, [[DirtyBusiness quid-pro-quo]] or on [[DudeWheresMyRespect shamelessly rubbing any kind of success in everyone's faces]] - and even then, the prospect of advancement ''will'' eventually be capped by an impenetrable social glass ceiling.
** The [[BigGood commanding officers]], despite usually being more gracious, competent and objective than the average officer, certainly [[GoodIsNotNice aren't above intrigue, dirty dealings and unnecessarily gambling with the lives of their men (especially with those of Sharpe and his crew) for little gain]].
** The King they're fighting for is mad as a march hare (as is his Prince Regent), while his government is frightfully debauched and hideously corrupt; the country they're fighting for is plagued by social inequality and sectarianism.
** The enemies they're fighting against, despite being led by an imperialistic autocrat, [[MirroringFactions are seldomly portrayed as much worse than Sharpe's own side]].
** The only things that Sharpe - [[AntiHero who's a self-admitted bastard]] [[LowerClasslout in every sense of the word]] - is fighting for are his own survival and that of his ([[AnyoneCanDie few and short-lived]]) comrades, friends and loved ones, as well as for a better, more dignified life.
* SmugSuper: Unlike your average glory-seeking aristocratic officer, Lord Kiely from ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe’s Battle]]'' can back up all his talk of fighting war in "the old ways" with his prowess on the battlefield.
* SnowMeansDeath: It's snowing during Sharpe's final duel with El Matarife in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]].''
* SoundEffectBleep: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', Sharpe clearly says "Fuck you" to the Prince of Orange, but his words are drowned out by a convenient explosion.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: The adaptation of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' has Gibbons flee the field with Simmerson and survive rather than being killed by Harper after attacking Sharpe at Talavera. This is mainly because the adaptation reduces Gibbons from the FinalBoss to an [[VileVillainLaughableLackey inept sidekick]].
** Several characters survive the series by virtue of not appearing in the adaptation of the book where they died (Hogan, Nairn, Leroy, Windham, Tongue, Smith, Carline, Lassan). Occasionally a new character is created to die in their place, most notably Colonel Berkeley in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]''.
** Cooper is a very curious case. In the book of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', he is killed in the opening ambush but in the TV adaptation he survives and goes on to be a main character. Confusingly, following this [[AscendedExtra Promotion From Extra]], Cornwell had Cooper appear in novels set after ''Rifles'' with no attempt to reconcile the discrepancy. Despite how the TV version of Cooper disappears with no fanfare whatsoever after ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]].''

* SpitefulSpit: Sharpe spits into Hakeswill's hat, which he (Hakeswill) talks to as if it's his mother, in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]''. [[spoiler:The hat is where Hakeswill is hiding the portrait he stole and framed Harper for stealing.]]

* TheStarscream: Harper spends the first half of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'' as this. He tries to take command away from Sharpe after Captain Murray's death, but gets interrupted by the arrival of Teresa's partisans.
* StuffyBrit: The high-ranking officers who are not AristocratsAreEvil ''and'' this will be this trope. Case in point Sir Augustus Farthingdale from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'', who writes a book on soldiers' conduct and never set a foot on a battlefield. If anything, Wellington and Nairn are amused by it.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: In "[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]," our first look at Sir Henry Simmerson is accompanied by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rogue%27s_March "The Rogue's March."]] It plays again when [[spoiler:Simmerson orders the idiotic attack across the bridge that results in the loss of the colours]].

* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: In the TV series, the units involved in the battles tend to be rather small, no doubt because of budget constraints. Often works fine when depicting small-unit actions in Spain, breaks down miserably when trying to depict the battle of Waterloo[[note]]The episode tried to work around the budget limitations by shooting skirmishes in heavily wooded areas and the fight for Hougoumont Farm. But then characters talk about facing thousands of cavalry and lancers only to show a few milling around in front of some trees in an attempt to hide the small number of horses available. They also tried to depict a square formation, but there were just enough extras to show one corner shot tightly[[/note]]. In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' the entire Light Company is thus missing except for the Riflemen, who were supposed to only be attached to that company - which makes Wellesley's praise for the Light Company unintentionally hilarious.
* TakeAThirdOption: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]]'', the Man in Black presents Sharpe with two rival visions for Spain: A dark, superstitious monastery, or an enlightened, scholarly court. Sharpe replies that he's neither a monk nor a prince, so [[INeedAFreakingDrink he'd choose a tavern]].
* TakeUpMySword: In ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]],'' Captain Murray gives Sharpe his sword so the other men will recognize him as an officer before he dies from his wounds.

** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe’s Enemy]]'', Sharpe gets heartbroken, and in utter frustration, he destroys a French spy's glasses. Said spy came to demand that the British surrender. The spy was a {{jerkass}} and had it coming. Nothing to gain from it, except it was a good way of showing the FrenchJerk who the alpha dog is.
** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe’s Honour]]'', the jerkass spy plans an elaborate revenge because Sharpe's chosen men and the British army defeated the French in a battle that he thought was an easy French victory. After series of misfortunes, Sharpe ends up caught by the French. The spy smashes Sharpe's telescope that he received from Wellington himself. Nice try doing your revenge and trying to break Sharpe, jerk spy, but it was a bad idea. Sharpe used one broken piece as a weapon and it helped him to escape.

** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe’s Company]]'', Hakeswill tries to shoot Sharpe under cover of a skirmish, only to shoot Ensign Matthews.
** ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E1SharpesRegiment Sharpe’s Regiment]]'' includes the highly unpleasant Sergeant Lynch, who constantly bullies those under him and kills a new recruit's dog. At the end, when the regiment he's in is marching on the French, he's faced with enemy soldiers aiming guns and turns to flee, only to get bayoneted by vengeful recruits.
** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe’s Waterloo]]'', Sharpe ends up attempting to assassinate the Prince of Orange due to his incompetence getting not only many British and Dutch soldiers killed, but also multiple members of the Chosen Men. Unfortunately, he only wounds the bastard, though it's enough to take him off the field.

* VillainousCrush: Gibbons has one for the Countess Josefina in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]].'' She falls for Sharpe instead, then Leroy.

** Harper during his fight with Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe’s Rifles]].''
** Harris when he finds three murdered Gypsies in ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E3SharpesMission Sharpe’s Mission]].''
* WarriorPoet: Rifleman Harris, created for the TV series, is the closest thing the series has to this trope. In one of the movies, ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe’s Sword]]'', he's involved in a lengthy sub-plot were he must find a copy of Voltaire's ''Candide'' in order to find a French spy. Besides that, he's one of the few literate members of TheSquad, and Sharpe often gets a lot of esoteric information from him, whether he wants it or not.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Rifleman Isaiah Tongue disappears after ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' and Francis Cooper disappears after ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe’s Gold]].'' At least Cooper has an excuse since he gets wounded.

* XanatosGambit: Berry's plan in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'' amounts to this; he and Gibbons rape Josefina, knowing Sharpe will call them out. Berry will take up the challenge and they'll duel; if Berry wins, Simmerson is down an enemy. If Sharpe wins, he'll forfeit his reputation by disobeying Wellington's ban on duelling.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner. Though the fighting is occasionally interspersed with with brief glimpses of glory and heroism, UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars are consistently portrayed as either [[WarIsHell hellish]] or [[MundaneHorror mundane]]. [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant. Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal. Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times. The officer corps is, as a rule, made up of [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]] and despite [[TheNeidermeyer their obsessions with class and their crippling arrogance]], they often rival their men in terms of boorishness and brutality. Those officers that earned their commission by merit, like Sharpe, are [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer actively ostracised and sabotaged at every turn]], to the point that that any promotion chances more on either dumb luck, a generous superior, a ''[[YouAreInCommandNow dead]]'' superior, [[DirtyBusiness quid-pro-quo]] or on [[DudeWheresMyRespect shamelessly rubbing any kind of success in everyone's faces]] - and even then, the prospect of advancement ''will'' eventually be capped by an impenetrable social glass ceiling. The [[BigGood commanding officers]], despite usually being more gracious, competent and objective than the average officer, certainly [[GoodIsNotNice aren't above intrigue, dirty dealings and unnecessarily gambling with the lives of their men (especially with those of Sharpe and his crew) for little gain]]. The King they're fighting for is mad as a march hare (as is his Prince Regent), while his government is frightfully debauched and hideously corrupt; the country they're fighting for is plagued by social inequality and sectarianism. The enemies they're fighting against, despite being led by an imperialistic autocrat, [[MirroringFactions are seldomly portrayed as much worse than Sharpe's own side]]. The only things that Sharpe - [[AntiHero who's a self-admitted bastard]] [[LowerClasslout in every sense of the word]] - is fighting for are his own survival and that of his ([[AnyoneCanDie few and short-lived]]) comrades, friends and loved ones, as well as for a better, more dignified life.

* ZeroPercentApprovalRating: The Prince of Orange in ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', to the point where the only witness to Sharpe's attempt to frag him is more than happy to turn a blind eye to it.
* AboveTheInfluence: [[spoiler: Catherine]] offers herself to Sharpe the night before the FinalBattle in "Sharpe's Siege". Sharpe, being recently married, refuses. But notes to himself that he'd have trouble doing it if she offered a second time.
* AdaptationalBadass: Lt. Berry from ''Sharpe's Eagle'' is a fat blubbering henchman to Lt. Gibbons in the novel. In the TV version he's played by Creator/DanielCraig and becomes a considerably more dangerous villain, while Lt. Gibbons is secondary to him.
* AdaptationalHeroism: Lord Kiely, in the TV version of ''Sharpe's Battle'' is much more heroic (and likeable) than his book counterpart (who, notably, is ''not'' married; and, rather than the TV version's RedemptionEqualsDeath, is instead DrivenToSuicide).

** ''Sharpe's Challenge'' is an adaptation of prequel books in which Sgt. Obadiah Hakeswill is the main villain, but is set ''after'' most of the episodes including the one where Hakeswill finally dies, so Sharpe is given a Hakeswill {{expy}} villain who isn't particularly convincing.
* AdaptationDistillation: In the novels, Sharpe saves Wellington's life in India in 1803. This is moved to 1809 Spain for the film of ''Sharpe's Rifles''.

