Line #235 Series/Sharpe


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8	->''Here's forty shillings on the drum\
9	To those who volunteer to come,\
10	To 'list and fight the foe today\
11	Over the Hills and far away.''
12
13	''Sharpe'' is a British series of historical war [[MadeForTVMovie television movies]], adapted from [[Literature/{{Sharpe}} the series of novels of the same name]] written by Creator/BernardCornwell, 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.
14
15	The episodes, which adapt the tale of a Yorkshire soldier who is given a field commission and rises from obscurity to become a decisive force during the Peninsular War of the early 19th century, compress, modify or jettison several aspects of the original novels to fit standard television runtimes, while several new stories were invented for the screen.
16
17	The series originally ran regularly between 1993 and 1997, with two additional {{miniseries}} in 2006 and 2008. The series was well-received and proved a [[StarMakingRole breakout role]] for Bean.
18	----
19	!Tropes that appear in the TV movies:
20
21	* 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.
22	* 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.
23	* AdaptationalBadass:
24	** 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.
25	** The Chosen Men; in the novels, Sharpe is accompanied by a group of riflemen who he led through the retreat from Coruna, and who number about thirty at the time of his first appearance in ''Sharpe's Eagle''; in the series, Sharpe's entourage is reduced to five, and referred to as "Chosen Men" to denote their special abilities as marksmen, like modern-day Special Forces soldiers.
26	* 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).
27	* AdaptationDecay:
28	** The films lack the scale of the battle scenes as described in the books due to budget limitations. For example, the bridge at Valdelacasa is wooden in film, it was stone in the novel.
29	** ''[[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.
30	* 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]]''.
31	* AdaptationDyeJob: Harper should be blonde and Sharpe should have dark hair, running to a grey streak as he ages. In face the reverse is true.
32	* 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.
33	** [[spoiler:Sir Willoughby Parfitt]] from ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E2SharpesJustice Sharpe's Justice]]'' is another good example and is incidentally played by the same actor.
34	* AgeLift: Sergeant Harper in the novel series is around his mid twenties, it's fair to say that Daragh O'Malley can't make the same claim in the television series.
35	* AnAsskickingChristmas: The climax of ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]]'' takes place on Christmas Day.
36	* AndThisIsFor: Harper when he stabs a traitorous Irish soldier who [[spoiler:murdered Perkins.]]
37	-->'''Harper''': This one's for [[spoiler:Perkins!]][''stabs once''] This one's for Ireland! [''stabs again']] And this one's for me. [''stabs a third time']]
38	* 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.
39	** 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]]''.
40	** 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]]''.
41	* 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.
42	* ArmyOfThievesAndWhores: The whole British Army, even the elite riflemen, are shown as a TruthInTelevision example of this. Sharpe is given no illusions about this early on in his command.
43	--> '''Sharpe:''' Did you volunteer for this lot, Cooper?
44	--> '''Cooper:''' Uh no, not exactly sir. I was invited to join... by a magistrate.
45	* ArentYouGoingToRavishMe: A recurring "problem" for Sharpe, as many of the women he encounters assume that the standard way of getting his favor or thanking him for a past service is through his... well, you know.
46	** In ''Battle'', Lady Kiely begs Sharpe to intercede with her husband, whom she suspects is cheating on her with the flamboyant Dona Juanita, by starting to strip down in his tent and inviting him to treat her like ''"the lowest Marseille whore."'' Mortified, he puts her clothes back in place and tells him he will do what he can about her husband, pointing out that sleeping with a man's wife might complicate the job of getting that man back together with said wife.
47	** In ''Siege'', Catherine Maquerre wishes to thank Sharpe for giving up a precious supply of quinine to treat her mother's fever, rather than carrying it back to the British lines for his own sick wife. She perches on the end of his bed in a negligee, leading to this priceless exchange:
48	--->'''Catherine''': I can't sleep.\
49	'''Sharpe''': I can't sleep either.\
50	'''Catherine''': Because of the battle [tomorrow]?\
51	'''Sharpe''': No, because you're sitting on my bed.
