MovieChat Forums > Sharpe's Eagle (1993) Discussion > Sharpe: hero or overambitious bastard?

Sharpe: hero or overambitious bastard?

posted 18 years ago by Muschniki
19 replies | jump to latest

By accident a friend and I "discovered" the Sharpe series on the Internet - and bought "Sharpe's Rifles" and "Sharpe's Eagle" on spot. After only watching about 5 minutes we knew that it was a very good choice indeed...
However, we got a little confused with Sharpe's status as a hero in "Eagle" - and now here's my question: why exactly did Sharpe get the French eagle?
Was it a deed of honour or was it to secure his newly promoted position as captain?
First, we thought, it was a heroic, or even romantic thing: a wordless oath to fullfill Lennox' last wish, whom Sharpe admired a great deal, and/or a matter of honour, as the French had taken their "Colours". Never mind that his commanding officers forbade him to try and take the eagle. Sharpe is our hero. We expect this kind of behaviour from him.
But then, there was his talk with Leroy after the fight and after seizing the eagle. Leroy asked Sharpe for his reasons, and Sharpe tells him, he wanted to secure his new rank of a captain - whereupon Leroy is disppointed and says he had thought there was something more. Well... so thought we! Can anyone please explain this to me? It just doesn't seem to fit. Up to that moment, we thought of Sharpe as a man of honour, who keeps his word, a man of morals, a "killing officer" as Harper characterised him. But then he goes and leads his men on a suicide mission, to achieve his own goals!
What did we miss? We want our hero back...
So, please tell me: hero or overambitious bastard?

Thanks in advance,
Bruce.

[–] c-huddleston 18 years ago

It's a shame that the movie's producers decided to go down that road. In the book there is no discussion with senior officers about the Eagle.

Either way, Sharpe has a strict set of morals - but they are basic. He won't rape, he won't steal from his own side (unless he's starving). He keeps his word. That's about it. He knows that he can be a good officer - the book especially points this out at the battle around the bridge where the South Essex loses its King's Colour. And the "prinked up b*stards" like Simmerson keep him down.

So, yes. He fights back. And takes his men with him. But remember that if his men didn't want to go after the Eagle (he asks for volunteers only) they did not have to go - and if he were as unpopular as all that, he would have wound up with a bullet from his own side...something that was not uncommon in those days.

[–] bionic_ghost 18 years ago

the whole series is a little confused (see the start of rifles) since in the books he saves Wellesley's life and is promoted into the 75th Borderers (i think?) but doesn't fit in as a quartermaster so is sent to join the newly forming rifle unit.

Asfar as I can tell he doesn't have ambition as such - the army is all he knows and has no real aspirations beyond having a good scrap next time out and seeing that he wins or at the very least comes back alive to do the same again. On the occasions where he has the chance to pinch from his enemies he does) but isn't too annoyed when they pinch it back EXCEPT when his wife betrays him and closes his account and shacks up with another officer.

[–] professional_slacker567 17 years ago

I think any ambiguity is cleared up at the end. He gives his response to Leroy because at that point he still doesn't trust or particularly like him (their 'friendship' comes later) but his real reasoning is shown, quite poignantly at the end when he places the captured Eagle over Lennox's grave (deep, so he can feel it). To me it was a way of showing Sharpe fulfilling his promise with a minimum of fuss. If he'd have charged into the French screaming "For Lennox!" it would have been entirely out of character, as would him telling a 'prinked-up bastard' he did it as a matter of honour.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Reneeray 17 years ago

Actually in the book, Sharpe does promise to get the Eagle for Major Lennox, but he also needs to get the Eagle for other reasons, Simmerson blamed him for loosing the colors when he blew the bridge. So he needed to do something heroic, or his may have been over. Love the book I recommend reading them all, I am up to Sharpes Enemy

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] hannafran 17 years ago

What's wrong with ambition? :)

(Plus he's rather heroic, which kept me reading every single book!!! (being the soppy romantic I am he he))

Smeg!

