Dogberry: The Incompetent Who Solves Everything
First appears: Act 3, Scene 3
Dogberry is the play's constable, and almost every word he says is almost correct. 'Comparisons are odorous,' he announces in Act 3, Scene 5, meaning 'odious.' His instructions to his watchmen ('if you meet a thief, you may suspect him, by virtue of your office') are the most comprehensive guide to inaction in English literature.
The comedy depends on the gap between his self-importance and his incompetence. But Dogberry and his watchmen actually solve the plot. They overhear Borachio confessing the whole scheme to Conrad. The clever people around them (Don Pedro, Claudio, Leonato) fail completely.
His hurt indignation in Act 4, Scene 2 ('I am a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns, and everything handsome about him') is a small, perfect comic speech about dignity and what it means to people who are denied it.
Key Scenes
Famous Quotes
“Comparisons are odorous.”
Dogberry — Act 3, Scene 5
“I am a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns, and everything handsome about him.”
Dogberry — Act 4, Scene 2
Themes
Other Characters in Much Ado About Nothing
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