52	* ArtisticLicenceHistory: 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.
53	* 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.
54	* AutobotsRockOut: The series' opening theme tune is played on the electric guitar. Sean Bean's credit in the opening titles is announced by a distinctive single chord, and during the closing credits, John Tams' rendition of 'Over the Hills and Far Away' morphs into a full blown guitar solo.
55	* AwesomeButImpractical: Harper's Nock gun. It has seven barrels and can take out multiple opponents at a time, but at the price of enormous recoil, tricky reload and possibly setting a ship on fire. However, Harper, who is a large man, can handle the recoil and is using it on land.
56	* BadassLongcoat: Greatcoats were pretty common for soldiers in that period, but Sean Bean made them look awesome. Sharpe usually sports an Inverness coat. Harper, when fighting in the Battle of Waterloo alongside Sharpe as an independent civilian, sports a blue frock coat and a WaistcoatOfStyle as he guns down French soldiers.
57	* 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.
58	* BaldOfEvil: Obadiah Hakeswill, Major Pierre Ducos and Colonel Brand.
59	* BattleCouple: Sharpe and Teresa, particularly in some of the TV movies.
60	* BattleTrophy: As typical of wars of the era, obtaining an enemy standard (in other words, [[CaptureTheFlag capturing their flag]]) is seen as a complete and total victory superior to an ordinary enemy retreat. The loss of the King's Colours is seen as a shame beyond measure in ''Sharpe's Eagle'', and capturing the Imperial Eagle (the standard of Napoleon's armies) is an equally heroic feat. On a smaller scale, soldiers including Sharpe and his company are commonly seen with looted French gear, often noting its superiority to the standard British army equipment.
61	* 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.
62	* BigBadDuumvirate: Pot-au Feu and Obadiah Hakeswill in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]].''
63	* 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, who is ''in the room''.
64	* 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}}'']].
65	* BoomerangBigot: Sergeant Lynch from ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E1SharpesRegiment Sharpe's Regiment]]'' is an Irish soldier who hates Irishmen.
66	* BoomHeadshot: [[spoiler:Hagman's fate in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe's Waterloo]]''.]]
67	* BreakTheBadass: When [[spoiler:Perkins]] is killed, Harper, Hagman and Harris to comfort him in his dying moments, these three hardened soldiers are reduced to ManlyTears by the event, and Harper promptly forgets about everything else to go on a RoaringRampageOfRevenge against his murderer. Sharpe was elsewhere at the time, but the look on his face when he comes back and sees [[spoiler:Perkins']] body cradled in Harper's arms also qualifies.
68	* BrilliantButLazy: [[TheSmartGuy Harris]] is fluent in several languages but is (in his own words) "a courtier to Bacchus and an unremitting debtor" (meaning he was a drunkard and a wastrel).
69	* BritishBrevity: The episodes consist of 16 feature length television films, each one clocking in at just under 2 hours.
70	* BritsLoveTea: 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.
71	-->'''Harris''': Come now, sir! Have some soup!
72	-->'''Sharpe''': Soup... if Harper were here, he'd have the tea ready, ''and'' he'd have my tent up...
73	* BullyHunter: Invoked by Father Curtis, an Irish priest in Spain and British spymaster, who defends Sharpe's love interest from the lecherous advances of Sir Henry Simmerson. Simmerson asks why the priest would care, since as an Irishman he should hate the English and support the French.
74	--> '''Curtis''': John Bull's a bad neighbor, but Bonaparte's a bully, and so are you.
75	* 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:having his LoveInterest fall victim to the CartwrightCurse.]]
76	* 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.
77	** Another one happens in ''Sharp's Waterloo'', calling all the way back to ''Sharpe's Rifles''.
