Sergeant Obadiah Hakeswill
The Man Who Could Not Be Killed
Who Is Hakeswill?
Obadiah Hakeswill is one of the greatest villains in British fiction. Tall, with a huge belly and a long scrawny neck bearing a terrible scar. Jaundiced yellowish skin, baby-blue eyes, blond hair going grey. He twitches uncontrollably, a facial tic that never stops. He genuinely believes he cannot be killed, because he was hanged at the age of twelve and survived. The hanging left him with the scar, the twitch, and an unshakeable conviction that God protects him.
He is a bully, a thief, a rapist, a murderer, and a liar. He quotes scripture to justify every act of villainy. He is Sharpe’s oldest and most personal enemy, and Bernard Cornwell’s darkest creation.
Origins
Hakeswill was hanged at the age of twelve, reportedly for a crime he may not have committed. The rope broke, or the drop was too short, and the boy survived. The experience left him with the scar around his neck, the permanent facial twitch, and a deranged belief in his own indestructibility. From that moment he believed that God had spared him and that no man could kill him. It says so in the scriptures.
Hakeswill and Sharpe
Their enmity goes back to Sharpe’s earliest days as a soldier in the 33rd Foot. Hakeswill was the sergeant of Sharpe’s company in India, and he made the young private’s life a misery. He had Sharpe flogged. He robbed, bullied and tormented every man under his command, with the complicity of Captain Morris. Their relationship runs through five novels, from Sharpe’s Tiger to Sharpe’s Enemy.
His Crimes
The catalogue of Hakeswill’s crimes across the series: he torments and robs the men of his company. He frames Patrick Harper for theft. He murders Colonel McCandless in the confusion of battle to prevent McCandless from protecting Sharpe. He kills Teresa Moreno. He fires his musket blindly as she rides after him and the bullet catches her in the throat. She dies instantly.
Each crime deepens the reader’s desire for his destruction, and Cornwell delays the satisfaction with diabolical skill.
“It Says So in the Scriptures”
Hakeswill’s famous catchphrase. He invokes scripture to justify everything he does, from petty theft to murder. His deranged religiosity is one of the most unsettling aspects of his character: he genuinely believes that God is on his side, that he is protected by divine providence, and that his victims deserved what they got. The twitch gets worse when he is agitated, and his baby-blue eyes stare with the vacant certainty of a man who has been to the gallows and come back.
His Death
In Sharpe’s Enemy, Hakeswill leads a gang of deserters who have seized a mountain village. He is captured, tried, and sentenced to death by firing squad. Sharpe commands the execution. Hakeswill’s last words are directed at Sharpe, his greatest enemy. The firing squad fires. The man who could not be killed is killed at last.
It is one of the most satisfying moments in the entire series, and Cornwell earns it by making the reader wait through five novels for justice.
Novel vs TV
Pete Postlethwaite played Hakeswill in two ITV television films: Sharpe’s Company and Sharpe’s Enemy. His performance is widely considered one of the finest villain portrayals in British television drama. The twitching, the baby-blue stare, the wheedling voice quoting scripture: Postlethwaite made Hakeswill unforgettable.
The television Hakeswill is introduced in the Peninsular War. The India novels, which establish his origin as Sharpe’s tormentor in the 33rd Foot, were written later and were never filmed. This means TV viewers meet Hakeswill without the backstory that novel readers know, which makes his villainy seem more sudden but no less powerful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Hakeswill in Sharpe?
Obadiah Hakeswill is the principal recurring villain of the Sharpe series. A sergeant who torments Sharpe from his earliest days as a soldier and eventually murders Teresa Moreno.
How does Hakeswill die?
Hakeswill is tried and sentenced to death by firing squad in Sharpe's Enemy. Sharpe commands the execution.
Who plays Hakeswill?
Pete Postlethwaite played Hakeswill in Sharpe's Company and Sharpe's Enemy.
Why does Hakeswill twitch?
He was hanged at age 12 and survived. The botched hanging left him with a scar and an uncontrollable facial twitch.
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