Edward Halle’s depiction of Owain Glyndŵr’s bloody hands, heavy with the prizes of war, is one of the most striking uses of imagery in the revolt narratives. Here, Owain Glyndŵr’s marked and laden hands are an important focal point through which Halle explores notions of personal responsibility for the events depicted. Bloody hands are traditionally a sign of guilt and wrongdoing. In Halle’s image, Owain Glyndŵr does not recognize the significance of his coloured hands and shows no remorse; instead, he continues to act in a similar and ‘evil’ manner ‘till the next yere’. While this is certainly an unfavourable image of Owain Glyndŵr, it is nevertheless a considered depiction of an individual. Moreover, the absence of anyone else connected to the events depicted by Halle further strengthens the sense that the impetus for these raids, and indeed more broadly the events of 1400 to c.1415, is centred entirely around one individual: Owain Glyndŵr.

This chapter provides an analysis of the characteristics attached to the central protagonists of the revolt narratives, and a consideration of the purposes behind these depictions. Central to this discussion are the representations of two individuals, Henry IV and Owain Glyndŵr, although numerous other individuals who feature in the revolt narratives, such as Reginald Lord Grey and Edmund Mortimer, will also be discussed. Characterization is an important element in any narrative. Studies of the methods through which individuals (and indeed communities) are represented in chronicles has not previously been the subject of analysis. In this chapter I argue that the chroniclers present complex depictions of the central characters in their revolt narratives. The protagonists have depth of character and meaning, and are depicted as emotional beings, with agency and personal traits.

This chapter is divided into two parts, each an analysis of a subtle method by which the chroniclers individualize and characterize the central protagonists of the revolt narratives.