* AffablyEvil: Pot au Feu, the French quartermaster in ''Sharpe's Enemy'' and one half of a BigBadDuumvirate with Hakeswill, is noticeably cordial and welcoming for a deserter, offering to cook for his captives.
** [[spoiler: Sir Willoughby Parfitt]] from ''Sharpe's Justice'' is another good example and is incidentally played by the same actor.

* AnAsskickingChristmas: The climax of ''Sharpe's Enemy'' takes place on Christmas Day.

* ArchEnemy: Obadiah Hakeswill is somewhat downplayed in this role in the series, appearing only in ''Sharpe's Company'' and ''Sharpe's Enemy''. However, the effect he has on Sharpe still lasts throughout the series.
** Major Pierre Ducos does a decent job of picking up the baton, repeatedly attempting to not only have Sharpe killed but have him die a dishonourable death in revenge for a relatively minor insult, which was in an incident that Ducos caused by insulting [[spoiler:Sharpe's recently departed wife Teresa]]. Following his introduction in ''Sharpe's Enemy'', he acts as the ManBehindTheMan in later episodes ''Sharpe's Honour'', ''Sharpe's Siege'' (in which he and Sharpe never meet despite being aware of each other's involvement) and ''Sharpe's Revenge''.
** Arguably, Sir Henry Simmerson, by virtue of appearances throughout the series, serving as a recurring obstacle of Sharpe's in ''Sharpe's Eagle'', ''Sharpe's Sword'', ''Sharpe's Regiment'' and ''Sharpe's Challenge''.
* AristocratsAreEvil: PlayedStraight and Subverted. On screen at least pretty much ever other officer Sharpe meets is an aristocrat, and while many turn out to be antagonists or incompetents, others are honourable characters and become allies of Sharpe. The Duke of Wellington is portrayed in a generally favourable light, and the Prince of Wales, while being portrayed as a total lunatic, becomes a patron of Sharpe's. The trope is further subverted in ''Sharpe's Justice'' in which the villain is not an aristocrat, but a monied commoner who compares himself directly to Sharpe as a man from humble beginnings who rose to prominence on his own merit.

* AscendedExtra: Most of the Chosen Men are only featured in the book ''Sharpe's Battle.'' They are all prominent characters on the show.

* BadassPreacher: Father Curtis from ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E3SharpesSword Sharpe's Sword]]''. In addition to his being an expert swordsman, as El Mirador, he also acts as the centre of the British spy network in the region. Excellent singer, too.

* BayonetYa: Seen frequently among line infantry, when the British go up against the French in close quarters. The Rifles are occasionally shown using their sword bayonets (such as in the climax of ''Sharpe's Eagle'')[[note]]The Baker rifle was shorter than the standard-issue British muskets of the time. Rifle units were issued longer sword bayonets so that the length of their weapons matched that of regular infantry muskets so that the two different units could work together in formations. Because of this, the order was to [[InsistentTerminology "fix swords!"]]. Current British rifle units continue this practice, even though everyone uses the same equipment now.[[/note]], although they usually wield the bayonets as sidearms rather than fixing them to their rifles.
* BigBadDuumvirate: Pot-au Feu and Obadiah Hakeswill in ''Sharpe's Enemy.''
* BlatantLies: Simmerson in ''Sharpe's Eagle'' when he delivers a field report about a bridge's destruction to Wellington, stating that Major Lennox panicked and that Sharpe dithered. Doubly so since Wellington ''already'' knows what happened thanks to Hogan.
* TheBookCipher: A book cipher plays an important role in the TV version of ''Sharpe's Sword''. The key text is [[spoiler:Voltaire's ''Literature/{{Candide}}'']].
* BoomerangBigot: Sergeant Lynch from ''Sharpe's Regiment'' is an Irish soldier who hates Irishmen.
* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Hagman's fate in ''Sharpe's Waterloo''.]]

* CallBack: In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', Dan Hagman advises Sharpe to treat an old wound with brown paper and paraffin oil. Eight specials later, [[spoiler:when Sharpe has just recovered from being shot]] Dan Hagman gives Sharpe a gift of brown paper and paraffin oil.
* CampingACrapper: Sgt. Williams, while about to take a pee, is strangled by the Man in Black in ''Sharpe's Rifles.''
* ChildSoldier: Ensign Matthews in ''Sharpe's Company'' (the actor was 17). Generally portrayed as TruthInTelevision, as teenagers were conscripted for the Napoleonic Wars on both sides; children are seen in yellow Drummers' jackets in several scenes.

** Major Hogan disappears after Sharpe's Eagle, even though he was present for far longer in the book series, leading the writers to create a string of SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitutes: Major Nairn, Major Monroe, and Major General Ross.
** Rifleman Isaiah Tongue disappears after Sharpe's Eagle. In the novels, he was killed in Sharpe's Gold, which came directly after Sharpe's Eagle in the books, but not in the TV series which made three episodes in between. No explanation is given for his disappearance from the show, and he is never mentioned again.
** Rifleman Francis Cooper disappears after Sharpe's Gold. He was present for far longer in the novels, but only after being killed in the opening battle of ''Sharpe's Rifles'' and then (somehow) reappearing in later novels owing to the character's success in the TV series.
* CigarChomper: Captain Leroy is often shown smoking cigars in his scenes, particularly when Sharpe meets him and the Battle of Talavera during ''Sharpe's Eagle''.