[–] cloud241 17 years ago

In Sharpe's Co., he is willing to volunteer for the Forlorn Hope (suicide charge into the first breach of the seiged city) in order to restore his prestige after essentially being made a quartermaster again. Once he became an officer, he showed that he was willing to do anything to keep the commission and maintain the support of Wellington. I would say that he is an ambitious bastard, in Sharpe's Co. I believe he even mentions that he needs to keep his commission in order to support his unborn child (or something to that affect).

[–] roscoe-11 17 years ago

I think he's more aware that as a man promoted from the ranks, he had to do alot more than your normal gentry officer in order to prove his worth as an officer, also during sharpes company, he mentions he fights so that his future daughter (who he has in company) will be "Well placed"

[–] Mad Dog McLagan 17 years ago

Sharpe's Co. is very psychologically complex, though. Sharpe is afraid of being stuck as a purser, afraid of not being able to reach Teresa and his daughter before the looting starts, afraid of Hakeswill... I think he sees the Forlorn as a way out of his troubles above all else, as well as having a slim chance of success. Notice that he never takes up any of those who offer to go with him into the Forlorn on their offer... or even entertains it briefly.

I suspect the problem is that you have too many paperclips up your nose

[–] ctsamados 15 years ago

I have a question sort of linked to the original posters. Why is Sharpe even interested in making Captain? He says at the beginning of the film that he wants to secure his promotion but this doesn't seem to fit in with his character who in the most part dispises the pompous officers. So why even attempt to climb higher up their rank structure?

I can see that when Lenox asks him to get the Eagle then it comes down to matter of repaying him a debt (forged in the prisons of India) which in the long run secured his promotion but I was just wondering why he had ambitions before then?

Also what the hell are molaces (sp?) that Captain Leroy keeps talking about?

[–] ctsamados 15 years ago

Just to answer my own question, lol.

But it becomes apparent why he wants to become a Captain in the next episode (Sharpe's Company). After he is demoted he reasons that if he is a Captain he can better protect his chosen men (and also his newly discovered child and girlfriend) and also make sure he isn't given worthless jobs which Lieutenant's get such as Picket and Baggage duty.

[–] c-huddleston 15 years ago

More to the point, an officer who started out as an enlisted man is more likely to get the "worthless" jobs rather than a chance to command men: the view among officers was that they did not have the ability born into them and the men despised them as "jumped up jack puddings".

[–] wildcardgal 13 years ago

This reply comes very late ... but Captain Leroy is speaking of Molasses. Rum, Molasses, Slaves were the three legs of the slave trade.

Let slip the Determined Kitten of Doom!

[–] Cozmo1234 12 years ago

Actually it wasn't Lennox who was in prison with him, but Lawford. I could see how it would be a bit confusing, but here's how it goes:

Lennox: commanded the 78th Highlanders at the Battle of Assaye in India. Sharpe was there to see him steady the line, and so was familiar with Lennox's abilities as a commander.

Lawford: was sent to rescue his uncle, Col. McCandless, who had been captured by the Tippoo in India. He chose Private Sharpe to accompany him. They were discovered by the enemy and captured, and spent some time in prison with McCandless (and Sgt. Hakeswill), during which the two officers taught Sharpe to read. This is described in the book "Sharpe's Tiger," and takes place in 1799. Since then, Lawford and Sharpe have always had a close relationship.

[–] andu-00 12 years ago

I've watched the first three episodes so far and I've also been surprised with Sharpe's sometimes annoying eagerness for promotion which he tries to squeeze from various superiors. He whines quite a bit about it. In the third episode he has the excuse of wanting to build a future for his new born daughter, but there's no such thing in the second. It feels very out of character - but that may be because of such war film characters usually being (maybe stereotipically) people who have seen so much that they don't really care anymore.

[–] Arya_Adrianiel 12 years ago

I think that he would really qualify more as an anti-hero.... type either I or IV, methinks....