#Dogberry

[jillraggett]

Plant of the Day

Saturday 14 September 2024

Following the flat clusters of white flowers on Viburnum opulus (guelder rose, dogberry, water elder, cramp bark, snowball tree, European cranberry bush) in early summer bunches of translucent bright red fruits are produced and often persist into winter. The berries are an important food source for birds, including bullfinch and mistle thrush and the flowers are especially attractive to hoverflies.

Jill Raggett

[anghraine]

I've been trying to peer pressure my bff into watching Much Ado About Nothing with me (my fave Shakespeare comedy), and he wanted to have everything in our house set up first etc etc. But he agreed to watch it yesterday and we had a lot of fun absolutely cackling at, well, almost everything.

I do think it's one of the most purely funny Shakespeare plays that are still really good, especially when performed/directed well. We were watching the Joss Whedon version—yes, I know, but I bought it back when it came out and it's still my favorite—and Nathan Fillion's Dogberry is an utter delight, and honestly there are a bunch of script and directorial choices that make it my favorite.

I particularly like Amy Acker's Beatrice: she can be charmingly witty, vulnerable and hurt, sweet and supportive, an adorable dweeb, and ferocious and hard as nails. The way her face changes in the grand romantic scene with Benedick is fantastic—there's this moment where you just see her features harden before she says "Kill Claudio" that I love. I also really loved how often she's visually framed with Hero in the later part of the story: sometimes literally holding her but often visually paired with her in a way that highlights her priorities.

Benedick is pretty good in this version, as well—not as impressive as Acker or Fillion, I'd say, but I like how Benedick initially seems to be a rather callous asshole only for him to be gradually revealed as the most profoundly decent man in the play—not that the competition is steep, but still—especially with regard to women, and how he's, well, also an adorable dweeb until it really matters, at which point he turns deadly serious. And I really like their dynamic once the story gets rolling.

I also love that it doesn't back away from how shitty Claudio is while keeping to the text of the play. He and Don Pedro seem the gentler, sweeter, more romantic characters early on, but the text itself becomes an indictment of them (and Leonato!). My best friend, who hasn't read this/seen another version of it in years, was just like "She's not wrong!" when Beatrice told Benedick to kill Claudio, and shouted "STAB HIM!!!" when Benedick confronts him :D

I really like the performance of Leonato, as well—the way this thus-far affectionate, mild seeming patriarch becomes the most proximate threat to Hero (it really feels like he might snap her neck at any moment) and only seems able to conceive of Hero as a potential victim when told so by other men is terrifying. And Hero herself has a sweetness and dignity but also charm that I enjoy in a character who can be a bit limp in performance.

I do prefer Keanu's Don John though, for peak unpopular opinions.

Of course, I was also reminded of my Pride and Prejudice is to Much Ado as Clueless is to Emma theory, haha. The Much Ado elements are thoroughly overhauled, rearranged, and modernized in plenty of ways, but I think P&P still draws a lot of raw material from it. And I think it's interesting to look at not just Elizabeth and Darcy as Beatrice and Benedick(/Don Pedro, since Darcy combines elements of both), but things like how Austen works to recuperate Claudio in Bingley (not altogether successfully IMO honestly, but a valiant effort that works well enough) and displaces the worst elements of his character onto Wickham. It's not the only influence but it's very striking.

(This is not an original observation, lol; the first time the comparison was made in print afaik was in a March 1813 review of P&P, which had only been published a few weeks earlier at the end of January.)

[rtfics]

Shakespearean Beetlejuice.

This is the only version of Much Ado about Nothing's Dogberry I accept. He even has Beetlejuice's gut.

unmute.

Kenneth Branagh ripped off the fake horse-riding directly from Monty Python and the Holy Grail and never gave them credit, the asshole.

Keaton really should do more Shakespeare.

[violets-and-books]

✨️Memes✨️

[onesingulartheaterkid]

Much Ado About… quotes!

In honor of tech week, here are quotes throughout the rehearsal process:

Director: We’re cutting anything racist or antisemitic, but we’re keeping the playful sexism. 

Benedick: Yay! 

-

Dogberry, choral singing: Shawty like a melody

-

Director: I am a Claudio Apologist

-

Benedick: “You’ll beat the post.” Heheh

Benedick:

Benedick: that’s a euphemism, right?

-

Director: Right there, you can let Benedick cook. 

-

Director: It’s like flirting with your friend. I’m sure none of you knows anything about that. 

Cast:

Director: Don’t you all play DnD?

-

Claudio: We decided to make this break a Brain Rot Break. It’s beautiful. I hope it ends. 

-

Dogberry: Wait, Conrad, do I have consent to accidentally spit in your face?

-

Director: Teehee first, freak later

-

Borachio: Is this when I’m getting White Girl Wasted?

Director: I wouldn’t say White Girl Wasted. More like Frat Bro Trashed

Conrad: The two genders. 