* CombatPragmatist: Sharpe's willingness to do this is often played up to contrast his rough, line soldier upbringing to that of the officer class. When Sharpe is forced into a duel in ''Sharpe's Honour'', his opponent proves his better in swordplay, so he wins by [[GroinAttack kicking the fellow in the jewels instead]]. Harper certainly has his moments, too; when he and Sharpe get into a fight in ''Sharpe's Rifles'', he grabs Sharpe's balls.

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Captain Leroy, one of the only two competent officers on [[GeneralFailure Sir Henry Simmerson's]] staff, Sharpe's advocate in ''Sharpe's Eagle'', and generally depicted as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure is also a man whose money was derived from the slave trade. In the TV series, he specifically has misgivings about Simmerson ordering ''white'' soldiers flogged, and Sharpe eventually calls him on it.
* DemotedToExtra: Because the TV version of ''Sharpe's Rifles'' introduces Teresa early, Major Blas Vivar's role is downplayed in her favour. In the books, Teresa debuts in ''Sharpe's Gold''.
* DisguisedInDrag: Perkins when the Chosen Men infiltrate a fort in ''Sharpe's Enemy.''

** The TV version of what was to be the last episode, ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', included [[spoiler:two of Sharpe's best men and close friends, who had appeared in every previous episode, being killed due to incompetence by the Prince of Orange]]. And then the recent revival ''Sharpe's Challenge'' made matters worse by [[spoiler:killing off Sharpe's wife soon after they were married, whereas in the books they live HappilyEverAfter]].
** ''Sharpe's Enemy'': Sharpe's finally rid of Hakeswill, [[spoiler:but not before his enemy fatally wounds Teresa.]]

** The Man in Black (real name [[spoiler:Tomas Vivar]]) to Colonel De L'Eclin in ''Sharpe's Rifles'' as his right-hand man.
** Lt. Berry (played by Creator/DanielCraig) plays this role to Sir Henry Simmerson in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'' Borders on DragonInChief in the second half of the episode when Simmerson tells Berry to get rid of Sharpe, since Berry makes the plans.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: The Chosen Men disguise themselves as French soldiers to rescue Sharpe in ''Sharpe's Honour'', with Perkins as a cholera infectee.

** Isaiah Tongue: Disappears after ''Sharpe's Eagle''.
** Francis Cooper: Wounded during ''Sharpe's Gold'' (though he shows up again as the narrator of ''Sharpe: The Legend'').
** Ben Perkins: [[spoiler:Speared by O'Rourke during ''Sharpe's Battle.'']]
** Daniel Hagman: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by a French soldier in ''Sharpe's Waterloo''.]]
** Harris: [[spoiler:Speared by a French soldier in ''Sharpe's Waterloo''.]]
* EdibleAmmunition: In ''Sharpe's Honour'', Major Richard Sharpe goes to a convent to rescue/retrieve a woman who was set up to accuse him of murder and is actually a French spy. She's held in the kitchen, cooking, and when Sharpe makes his appearance, the nuns attack him with food like chicken and vegetables. Sharpe grabs the chicken himself and uses the classic move of turning around. That's how you fight wicked nuns.

** Sharpe and Colonel Duberton versus the deserters in ''Sharpe's Enemy.''
** Sharpe and Lieutentant Barbier versus El Casco in ''Sharpe's Gold''.
** Sharpe and General Calvet in the TV episode ''Sharpe's Revenge''.

** Ensign Denny in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'' [[spoiler: He doesn't make it through the episode.]]
** Ensign Matthews from ''Sharpe's Company'' is 16. [[spoiler:Hakeswill kills him in an attempt to kill Sharpe]].

* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Sharpe fends off the nuns in ''Sharpe's Honour'' by spinning a chicken over his head.

* FakingTheDead: Sharpe in ''Sharpe's Honour'', the entire squad of Chosen Men in ''Sharpe's Battle.''
* FireForgedFriends: In the TV series, Sir Henry Simmerson is one of the longest-running Sharpe antagonists, appearing intermittedly ever since the second episode. However, it's only in the latest episode, ''Sharpe's Peril'', that Sharpe and Simmerson find themselves actually fighting the bad guys as part of the same unit, and after the battle, Simmerson is a good deal friendlier to Sharpe than ever before, actually shaking his hand and calling him "Richard".

* FoodSlap: Wine tossed into face, courtesy of Richard Sharpe to two jerk officers in ''Sharpe's Eagle''.

* GoodScarsEvilScars: Sharpe periodically removes his shirt with his back to the camera, thus reminding viewers that he still carries scars from a long-ago (and nearly lethal) flogging. In ''Sharpe's Eagle'' he does so before a group of soldiers, making sure they know he too was once one of them.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: Sharpe gets into a fist fight with Lt. Berry in ''Sharpe's Eagle'' when the latter tries to rape Josefina.

