William Dodd is a major recurring antagonist in the Richard Sharpe novels and television series. He is one of the three main antagonists of the novel Sharpe's Triumph (with Obadiah Hakeswill and Anthony Pohlmann) and the main antagonist of the novel Sharpe's Fortress and the television miniseries Sharpe's Challenge.
He was portrayed by Toby Stephens, who also portrayed Gustav Graves in Die Another Die, Dr. Edward George Armstrong in And Then There Were None and Jay Gatsby in the 2000 version of The Great Gatsby.
Biography
Novels
William Dodd was an officer in the East India Company who deserted in order to avoid a murder charge after killing a native worker, taking his company with him. He ended up joining the Mahratta army, working for the European officer Anthony Pohlmann. One of his first actions was to lead his men to the British fortress at Chasalgaon and massacre the occupants, with Sergeant Richard Sharpe as the only survivor. As a reward, he was made major of a unit that he dubbed Dodd's Cobras.
Dodd and his men survived the Mahratta defeat at Ahmednuggur, after which he met Sharpe and Colonel McCandless when they returned the wife of one of his officers until a flag of truce. Despite the truce, Dodd tried to steal the pair's horses, resulting in McCandless being wounded. Dodd had contempt for Arthur Wellesley, thinking he had no real skill for soldiering, but was proved wrong when Dodd defeated Pohlmann's army at Assaye. Dodd fled the battlefield, killing his French captain Pierre Joubert when he refused to leave without his wife.
Dodd joined up with the Mahratta army led by Manu Bapoo who, after suffering a minor defeat at Arguam, retreated to the fortress of Gawilghur. Dodd was convinced of the fortress' impregnability and began making plans to seize power for himself. He was given command of the inner fort and adopted Sharpe's old enemy Obadiah Hakeswill as his lieutenant when he deserted.
When the British launched their attack, Dodd deliberately sealed the inner fort against the outer fort troops led by Bapoo, causing their deaths, then had Hakeswill kill the fort's civilian commander Beny Singh, leaving him in control. However, his plans of ruling the region were foiled when Sharpe was able to lead the British troops over the wall. Dodd fought Sharpe on the fortress' ramparts and seemed to gain the upper hand but was put off his stride both by Sharpe's servant Ahmed taking a blow meant for Sharpe at the cost of his own life and Dodd being shot in the shoulder by Sergeant Lockhart, allowing Sharpe to make the killing thrust.
Television
Dodd deserted the East India Company, bitter at the lack of advancement, and joined the armies of a hostile faction. He led his men in raiding the fort of Chasalgaon and stealing the pay chest, but unknowingly left Sharpe alive.
Fifteen years later, the young Khande Rao was the official ruler of the region, still opposed to the British, but the regent was Madhuvanthi and Dodd was now a general and her lover, wielding the real power. He discovered Sharpe and his friend Patrick Harper had been recruited into the army posing as deserters and ordered Sharpe to kill Harper to prove his loyalty, although Sharpe quickly realised that Dodd had given him faulty powder and played along.
A prisoner, Shadrach Bickerstaff, betrayed Sharpe and Harper, revealing Sharpe was a British colonel. Dodd had the pair flogged and informed them he had set up a mine at the point where the British were breaching the walls which he would detonate and kill their army when they attacked. When Khande Rao's sister Lalima attempted to warn the British, realising her brother was safer in their hands than Dodd's, Dodd had her imprisoned and flogged as well.
However, Sharpe and Harper escaped and prematurely detonated the mine, giving the British access to the fortress. Realising the battle was lost, Dodd killed Madhuvanthi and tried to flee with the royal treasure but was confronted by Sharpe, who revealed for the first time that he had survived Chasalgaon. The two fought and Sharpe managed to disarm Dodd, then forced him into the throne he'd coveted and pinned him to it with a sword thrust through the chest, killing him.
Trivia
- Dodd was based on a real East India Company lieutenant who deserted to escape a murder charge. The real Dodd's fate is unknown.