Tag Archives: Comedic Relief

It is strange that you would need comedic relief in a comedy, but while the first two acts of this play contain a lot of humor and lightheartedness, in typical Shakespearean fashion, the play quickly takes a turn for tragedy in the third act with some very intense scenes. This is where the sudden introduction of the character Dogberry becomes important, because a distraction and catharsis was needed for the audience.

While Benedict and Beatrice constantly go at one another and amuse us with their use of creative language, and Claudio’s and Hero’s relationship is being manipulated for our entertainment by Don John and his men, all of these characters still maintain a realistic and relatable sense about them. They may not be comedic as individuals, but in the types of situations that they are put into is what I believe makes this a comedy.

Dogberry is a special case in this play though. His dialogue is very memorable and funny in its own right with the way he tries to sound so self-important, smart, and refined, but just ends up horribly botching everything he says through the incorrect use of words and language. To the audience it is the obvious the words he should be using instead, and this memorable form of malapropisms, which I learned from today’s scene study group, brilliantly adds to the value of his comedic timing and relief.

There is also silver lining and humorous contradiction within the character of Dogberry, for although he is the bumbling idiot of the play that constantly botches every line uttered out of his mouth, he also botches and foils the plan of Don Johns plot, exposing not only him and his men, but indirectly saves and redeems Hero from public humiliation, perhaps being the foolish, oblivious, and ironic hero of the play himself.