78	--->'''Sharpe:''' [''Upon being given command of the "Chosen Men"''] Chosen men, eh? Well... ''I'' didn't choose ya!\
79	[''Fast forward to '''Sharpe's Waterloo''''']\
80	'''Sharpe:''' [''After [[spoiler:Harris and Hagman]] are killed by way of the Prince of Orange's terrible leadership and cowardice''] They were ''my'' men! ''I'' chose them!
81	* CampingACrapper: Sgt. Williams, while about to take a pee, is strangled by the Man in Black in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]].''
82	* 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.
83	* 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 PlotArmour holding are much more suspenseful to modern viewers who are aware of Bean's reputation.
84	* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: There are several examples of this over the course of the series:
85	** 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.
86	** 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.
87	** 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.
88	* 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]]''.
89	* ClothesMakeTheLegend: Richard Sharpe's Green Rifleman's jacket fits this trope because it's used specifically to distinguish his character from the regular "redcoat" officers.
90	* 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. Later in the same episode, when he will not be able to take the ramrod out of his rifle to finish reloading before a French horseman cuts him to ribbons, he simply aims and fires to shoot the ramrod [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice through his attackers neck]].
91	* CompanionCube: Hakeswill speaks to his hat as if it is his mother. [[spoiler:It's also a handy place to hide a stolen picture.]]
92	* CulturedBadass: A surprising number show up, most of them as part of the "OfficerAndAGentleman"-schtick.
93	** Rifleman Harris is fluent in several languages and the only one to cart a minor library around Spain. He likes Wordsworth, Voltaire, and, of course, the smutty books by the Marquis de Sade. He is also a member of the elite 95th Rifles, and a Chosen Man of that regiment.
94	** Captain Frederickson, a grizzled and heavily scarred company commander from the Royal American Rifles, also speaks several languages and spends his free time discussing politics with American expats and French prisoners, admiring the architecture of several Spanish medieval churches, making landscape sketches in pencil and studying to take the Bar exam after the war.
95	** Sharpe himself gains shades of this as the series goes on, mostly through interacting with Harris and being immersed in more high-brow environments after becoming an officer. By the time the Peninsular war is over he is regularly seen trading and discussing books with Harris, and even shows some interest in art.
96	* 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.
97	* 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]]''.
98	* DisguisedInDrag: Perkins when the Chosen Men infiltrate a fort in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]].''
99	* DoubleMeaning: Sharpe disapproves of flogging, believing it an ineffectual form of discipline that only teaches soldiers how to [[MistreatmentInducedBetrayal show their backs]].
100	* DownerEnding:
101	** 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]].
102	** ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]]'': Sharpe's finally rid of Hakeswill, [[spoiler:but not before his enemy fatally wounds Teresa.]]
103	* TheDragon:
104	** 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.
105	** 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.
106	* DramaticGunCock: The television adaptations are a bit prone to this. Made even worse by their use of flintlock muskets, pistols and rifles; generally these make only a pronounced "click" when pulled back to half-cock (safe position from which the pan may be primed), followed by another when pulled to full-cock. Trying to get a flintlock to make the characteristic set of three closely-spaced, sharp clicks the series uses is... not easy.
107	* DressingAsTheEnemy:
108	** The Chosen Men disguise themselves as French soldiers to rescue Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe's Honour]]'', with Perkins pretending to be a cholera infectee to keep the French from getting too close.
109	** Sharpe later leads the Chosen Men in pretending to be French soldiers with a heavily wounded comrade (Harper covered in his own blood from the team [[DIYDentistry pulling out his infected tooth]]) in order to breach a fort, by [[PaperThinDisguise putting coats over their British uniforms and having Harris speak French]] to the forts commander to convince him to open the gates. It works.
110	* DwindlingParty: The Chosen Men are slowly whittled down over the series.
111	** Isaiah Tongue: Disappears after ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]''.
