Dogberry confuses criminal charges by prioritising the wrong
words and consequently misinterprets what they said. For instance when he makes
sure they “write God first.” even though it wouldn’t make any sense.
The event reported for the first time is that they were paid
by Don John for “accusing the Lady Hero” and that “Don John is a villain” they received
a “thousand ducats” from Don John, Dogberry believes that this is burglary and
slander against Don John and misses the real crime that has been committed.
Dogberry thinks that the worst crime they committed was
calling Don John “a villain” which he thinks is slanderous. It is important to
Dogberry that the evidence is written down because he was the recognition of
catching these criminals, and the evidence will be proof that he caught them.
Dogberry justifies himself against the slander by saying that he is so “pretty”.
With these scenes examine the plays fixation with patriarchy and power. The obsession with protecting male reputation at almost any expense is central to the action.
ReplyDeleteWhy do we find Dogberry humorous yet Claudio and Leonardo believable?