** Harper grabs Sharpe in the balls during a fight in ''Sharpe's Rifles.'' Sharpe returns the favour in another fight in the same episode.
** Sharpe tries to kick Berry in the balls in a fight in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'' Berry only sniggers.
* HatDamage: Harper shoots off the Man in Black's hat as he retreats during ''Sharpe's Rifles''.
* HeavySleeper: Colonel Runciman sleeps through an entire battle during ''Sharpe's Battle.''
* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: ''Sharpe's Waterloo'' depicts Prince of Orange as a selfish, buffoonish glory hog that doesn't care at all for the men he commands and [[spoiler:we're supposed to cheer when Sharpe kills him in cold blood after a botched assault]]. This depiction is considered an exaggeration, although historical debates as to his merits continue to this day, due to some serious mistakes he made at Waterloo.
* HollywoodTactics: Both the British and French armies often display horrendous tactics. In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', the British company Sharpe is initially assigned to gets completely wiped out by French cavalry, mainly because they make no attempt form up and fight in lines or squares. Likewise, the French cavalry seems only capable of doing a ZergRush. They never dismount and fight on foot with carbines, not even when in narrow city streets where fighting from horseback is totally impractical.
* HumanShield: Theresa uses Perkins as one when the Spanish guerillas encounter Sharpe in ''Sharpe's Rifles.''
* HypercompetentSidekick: Berry to Gibbons in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'' Gibbons is on higher social standing, being the nephew of an aristocrat, while Berry is his friend (and Berry remarks that he's not "top drawer"), but Berry is smarter and tougher.

** [[spoiler: Lt. Berry is run through by Harper with a bayonet in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'']]
** [[spoiler: Ensign Denny is impaled by a French rifleman at the end of ''Sharpe's Eagle.'']]
** [[spoiler: Harris is speared by a French soldier in ''Sharpe's Waterloo.'']]
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Berry boasts of these in ''Sharpe's Eagle.''

* ImprobableWeaponUser: Harper uses a ramrod as a bullet in ''Sharpe's Rifles.''
* InNameOnly: The TV version of ''Sharpe's Gold'', which involves Aztec human sacrifice in Spain.

* LackOfEmpathy: Major Pierre Ducos has no regard for anyone, even his own allies. Take this exchange from ''Sharpe's Enemy'':

* LastRequest: Major Lennox asks Sharpe to get him a French Imperial Eagle to make up for losing the King's Colours, before dying of his wounds in ''Sharpe's Eagle.''
* TheLostLenore: Cecile, Sharpe's French lover (introduced in ''Sharpe's Revenge'') dies off-screen before the events of ''Sharpe's Challenge'' of a fever.
* MadeOfIron: Sharpe takes a great amount of damage over the series, mostly sword slashes and shots to the leg, but he gets shot in the gut in ''Sharpe's Sword''. And that's not going into the scars on his back from 200 lashes.

** Lieutenant Colonel Girdwood from ''Sharpe's Regiment'' writes poetry extolling the glory of combat, but has never fought a real battle in his life. Sharpe eventually bullies Girdwood into leading the South Essex into combat, but a near miss from a cannonball reduces him to a blubbering mess.

** Hogan lampshades it during ''Sharpe's Eagle'':

* NotSoDifferentRemark: In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', Sharpe discovers that he's risking his men's lives for an ancient legend: that if the flag of St James is hoisted at Torre Castro, the people of Spain will rise up against the French. Furiously, he confronts Hogan:

* OnlySaneMan: Captain Leroy in ''Sharpe's Eagle'' finds himself in this role among the officers in the second half of the episode, as Simmerson is TheNeidermeyer, Lennox is dead, Sharpe gets himself caught up in a feud with Gibbons and Berry (particularly the latter) and Denny is in awe of Sharpe, [[spoiler:which gets him killed.]]

* PapaWolf: ''Sharpe's Company'' has Sharpe's wife Teresa and his infant daughter Antonia in the city of Badajoz, where there is a large possibility that they will be killed in the ensuing RapePillageAndBurn that would result from invading the city. This is one of the reasons Sharpe wants to lead the charge into Badajoz (the other is so he can remain a captain).
* PostVictoryCollapse: Dobbs during ''Sharpe's Eagle'' when he manages to fire four rounds a minute after receiving 75 lashes.

** In ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', Sharpe arranges for both Harris and Hagman to be made sergeants as a favour to his old companions.
* RapeAsBackstory: Theresa has this, as explained by Major Blas Vivar in ''Sharpe's Rifles.''

** In ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', the Prince of Orange is a snivelling brat and an incompetent military leader who has caused the deaths of many, many of his own men. One of his immediate subordinates has finally had enough:

** The best one in the entire series is in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe’s Eagle]]'':

** Sharpe gets in a true zinger in ''Sharpe's Siege'' when the Comte de Marquerre's attempt at a triumphant homecoming is rejected by his sister:

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Most times when someone makes a HeelFaceTurn, they will die. Examples include [[spoiler:Kelly]] from ''Sharpe's Enemy'' and [[spoiler:Lord Kiely]] from ''Sharpe's Battle.''

** After ''Sharpe's Eagle'', someone will bring up the fact that Sharpe took an Imperial eagle at the battle of Talavera.

* SchmuckBait: In the TV version of ''Sharpe's Rifles'', Sharpe gets Harris to make a sign reading "Keep Out" in French, and puts it at the entrance of a booby-trapped building. Sure enough, the next French cavalrymen to pass fall for it.