112	** Francis Cooper: Wounded during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe's Gold]]'' (though he shows up again as the narrator of ''Sharpe: The Legend'').
113	** Ben Perkins: [[spoiler:Speared by O'Rourke during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe's Battle]].'']]
114	** Daniel Hagman: [[spoiler:Shot in the head by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe's Waterloo]]''.]]
115	** Harris: [[spoiler:Speared by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe's Waterloo]]''.]]
116	* 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.
117	* ElitesAreMoreGlamorous:
118	** In the novels, Sharpe is accompanied by a group of riflemen who he led through the retreat from Coruna, and who number about thirty at the time of his first appearance in ''Sharpe's Eagle''; in the series, Sharpe's entourage is reduced to five, and referred to as "Chosen Men" to denote their special abilities as marksmen, like modern-day Special Forces soldiers. Writer Eoghan Harris said this was deliberate, allowing the series to develop the Riflemen as individual characters. In RealLife, the entire 95th Regiment was an experimental unit, comprised of soldiers recruited and trained to act independently as marksmen and skirmishers rather than regular line infantry; the term "Chosen Man" was an unofficial distinction analogous to the modern rank of Lance Corporal, signifying that the man in question has been given command authority over a 6-10 man squad, in the absence of orders from a sergeant or officer.
119	** Invoked InUniverse in ''Sharpe's Company'': the Rifles' green coats denote them as being elite skirmishers who run around the battlefield to harry the enemy in contrast to red-coated soldiers move in disciplined ranks. Hakeswill takes great pleasure in stripping the Rifles of their green coats and forcing them to wear red like common soldiers.
120	* ElSpanishO: Several examples, most of them involving Hagman.
121	** When trying to get his boots repaired in Portugal:
122	--> How much to nailee the solee to me bootee?
123	** When managing French prisoners:
124	--> Alright, Commez-vous here, Frenchie!
125	* EnemyMine:
126	** Sharpe and Colonel Duberton versus the deserters in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]].''
127	** Sharpe and Lieutentant Barbier versus El Casco in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe's Gold]]''.
128	** Sharpe and General Calvet in the TV episode ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E1SharpesRevenge Sharpe's Revenge]]''.
129	* EnsignNewbie: One of these show up every now and then. Typically they don's survive.
130	** Ensign Denny in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].'' [[spoiler:He doesn't make it through the episode.]]
131	** Ensign Matthews from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe's Company]]'' is 16. [[spoiler:Hakeswill kills him in an attempt to kill Sharpe]].
132	* 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.
133	* EveryoneHasStandards: The Man in Black is disgusted when Harper shoots one of his men in the throat using a ramrod as a bullet.
134	* EverythingsLouderWithBagpipes: Major Munro is fond of his bagpipes, boasting that he taught himself how to play. When Sharpe asks a nearby sentry how he stands the racket, the sentry demonstrates that he's wearing earplugs.
135	* FacialHorror: Captain Frederickson's head is pretty much covered in scars. He has burn scars all over his head that cost him most of his hair, and took a musket ball in the face which shattered his jaw, knocked out most of his teeth, tore one of his eyes out of its socket on the way out and left him with a Glasgow Grin. He deliberately cultivates his fearsome appearance to instill fear in his enemies, removes his false teeth and glass eye before going into combat (much to the disgust of people around him) and collects teeth from dead Frenchmen to make himself a set of dentures. His men call him ''Sweet William''.
136	* FakingTheDead: Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe's Honour]]'', the entire squad of Chosen Men in ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe's Battle]].''
137	* 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".
138	--> '''Harper:''' Now I've seen ''everything''.
139	* {{Flynning}}: Sword-carrying extras engaged in this during battle scenes. Also seen when two fencers engage in "pirate halves" to establish that they're sheltered and playing at being duelists rather than warriors like Sharpe.
140	* FoodSlap: Wine tossed into face, courtesy of Richard Sharpe to two jerk officers in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]''.