-

Balthasar: Is thy blood sugar low, my lord?

-

Director: Bros before… hhhhhhhousehold ladies

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Claudio: Let the record show the director told me to sniff Benedick

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Director: You’re gonna Daddy-Daughter walk her down the aisle because ~patriarchy~. 

-

(Reading Hero’s epitaph that says “1984-2004”)

Watchman to Hero: You died before you could go to the club. 

-

Leonato to Dogberry: I love giving it to you at that line. 

[bethanydelleman]

Shakespeare is still relatable after hundreds of years because we have all dealt with that person who will not stop talking, take a hint, and just LEAVE:

LEONATO: I thank thee for thy care and honest pains.

DOGBERRY: Your worship speaks like a most thankful and reverend youth; and I praise God for you.

LEONATO: There's for thy pains.

DOGBERRY: God save the foundation!

LEONATO: Go, I discharge thee of thy prisoner, and I thank thee.

DOGBERRY: I leave an arrant knave with your worship; which I beseech your worship to correct yourself, for the example of others. God keep your worship! I wish your worship well; God restore you to health! I humbly give you leave to depart; and if a merry meeting may be wished, God prohibit it! Come, neighbour.

[popculturetarot]

The Knight of Pentacles is a dedicated worker but will never be a self starter or leader, possibly someone who is good at their job but not nearly as smart as they think they are—an ass.‬

[measuresderepo]

Shakespeare girlies know the hype of getting your dream role in MAAN.

Shakespeare girlies know Verges, the dummy helping the dummy (aka Dogberry.)

But Shakespeare girlies do not understand the feeling of me getting Verges in my school play.

[irate-iguana]

We all know that Benedick and Beatrice are bi4bi, but nobody ever talks about how Dogberry is queer because he can’t do math:

[koboldkatalyst]

We don't talk enough about the line "Write down that they hope they serve God..." That line never gets the laugh it deserves.

[statespeare]

Dogberry about Conrad in Act V, Scene 1

l + ratio + committed false report + spoke untruths + is a slander + belied a lady + verified unjust things + is a lying knave + called me an ass

(thank you @countrytoads for this masterpiece)

[inkvox]

Clown does not approve of the butt stabs

[onesingulartheaterkid]

I am so utterly convinced that Dogberry and Verges got each other into LSD in the 1960s.

[bethanydelleman]

Dogberry, the man who ate a thesaurus and somehow always manages to spit out an antonym:

DOGBERRY: O villain! thou wilt be condemned into everlasting redemption for this.

[measuresderepo]

Dogberry has no thoughts, head empty.

[ignitelimelight]

I'm so sorry but I got Dogberry so I HAVE to put this in actual reblog form rather than in the tags.

The first question you must consider before answering is essential: does Dogberry fuck? Either the man is delusional enough that he absolutely does not, or he absolutely fucks. Modern interpretations seem to lean towards the latter; even Nathan Fillion's portrayal, the closest portrayal we have to an absolute cuck of a Dogberry, fucks. Michael Keaton's Dogberry ABSOLUTELY fucks, disgusting and neurotic as he is. Further, consider how Verges is portrayed: an absolute simp. If anything, Verges is who Dogberry fucks.

Now that we have established that Dogberry does indeed fuck, how can we determine if the experience would be pleasurable enough to want to do once, let alone enough to want to marry him? Well you know what they say: crazy in the head, crazy in bed! And the man is absolutely batshit -- what is crucial is what sort of batshit. Keaton's Dogberry, slovenly and grotesque, I suspect would rock your world. Fillion's Dogberry might disappoint, but I also feel like would take direction well. The nonsensical nature of Dogberry's thought pattern will certainly lead to some interesting but fun mix ups, if you're game to follow along. Therefore fucking is on the table.

Marriage is tricky. He does have a good income, and he has his own work wife who will take most of his attention. On the other hand he's Dogberry. At best, Fillion's Dogberry might be a catch for someone, but most Dogberry portrayals are very much not marriage material. He's hard to understand, he's probably bad with money.... Marriage is off the table.

Kill is where it becomes dramaturgically interesting, because if you kill Dogberry, will Don John's plot come to light? Or is it the existence of the Watch that is crucial? It certainly would have been discovered before the wedding if another, more sensical constable told Leonato the news -- but are Shakespearean constables ever sensical or efficient? Do you kill him after the events of the play? Would the town benefit from the loss of Dogberry, or would he be replaced with another clown, like Verges? And if you're killing him, are YOU killing him? The understanding of the others are that it is a physical act you the ponderer are doing, so killing should be the same. Are you capable of killing a man? How about a cop?

Anyway I chose fuck.

Okay okay I wanna play

Spin the wheel for a Shakespeare character!

Reblog for sample size, etc. Would love to hear what you got + reasoning in the tags!