* ShoutOut: George Wickham, a military officer and antagonist of ''Sharpe's Justice'', shares a name with a character from ''Literature/PrideAndPrejudice'', who is also a military officer and an antagonist.
* SinsOfOurFathers: In ''Sharpe's Peril'', Sharpe happens to run into the bastard son of his late nemesis Hakeswill, currently under arrest for a theft he didn't commit. Sharpe beats the poor guy up until Harper stops him, but in the end Hakeswill Jr. saves the day and Sharpe and Harper's lives.

* SmugSuper: Unlike your average glory-seeking aristocratic officer, Lord Kiely from ''Sharpe's Battle'' can back up all his talk of fighting war in "the old ways" with his prowess on the battlefield.
* SnowMeansDeath: It's snowing during Sharpe's final duel with El Matarife in ''Sharpe's Honour.''
* SoundEffectBleep: In ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', Sharpe clearly says "Fuck you" to the Prince of Orange, but his words are drowned out by a convenient explosion.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: The adaptation of ''Sharpe's Eagle'' has Gibbons flee the field with Simmerson and survive rather than being killed by Harper after attacking Sharpe at Talavera. This is mainly because the adaptation reduces Gibbons from the FinalBoss to an [[VileVillainLaughableLackey inept sidekick]].
** Several characters survive the series by virtue of not appearing in the adaptation of the book where they died (Hogan, Nairn, Leroy, Windham, Tongue, Smith, Carline, Lassan). Occasionally a new character is created to die in their place, most notably Colonel Berkeley in ''Sharpe's Sword''.
** Cooper is a very curious case. In the book of ''Sharpe's Rifles'', he is killed in the opening ambush but in the TV adaptation he survives and goes on to be a main character. Confusingly, following this [[AscendedExtra Promotion From Extra]], Cornwell had Cooper appear in novels set after ''Rifles'' with no attempt to reconcile the discrepancy. Despite how the TV version of Cooper disappears with no fanfare whatsoever after ''Sharpe's Gold.''

* SpitefulSpit: Sharpe spits into Hakeswill's hat, which he (Hakeswill) talks to as if it's his mother, in ''Sharpe's Company''. [[spoiler:The hat is where Hakeswill is hiding the portrait he stole and framed Harper for stealing.]]

* TheStarscream: Harper spends the first half of ''Sharpe's Rifles'' as this. He tries to take command away from Sharpe after Captain Murray's death, but gets interrupted by the arrival of Teresa's partisans.
* StuffyBrit: The high-ranking officers who are not AristocratsAreEvil ''and'' this will be this trope. Case in point Sir Augustus Farthingdale from ''Sharpe's Enemy'', who writes a book on soldiers' conduct and never set a foot on a battlefield. If anything, Wellington and Nairn are amused by it.

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: In "Sharpe's Eagle," our first look at Sir Henry Simmerson is accompanied by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rogue%27s_March "The Rogue's March."]] It plays again when [[spoiler:Simmerson orders the idiotic attack across the bridge that results in the loss of the colours]].

* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: In the TV series, the units involved in the battles tend to be rather small, no doubt because of budget constraints. Often works fine when depicting small-unit actions in Spain, breaks down miserably when trying to depict the battle of Waterloo[[note]]The episode tried to work around the budget limitations by shooting skirmishes in heavily wooded areas and the fight for Hougoumont Farm. But then characters talk about facing thousands of cavalry and lancers only to show a few milling around in front of some trees in an attempt to hide the small number of horses available. They also tried to depict a square formation, but there were just enough extras to show one corner shot tightly[[/note]]. In ''Sharpe's Eagle'' the entire Light Company is thus missing except for the Riflemen, who were supposed to only be attached to that company - which makes Wellesley's praise for the Light Company unintentionally hilarious.
* TakeAThirdOption: In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', the Man in Black presents Sharpe with two rival visions for Spain: A dark, superstitious monastery, or an enlightened, scholarly court. Sharpe replies that he's neither a monk nor a prince, so [[INeedAFreakingDrink he'd choose a tavern]].
* TakeUpMySword: In ''Sharpe's Rifles,'' Captain Murray gives Sharpe his sword so the other men will recognize him as an officer before he dies from his wounds.

** In ''Sharpe's Enemy'', Sharpe gets heartbroken, and in utter frustration, he destroys a French spy's glasses. Said spy came to demand that the British surrender. The spy was a {{jerkass}} and had it coming. Nothing to gain from it, except it was a good way of showing the FrenchJerk who the alpha dog is.
** In ''Sharpe's Honour'', the jerkass spy plans an elaborate revenge because Sharpe's chosen men and the British army defeated the French in a battle that he thought was an easy French victory. After series of misfortunes, Sharpe ends up caught by the French. The spy smashes Sharpe's telescope that he received from Wellington himself. Nice try doing your revenge and trying to break Sharpe, jerk spy, but it was a bad idea. Sharpe used one broken piece as a weapon and it helped him to escape.

