#dogberry

[archaalen]

I think that Dogberry should be written into more Shakespeare plays. Most charcter ever. Plus he would save like half of the tragic MCs from dying. Do you see my vision here.

[violets-and-books]

✨️Memes✨️

[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.)

[mytricksyspirit]

oh niche shakespeare b-plot characters my loves

[specificpollsaboutbooks]

M/M Couples

Round 1

Dogberry and Verges (Much Ado about Nothing) VS Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood (The Shadowhunter Chronicles)

Dogberry/Verges

Magnus/Alec

Show results

Voting ended onFeb 22, 2025

[hug-kiss-marry-kill]

What should we do with Dogberry (Much Ado About Nothing)?

Hug

Kiss

Marry

Kill

Voting ended onJul 2, 2025

[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.‬