Much ado about nothing - imaginary scene Dogberry at the pub

Write a short scene involving Dogberry, Verges and the Watch immediatly after the Watch have arrested Borachio and Conrade. Include missundersandings, dramatic irony, malapropisms (otherwise known as dogberryism) and farce.


scene opens, Dogberry and verges are at a table along with members of the Watchmen, Borachio and Conrade are also present, however they are being carried by the watchmen.

Dogberry- Members of the watch, why are you at this place? (to Verges) where are we?

Watchman 1- I've just arrested a villain so I have.

Watchman 2- No I've just arrested a villain.

Watchman 3- No we've arrested two peoples suspected of appropriate activity.

Dogberry- Truly you people are drunk, well masters I think you must go to your homes before those sirs in
fancy cuffs arrest you.

Verges- I think those are the people they've arrested...

Dogberry- What have you done you, you highbrow's!

Watchman 2- we were conducting are busy ness as you sayed and then these two appeared shouting slander at the Princes brother.

Watchman 3- and there was somehting about someones Hero.

Dogberry- so they were slandering the Princes brother by calling him their Hero?

Watchman 1- Yes.

Watchman 3- No.

Watchman 2- Maybe.

Verges- What happend?

Dogberry- Well its simple these idiots arrested the two gentlemen there for calling the Princes brother their hero and that one thinks that it's salimander. Verges unarrest these men and say sorry.

Watchman 3- No thats not what happend.

Watchman 2- And he called you an ass!

Dogberry- He did what?

Watchman 1- The fat one called you an ass constable.

Dogberry- Thats it, lets string em up here.

Verges- But thats against the law sir.

Dogberry- (to Verges) There comes a time, sir when we must take the law into our own hands.

Borachio- Constable if you wouldent mind my interupting.

Dogberry- Yes I would mind your trumpeting.

Borachio- I can't trumpet you ass, just let me speak.

Verges- You will not use the Constables ass as a trumpet.

Conrade- (to Borachio) just let it go they wont hang us, they're too stupid.

Watchman 1- we are not stupid sir.

Dogberry- First you call me an ass, now you call all of us stupid. I was wrong to call you a Gentleman sir, you sir, are a bastard.

Verges- (to dogberry) Sir calm down, we will take him to the court.

Dogberry- Yes i will not lever myself to his level.

Watchman 2- Does that mean we have to carry them there too?

Watchman 1- Yea they're legs are'nt working

Verges- It looks like they do.

Dogberry- Sirs by the grace of god there legs are working now, now get them there.

exeunt

Much ado about nothing - Act 3 scene 3 - Malaprpism, idiocy and farce

over veiw of scene - Dogberry tells all of the watchmen to command people to stop in the name of the prince, bt to be thankfull if the person runs off as it would be better for the watchmen not to come into contact with such rude people. Dogberry commands all of the watchmen to allow peopel they suspect of being theifs to go without question so that the theif may steal something and thus the watchman be proven correct. Finally Dogberry tells all of the watcmen to arrest the prince if they see him but to let him go if he doesnt like being arrested. Later Conrade and Borachio apppear and confess to their roles in destroying Hero's image infornt of the watchmen, the watchmen then arrest the two because they think that the two look funny.

Much ado about nothing - recipe for Don John

why did I choose Don John?
I chose the character of Don John as he is the catalyst for trouble in the play, shakespear could have waited for a more comical bad guy to appear in the play but instead placed Don John who would be more suited to a tradegy than a comedy, his character seems to show that of someone who is under appriciated and has turned against those he once was loyal to in retalliation. I think Don John could have been a more developed character that even shakespeare uses without fulfilling the characters potential.

What was my first impression of the character?
my first impression of Don John was that of a mysterious unknown, his character appeared with Don Pedro but seemed lacking in depth and speach, maybe this is because he knew his words would carry no weight, or maybe he was harbouring sme deep resentment at those of the company at the time.

Quotations and what they suggest:

DON JOHN
"I wonder that thou (being, as thou say'st thou art, born
under Saturn) goest about to apply a moral medicine to a
mortifying mischief. I cannot hide what I am: I must be sad when
I have cause, and smile at no man's jests; eat when I have
stomach, and wait for no man's leisure; sleep when I am drowsy,
and tend on no man's business; laugh when I am merry, and claw no man in his humour."

this qoute shows the life that Don John leads, he has to follow his brother through any conquest he is given, he must pretend to laugh and smile at things of bad taste, eat at feasts that hold nothing but ridicule for him. this littel speech shos how Don John believes himself to be under appriciated and used for the amusment of the other charaters in the play.

DON JOHN
"The word is too good to paint out her wickedness. I could say
she were worse; think you of a worse title, and I will fit her to
it. Wonder not till further warrant. Go but with me to-night, you
shall see her chamber window ent'red, even the night before her
wedding day. If you love her then, to-morrow wed her. But it
would better fit your honour to change your mind"

this quote shows how much Don John believes his word would be taken into the trust of Claudio and Don Pedro, this is because Don John the princes own brother has to set forth borachio onto margaret so that his word may be proven to the two who should (if they trusted him and his station) have taken his word as truth to begin with.

DON JOHN
"I thank you. I am not of many words, but I thank you."

this quote could show to other characters in the play the humility of Don John and how his charater is quiet and humbeld by the people around him. However the quote could be showing that Don John knows what he is going to do and does not want any drawn out conversations which could draw him into the light of the scheme that he sets in place to ridicule his brother and claudio.

DON JOHN
"Sir, they are spoken, and these things are true."

this quote shows how much weight Don Johns words would have carried had he been trusted by Don Pedro and Claudio to begin with, also that he knew when Beatrice was about to come forth with some evidence on the contrary with his own.

BORACHIO
"Marry, it is your brother's right hand."
DON JOHN
"Who? the most exquisite Claudio?"
BORACHIO
"Even he."
DON JOHN
"A proper squire!"

This quote shows the contempt Don John held for Claudio who was trusted and treated as Don Pedros favourite, this position should have been Don Johns as he was Don Pedros brother, this could have been the reason that he puts in place the plan o get rid of hero and destroy the spirit of Claudio in order to claim his rightful place.

what ingredients would I use to explain this character?
-green food colouring to represent his envy and jealousy of Claudio
-expencive chocolate to represent how he could be liked and how he is rich
-marhmellows to represent how he looks nice from the outside
-green or red liquorice laces to represent the maddness he harbours and the tanged nature of his emotions and position