** In ''Sharpe's Company'', Hakeswill tries to shoot Sharpe under cover of a skirmish, only to shoot Ensign Matthews.
** ''Sharpe's Regiment'' includes the highly unpleasant Sergeant Lynch, who constantly bullies those under him and kills a new recruit's dog. At the end, when the regiment he's in is marching on the French, he's faced with enemy soldiers aiming guns and turns to flee, only to get bayoneted by vengeful recruits.
** In ''Sharpe's Waterloo'', Sharpe ends up attempting to assassinate the Prince of Orange due to his incompetence getting not only many British and Dutch soldiers killed, but also multiple members of the Chosen Men. Unfortunately, he only wounds the bastard, though it's enough to take him off the field.

* VillainousCrush: Gibbons has one for the Countess Josefina in ''Sharpe's Eagle.'' She falls for Sharpe instead, then Leroy.

** Harper during his fight with Sharpe in ''Sharpe's Rifles.''
** Harris when he finds three murdered Gypsies in ''Sharpe's Mission.''
* WarriorPoet: Rifleman Harris, created for the TV series, is the closest thing the series has to this trope. In one of the movies, ''Sharpe's Sword'', he's involved in a lengthy sub-plot were he must find a copy of Voltaire's ''Candide'' in order to find a French spy. Besides that, he's one of the few literate members of TheSquad, and Sharpe often gets a lot of esoteric information from him, whether he wants it or not.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Rifleman Isaiah Tongue disappears after ''Sharpe's Eagle'' and Francis Cooper disappears after ''Sharpe's Gold.'' At least Cooper has an excuse since he gets wounded.

* XanatosGambit: Berry's plan in ''Sharpe's Eagle'' amounts to this; he and Gibbons rape Josefina, knowing Sharpe will call them out. Berry will take up the challenge and they'll duel; if Berry wins, Simmerson is down an enemy. If Sharpe wins, he'll forfeit his reputation by disobeying Wellington's ban on duelling.

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The series treats the term "Chosen Men" as if it refers to an elite, hand-picked group of riflemen. In reality, "Chosen Man" is just the historic term for "Lance Corporal" and becoming one simply meant that you were advancing in rank.

* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Obadiah Hakeswill. Although it's more of an insane fixation. Sharpe, conversely, doesn't seem to care about who his mother was (she's never even named). In the books. The TV adaptation did name her, as Lily, and we learn that [[Series/LifeOnMars2006 Gene Hunt]] is [[spoiler:Sharpe's brother]]. Which explains a lot, really, coz if they aren't [[spoiler: a BadassFamily]], who is?

* ArtisticLicenseHistory: The TV series uses the term "Chosen Men" a lot more than the novels, where it's just the equivalent of "Lance Corporal" instead of a collective term for Sharpe's band of Rifles.

''Sharpe'' is a British series of historical war [[MadeForTVMovie television movies]] starring Creator/SeanBean as Richard Sharpe, a fictional British soldier in UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars, alongside Daragh O'Malley as Patrick Harper, and a slew of British talent in supporting roles. Sharpe is the hero of [[Literature/{{Sharpe}} a number of novels]] by Creator/BernardCornwell; much of the plot and backstory from the novels was compressed, modified or jettisoned, and several new stories were invented for the screen.

!Tropes exemplified in TV movies:

* AdultFear: ''Sharpe's Company'' has Sharpe's wife Teresa and his infant daughter Antonia in the city of Badajoz, where there is a large possibility that they will be killed in the ensuing RapePillageAndBurn that would result from invading the city. This is one of the reasons Sharpe wants to lead the charge into Badajoz (the other is so he can remain a captain).

* SpotOfTea: This being the British army, tea is prevalent. In fact, Sharpe drinks a ''lot'' more tea on screen than he does liquor, in spite of being a ranker at heart. He also has vocal opinions on his subordinates' tea-making skills.
-->'''Harris''': Come now, sir! Have some soup!
-->'''Sharpe''': Soup... if Harper were here, he'd have the tea ready, ''and'' he'd have my tent up...

* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: In "Sharpe's Eagle," our first look at Sir Henry Simmerson is accompanied by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rogue%27s_March "The Rogue's March."]]

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Captain Leroy, one of the only two competent officers on [[GeneralFailure Sir Henry Simmerson's]] staff, Sharpe's advocate in ''Sharpe's Eagle'', and generally depicted as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure is also a man whose money was derived from the slave trade. In the TV series, Sharpe calls him on it.

* ButtMonkey: As the [[TheBabyOfTheBunch youngest of the Chosen Men]], Perkins usually gets the most humiliations, like getting taken hostage by Teresa, DisguisedInDrag, getting a TapOnTheHead from Hakeswill [[spoiler:which leads to Teresa getting killed)]] and [[spoiler:[[BreadEggsMilkSquick having his LoveInterest fall victim to the CartwrightCurse.]]]]

* SuspiciouslySmallArmy: In the TV series, the units involved in the battles tend to be rather small, no doubt because of budget constraints. Often works fine when depicting small-unit actions in Spain, breaks down miserably when trying to depict the battle of Waterloo. In ''Sharpe's Eagle'' the entire Light Company is thus missing except for the Riflemen, who were supposed to only be attached to that company - which makes Wellesley's praise for the Light Company unintentionally hilarious.