141	* FrenchJerk: Surprisingly for a war series, this trope is often [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when it comes to Napoleon's army. Whilst there are plenty of card-carrying villains for Sharpe to defeat, there are plenty of honourable men who just happen to be on the opposing side to Sharpe. Straight examples include:
142	** Brigadier General Guy Loup, a flashy and unerringly cruel French soldier with his own fiercely loyal brigade, complete with their own [[MauveShirt special uniforms]]. Whilst he is AFatherToHisMen, this extends to allowing them to RapePillageAndBurn their way across the Spanish countryside.
143	** Major Pierre Ducos, who is a jerk to everyone he interacts with including his own allies, a nasty misogynist, and DirtyCoward to boot.
144	* FriendlySniper: Hagman seems to enjoy the company of his unit and breaks into song at every opportunity. And he can take a man down at eight hundred yards with a flintlock rifle. To a lesser extent, this is true of the entire rifle unit, who are all a pretty fun bunch of guys.
145	* GirlOfTheWeek: Subverted. Sharpe gets married and has the same LoveInterest from movie to movie just as often as he has temporary flings.
146	* 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.
147	-->"The South Essex. Sir Henry aside, Sharpe, what do you make of them, man for man?"
148	-->"They're flogged soldiers, sir. And flogging teaches a man only one lesson."
149	-->"What's that, Richard?"
150	-->"How to turn his back."
151	** Obadiah Hakeswill, on the other hand, has a scar round his neck which only adds to his freakish and sinister appearance.
152	** Colonel Brand seems to have a duelling scar.
153	** Firmly averted, on the other hand, by William Frederickson, whose facial injuries make him truly hideous but is one of Sharpe's staunchest allies at least until they find themselves competing for the same woman.
154	** Similarly averted by Major Septimus Pyecroft, who is missing a forearm and whose own facial injuries necessitate the wearing of a leather hood, but is also one of Sharpe's allies and defends a gypsy girl from [[spoiler:rogue English troops.]]
155	* GoodOldFisticuffs: Sharpe gets into a fist fight with Lt. Berry in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'' when the latter tries to rape Josefina.
156	* GroinAttack: Borders on OnceAnEpisode. Sharpe and Harper are both extremely fond of this tactic and deploy it frequently.
157	** 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.
158	** Sharpe tries to kick Berry in the balls in a fight in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].'' Berry only sniggers.
159	** Captain Palmer rounds off a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Colonel Bampfylde (who abandoned a perfectly defensible fort and left the wounded, including Captain Palmer, to be captured by the French) with a swift knee to the spuds. In front of General Wellington, too.
160	---> '''Wellington''': [''After Palmer's report on Bampfylde's actions''] Is that all, Captain Palmer?\
161	'''Palmer''': It's almost all, sir. [''THUD'']
162	* HatDamage: Harper shoots off the Man in Black's hat as he retreats during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]]''.
163	* HeavySleeper: Colonel Runciman sleeps through an entire battle during ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E2SharpesBattle Sharpe's Battle]].''
164	* 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.
165	* 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.
166	* HumanShield: Theresa uses Perkins as one when the Spanish guerillas encounter Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]].''
167	* 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.
168	* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Happens a few times.
169	** [[spoiler:Lt. Berry is run through by Harper with a bayonet in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].'']]
170	** [[spoiler:Ensign Denny is impaled by a French rifleman at the end of ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].'']]
171	** [[spoiler:Harris is speared by a French soldier in ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe's Waterloo]].'']]
172	* ImprobableAimingSkills: Berry boasts of these in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].''
173	-->'''Berry''': "Nobody can beat me with a pistol at 50 paces."
174	* ImprobableWeaponUser: Harper uses a ramrod as a bullet in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]].''
175	* InNameOnly: The TV version of ''[[Recap/SharpeS3E1SharpesGold Sharpe's Gold]]'', which involves Aztec human sacrifice in Spain.
