Boy

Boy is a young attendant whose brief appearances make him more perceptive than the swaggering soldiers he serves. He carries messages, judges the men around him, and, in a French exchange with a soldier, helps turn Pistol’s command into an instruction the soldier can follow.

Identity and Service

When Boy enters, he addresses Ancient Pistol as his host and tells him that his master requires him. The exchange establishes Boy as a messenger within the company, though the scene does not identify the master in the words supplied here. His own later description clarifies that his service is not confined to one man: he is boy to all three of the swashers he has been watching.

An Observer of the Swashers

After the others leave him alone, Boy reflects that, young as he is, he has observed the three swaggerers. The contrast is pointed: his subordinate position has given him a close view of their behavior, and his judgment is not absorbed into their self-presentation. The available passage establishes his skeptical perspective but does not supply the particular criticisms he makes of each man.

A French-Speaking Intermediary

During Pistol’s encounter with a French soldier, Boy addresses the soldier in French and tells him to follow the great captain. Pistol has just ordered the soldier to follow him; Boy’s words recast that command for its French-speaking recipient. The moment gives the attendant a practical role in the exchange, but the supplied text does not establish what becomes of Boy afterward.