* CigarChomper: Captain Leroy is often shown smoking cigars in his scenes, particularly when Sharpe meets him and the Battle of Talavera during ''Sharpe's Eagle''.

* CombatPragmatist: Sharpe's willingness to do this is often played up to contrast his rough, line soldier upbringing to that of the officer class. When Sharpe is forced into a duel in ''Sharpe's Honour'', his opponent proves his better in swordplay, so he wins by [[GroinAttack kicking the fellow in the jewels instead]]. Harper certainly has his moments, too.

* NotSoDifferent: In ''Sharpe's Rifles'', Sharpe discovers that he's risking his men's lives for an ancient legend: that if the flag of St James is hoisted at Torre Castro, the people of Spain will rise up against the French. Furiously, he confronts Hogan:

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner. Though the fighting is occasionally interspersed with with brief glimpses of glory and heroism, UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars are consistently portrayed as either [[WarIsHell hellish]] or [[MundaneHorror mundane]]. [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant. Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal. Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times. The officer corps is, as a rule, made up of [[UpperClassTwit Upper Class Twits]] and despite [[TheNeidermeyer their obsessions with class and their crippling arrogance]], they often rival their men in terms of boorishness and brutality. Those officers that earned their commission by merit, like Sharpe, are [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer actively ostracised and sabotaged at every turn]], to the point that that any promotion chances more on either dumb luck, a generous superior, a ''[[YouAreInCommandNow dead]]'' superior, [[DirtyBusiness quid-pro-quo]] or on [[DudeWheresMyRespect shamelessly rubbing any kind of success in everyone's faces]] - and even then, the prospect of advancement ''will'' eventually be capped by an impenetrable social glass ceiling. The [[BigGood commanding officers]], despite usually being more gracious, competent and objective than the average officer, certainly [[GoodIsNotNice aren't above intrigue, dirty dealings and unnecessarily gambling with the lives of their men (especially with those of Sharpe and his crew) for little gain]]. The King they're fighting for is mad as a march hare (as is his Prince Regent), while his government is frightfully debauched and hideously corrupt; the country they're fighting for is plagued by social inequality and sectarianism. The enemies they're fighting against, despite being led by an imperialistic autocrat, [[NotSoDifferent are seldomly portrayed as much worse than Sharpe's own side]]. The only things that Sharpe - [[AntiHero who's a self-admitted bastard]] [[LowerClasslout in every sense of the word]] - is fighting for are his own survival and that of his ([[AnyoneCanDie few and short-lived]]) comrades, friends and loved ones, as well as for a better, more dignified life.

* UriahGambit: Upon learning of the tensions between Sharpe and Lt.s Berry and Gibbons, and realising that he will have no option but to punish Sharpe if he is caught duelling Berry, decides to send the two of them out on a nighttime skirmish with the French, clearly hoping that the problem will sort itself out in this way. It does.

** Rifleman Francis Cooper disappears after Sharpe's Gold. He was also present for far longer in the novels; no explanation is given for his disappearance.

** Cooper is a very curious case. In the book of ''Sharpe's Rifles'', he is killed in the opening ambush but in the TV adaptation he survives and goes on to be a main character. Confusingly, following this [[AscendedExtra Promotion From Extra]], Cornwell had Cooper appear in novels set after ''Rifles'' with no attempt to reconcile the discrepancy.

* CombatPragmatist: Sharpe fights dirty when the need arises. Harper certainly has his moments, too.

* MilesGloriosus and TheNeidermeyer: The Army is filled with them because the books and series are set at a time when wealthy men looking for glory bought their commissions and merit-based promotions were extremely rare. The Duke of Wellington is GenreSavvy enough to know when subordinate officers are trying to blow smoke up his ass[[note]]usually when they're trying to disparage Sharpe[[/note]].
** The chief [[TheNeidermeyer Neidermeyer]] for the series would be Sir Henry Simmerson, the original commander of the South Essex Regiment. He's more concerned with superficial things like proper marching and making sure his men stand ramrod straight[[note]]assisted by the use of leather chokers that scar the men's necks[[/note]]. He's absolutely useless in combat and spends every appearance as the ButtMonkey of every character he goes against.
** For MilesGloriosus, Lieutenant Colonel Girdwood from ''Sharpe's Regiment'' would be the prime example. He writes poetry extolling the glory of combat, but has never fought a real battle in his life. Sharpe eventually bullies Girdwood into leading the South Essex into combat, but a near miss from a cannonball reduces him to a blubbering mess.
** The Prince Regent is a harmless version of the MilesGloriosus. He claims credit for great victories and exploits despite never having gone near a battlefield in his life, but everyone humors him since he's more concerned with the ego boost he gets from having his name associated with successful units. Plus, it doesn't hurt one's career to earn his favour when jockeying for position within the army hierarchy.

* OnlyOneName: Harris is only ever known as Harris. Hagman lampshades it when he asks about his name.
** WordOfGod gives his name as [[spoiler: Benjamin]][[note]] Benjamin Harris was a real person, who served in the 95th in the Peninsular War, and later dictated a memoir which was one of the chief inspirations for the series.[[/note]]

** Colonel Brand seems to have a dueling scar.