176	* InsistentTerminology: Captain Leroy is not an American, he is a ''Virginian.''
177	* IronicNurseryTune: Almost an inversion - "Over the Hills and Far Away" is [[{{Leitmotif}} frequently]] used this way, but [[JustifiedTrope justified]] by its being an old folk song about the military.
178	* IrregularSeries: Ran from 1993 to 1997 before returning in 2006 and 2008.
179	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: The TV version of Sharpe.
180	-->'''Marie-Angelique''': You are a good man, Richard, whatever you would have the world think.
181	* LackOfEmpathy: Major Pierre Ducos has no regard for anyone, even his own allies. Take this exchange from ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E2SharpesEnemy Sharpe's Enemy]]'':
182	-->'''Sharpe''': Fool's errand? That man's wife is held hostage, sir. What is he to do?
183	-->'''Ducos''': Find another.
184	* 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]].''
185	* 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.
186	* 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.
187	* TheManTheyCouldntHang: Obidiah Hakeswill thinks this of himself. With him, it's a literal case, having survived a hanging himself as well as numerous attempts to kill him.
188	* MeaningfulEcho: When Sharpe is first introduced to the Chosen Men under his command, he utters with contempt: "So, the Chosen Men, uh? Well, I didn't choose you!" Fast forward to the Battle of Waterloo, after [[spoiler:the last two surviving Chosen Men, not counting Harper, die]], he cries out: "They were mine! I chose them!", in reference to the fact that he ''did'' help [[spoiler:Hagman and Harris]] enlist and get the rank of sergeants.
189	* MilesGloriosus: 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]].
190	** 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\|es}} from a cannonball reduces him to a blubbering mess.
191	** 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 humours 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.
192	* MrFanservice: Just look at how often Creator/SeanBean shows up on that page. {{Shirtless Scene}}s in spades.
193	** Hogan lampshades it during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'':
194	-->'''Hogan''': Sharpe?
195	-->'''Sharpe''': Yes sir?
196	-->'''Hogan''': Stop showing off, Sharpe.
197	* 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]].
198	** Sir Henry Simmerson, the original commander of the South Essex Regiment, is 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.
199	* NoFullNameGiven: Harris is only ever known as Harris. Hagman lampshades it when he asks about his name. [[invoked]]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]]
200	* 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:
201	-->'''Sharpe:''' Do you really believe men will fight and die for a rag on a pole? \
202	'''Hogan:''' You do, Richard. You do.
203	* 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.]]
204	* OutrankingYourJob: The TV series suffers from this, owing to the small budget the show had. Most episodes retains the named officers from the books, but didn't have the money for a full battalion. So often five or six officers would be leading only 30 or so men.
205	* 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).
206	* PostVictoryCollapse: Dobbs during ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'' when he manages to fire four rounds a minute after receiving 75 lashes.
207	* RankUp:
208	** Sharpe is introduced as a sergeant and rises through the ranks to eventually become a lieutenant colonel.
209	** Harper is a belligerent chosen man who flourishes when he becomes a sergeant and becomes sergeant major before retiring.
210	** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS5E3SharpesWaterloo Sharpe's Waterloo]]'', Sharpe arranges for both Harris and Hagman to be made sergeants as a favour to his old companions.
211	* RapeAsBackstory: Theresa has this, as explained by Major Blas Vivar in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]].''
212	* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: [[spoiler:Berry and Gibbons gave Josefina a "nice honeymoon." What's worse, they (Berry in particular) only did it to try and piss Sharpe off enough to lead to his disgrace.]]
213	* RealityIsUnrealistic:
214	** A perfectly historically correct flintlock lighter, which no-one seems able to identify, shows up in the first episode.
215	** Major Blas Vivar carries a strange object which looks like a pistol without a barrel, and at one point uses it to set a piece of paper on fire. The object is in fact a flintlock lighter, of a type that was the height of fashion among tobacco smokers during UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars.
