Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing
A Character Study of Shakespeare's Comic Constable
Dogberry the Constable in Much Ado About Nothing, played by Michael Keaton in Kenneth Branagh's film version, is a richly comic invention.
Though critical books sometimes stress that the Renaissance notion of “comedy” had more to do with resolution than humour, Dogberry in Much Ado About Nothing is unashamedly out to get laughs. Michael Keaton’s joyously silly performance as Dogberry, one of the highlights of Kenneth Branagh’s film version of Much Ado, shows that the part is still more than capable of delivering those laughs.
He first appears quite late in the play, entering at III.3 to instruct the men of the Prince’s Watch in how they should discharge their duties. His attitude to policing is less than “zero tolerance”, and he advises his men that “If you meet a thief, you may suspect him, by virtue of your office, to be no true man.; and for such men, the less you meddle or make with them, why, the more is for your honesty.” The most draconian measure he will countenance is “if you do take a thief...let him show himself what he is, and steal out of your company.”
Dogberry is in continual danger of being misunderstood, as he uses contradictory terms with engaging abandon: “to talk is most tolerable and not to be endured”, “the most senseless and fit man” (III.3), “thou villain, thou art full of piety” (IV.2) As often with malapropisms, Shakespeare is perhaps making a joke over the character’s head – a senseless man might well be the most suitable for this deranged law enforcement operation! (Bearing in mind that it is Dogberry’s men who discover the plot against Hero, by the technique of sitting on the church bench whilst waiting to go to bed.) When Dogberry presents the case to Don Pedro, the Don is forced to ask the prisoners themselves why they have been arrested, explaining diplomatically that “This learned constable is too cunning to be understood.” (V.1)
Dogberry’s grandiloquent and mangled verbal displays are probably due to his desire to impress everyone. He has a very large sense of his own importance, demanding that his position as constable be respected (or “suspected”, as he calls it) and flying into a rage when one of the prisoners calls him an “ass”. This insult seems to offend him more than the intrigue and death Conrade and Borachio stand accused of, telling Leonato that “this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ass” and asking that it “be remembered in his punishment.” (V.1)
Despite his rampant pomposity and self-regard, Dogberry is so full of energy and verbal ingenuity that it is difficult to dislike him. When played well, he is one of Shakespeare’s finest comic turns, and more than earns his place in Much Ado About Nothing.
