The Bumbling Characters of Much Ado About Nothing

These characters serve two main purposes and create two main effects. First, on the level of ideas, their very stupid self-deception serves as contrast to the more subtle self-deception of the other characters. This is especially true of the two couples linked by romance and misunderstanding. Second, on the level of the structure of the play, these characters are used by Shakespeare to blunder into discovering the plot before it could be completely carried out. This keeps the play a comedy and lets the audience know that the play is not about to become a tragedy, which it would have become if that plot had actually been carried out. The audience would not be able to relax and enjoy the comedy if it feared that at any moment it was about to turn into a bloody tragedy.

At the same time, if the officials (Dogberry, etc.) were effective, they would have stopped Don John's plot too soon, and some of the play's most comic complications would not have taken place. They serve the purpose of keeping the plot going (by not stopping Don John's plans too

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o, Claudio and others being fooled by others and themselves. We also see that they believe themselves to be quite intelligent and not able to be fooled. They are, indeed, very intelligent and clever, and it would seem ridiculous to compare them to the stupid constable and his stupid men. On the other hand, both groups see themselves as very smart and clever and both groups are capable of being completely fooled by themselves and one another. Shakespeare is telling us here that all human beings---intelligent and not so intelligent---are capable of being fooled. The most important purpose Dogberry and his men serve in this area is to show that all human beings are not as clever or intelligent as they think they are, and the more clever they think they are, the more vulnerable they are to being fooled. Dogberry is a fool but the audience member who does not see a little Dogberry in himself or herself misses Shakespeare's point. In the matter of the plot, Dogberry and his fellow fools save the day. They are foolish enough to keep from breaking up Don John's plans too soon. After all, the play would be over in the third act if the Watch did their job effectively. At the same time, they are effective enough to get the job done, altho
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Approximate Word count = 1413
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)