216	%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Lord Wellington, of course.
217	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
218	** 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:
219	--> '''Doggett''': You did it again! Colonel Sharpe said you would do it again, and you did! All those men dead because you wanted to get out? You coward!
220	--> '''Rebecque''': Doggett! His Royal Highness cannot be called a coward.
221	--> '''Doggett''': No, dammit. No, not cowardice, not that. Just so he can dance and prance, and make high cockalorum, while men die? Horribly? It is too much, I declare, too much! I shall say it! [''hesitates, then plunges on''] You sir, are a silk stocking full of shit! [''rides away'']
222	** The best one in the entire series is in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'':
223	-->'''Wellesley''':...[[TheChessmaster Major Hogan]] reports a number of losses, Sir Henry. [[GeneralFailure He says you first lost your head, and, instead of destroying the bridge, you marched over it.]] [[DirtyCoward He says you then lost your nerve and ran from a small French patrol.]] He says you lost ten men, a major and two sergeants. He says you finally lost your sense of honour and destroyed the bridge, cutting off a rescue party led by Lieutenant Sharpe. Major Hogan leaves the worst to the last: [[TranquilFury He says you lost the King's Colours.]]
224	-->'''[[ModernMajorGeneral Simmerson]]''': The fault was not mine sir. [[NeverSpeakIllOfTheDead Major Lennox must answer-]]
225	-->'''Wellesley''': Major Lennox answered with his '''''LIFE!''''' As ''you'' should have done if you had any ''sense'' of honour! ''You lost the colours of the King of England.'' You ''disagraced'' us, sir! You ''shamed'' us, sir! ''You'' will answer. [[BadassBoast By God you will answer]]! The South Essex is stood down in name. If I wipe the name I may wipe the shame. I am making you a battalion of detachments, you will fetch and carry. The Light Company put up a fight, so I will let it stand under a new captain.
226	-->'''Simmerson''': To be commanded by the newly gazetted Captain Gibbons, sir?
227	-->'''Wellesley''': To be commanded by the newly gazetted Captain ''Sharpe'', sir.
228	-->'''Simmerson''': [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections I have a cousin at Horse Guards...and friends at court.]]
229	-->'''Wellesley''': A man who loses the King's Colours loses the King's friendship.
230	** 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:
231	-->'''Sharpe:''' You make your bed, Marquerre, and then you lie in it. Without complaining. Trouble with you is you wanted it all. You wanted to go away, be a spy for years, then come back, have everyone pat you on the back, tell you what a big hero you are. The world's not like that, Marquerre. You made your bed with Bonaparte. Maybe he'll give you a medal. Maybe not. As for me, next time you're in my sights and outside of a flag of parlay, I'll shoot you.
232	* 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]].''
233	* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun:
234	** After ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]]'', someone will bring up the fact that Sharpe took an Imperial eagle at the battle of Talavera.
235	** Even more often, the fact he saved Wellington's life (in ''Sharpe's Triumph'') is brought up. On one occasion, Hogan even reels off a list of his past exploits, including destroying the powder magazine at Almeida and successfully storming the breach at Badajoz.
236	* 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 building booby-trapped with explosives. Sure enough, the next French cavalrymen to pass fall for it.
237	* ScrewThisImOutOfHere: The Chosen Men try this twice during the first two episodes.
238	* 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.
239	* 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.
240	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The series is very much in the cynical corner.
241	** 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]].
242	** [[RapePillageAndBurn Rape, looting]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder treason, desertion]], UnfriendlyFire (all usually perpetrated by [[KarmaHoudini Karma Houdinis]]) are rampant.
243	** Even in the good guys' army, an enlisted man's life is identified as somewhere between that of a human and an animal.
244	** Most soldiers are [[ArmyOfThievesAndWhores born of thieves and whores]], and a large contingent of [[SociopathicSoldier sociopaths]] tag along at all times.
245	** 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.
246	** 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.
247	** 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]].
248	** 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.
249	** 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]].
250	** 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.
251	* 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.
252	* SnowMeansDeath: It's snowing during Sharpe's final duel with El Matarife in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe's Honour]].''
253	* 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.
254	* 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]].
255	** 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]]''.
256	** 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]].''
257	* SpectacularSpinning: Sharpe fends off the nuns in ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E3SharpesHonour Sharpe's Honour]]'' by spinning a chicken over his head.
258	* SpikingTheCamera: Lt. Berry spends most of his introductory scene looking right at the camera.
259	* 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.]]
260	* TheSquad: Sharpe and the Chosen Men. More prominent in the TV series, where there's only five Chosen Men besides Sharpe and they get a lot of character development, compared to the books where there's a dozen or two Riflemen who are only named and mentioned specifically when needed.
261	* StandardSnippet: "The Girl I Left Behind Me" is one of the regular leitmotifs.
262	* 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.
263	* 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.
264	* SuddenlyShouting: Wellesley does ''not'' react well to Simmerson attempting to deflect blame for his failure onto [[SpeakIllOfTheDead Major Lennox]].
265	--> '''Simmerson''': The fault was not mine, sir. Major Lennox must answer-\
266	'''Wellesley''': Major Lennox answered with his '''''LIFE!''''' As ''you'' should have done if you had any ''sense'' of honour!
267	* 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]].
268	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: The intelligence officers who replace Major Hogan in later episodes of the TV show.
269	* 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.
270	* 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]].
271	* 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.
272	* ThrewMyBikeOnTheRoof: The series has both a hero and a villain destroying each other's stuff.
273	** 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.
274	** 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.
275	* TokenEnemyMinority: Major Leroy, an American Loyalist officer in the British regular army at a time when England was still occasionally in direct conflict with the United States like UsefulNotes/TheWarOf1812. Though, since he specifically describes himself as being 'from Virginia' rather than America, he's not that much of an enemy.
276	* UnfriendlyFire:
277	** In ''[[Recap/SharpeS2E1SharpesCompany Sharpe's Company]]'', Hakeswill tries to shoot Sharpe under cover of a skirmish, only to shoot Ensign Matthews.
278	** ''[[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.
279	** 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.
280	* 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, Wellesley 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.
281	* VillainousBreakdown: Hakeswill and Girdwood. Simmerson is constantly on the verge of one.
282	* VillainousCrush: Gibbons has one for the Countess Josefina in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E2SharpesEagle Sharpe's Eagle]].'' She falls for Sharpe instead, then Leroy.
283	* VomitIndiscretionShot:
284	** Harper during his fight with Sharpe in ''[[Recap/SharpeS1E1SharpesRifles Sharpe's Rifles]].''
285	** Harris when he finds three murdered Gypsies in ''[[Recap/SharpeS4E3SharpesMission Sharpe's Mission]].''
286	* 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.
287	* WeaponSpecialization: Richard Sharpe uses his Baker rifle to devastating effects. He also carries a 1796 Pattern Heavy Cavalry sword, which is essentially a sharpened club with a knuckleduster attached.
288	* 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.
289	* WhatTheHellHero: From Captain Leroy to Sharpe after the efforts of Sharpe to capture the French Eagle result in the death of another young officer who followed him into the battle. All the more so as Sharpe undertook the action in order to secure his own promotion to captain.
290	* WorldOfSnark: Sarcastic comments are thrown around in every direction, usually by the Chosen Men or Wellington's spymasters, and Sharpe and Harper in particular.
291	* 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.
292	* YouAreInCommandNow: Sharpe takes command of the Chosen Men when Captain Murray dies.
293	* YoureInsane: Or rather "Vous êtes fou!" - from Pot-au-Feu to Sharpe after Sharpe shoots the ladle he's holding out of his hand.

Context Series / Sharpe