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Dogberry is a character created by William Shakespeare for his play, ''Much Ado About Nothing''. He is described by The Nuttall Encyclopædia as a "self-satisfied night constable" with an inflated view of his own importance as the leader of a group of comically bumbling police watchmen. Dogberry is notable for his numerous malapropisms, which sometimes are referred to as "dogberryisms" after him. The Dogberry character was created for William Kempe, who played comic roles in Shakespeare's theatre company the Lord Chamberlain's Men. Dogberry's name comes from the fruit of the Common Dogwood (''Cornus sanguinea''). The fruit derived its name from the fact that Dogwood berries were considered lowly, and inferior to other edible berries.〔 ==In the play== In the play, Dogberry is the chief of the citizen-police in Messina. He is first seen instructing his constables on their duties. He tells them that it's perfectly fine to sleep on duty, and that if they see a thief, they should not touch him, to avoid becoming defiled by association with crime.〔Draper, John W., ''Stratford to Dogberry: Studies in Shakespeare's Earlier Plays'', University of Pittsburg Press, Pittsburgh, 1961, pp.273-5.〕 During their watch the constables overhear a conversation between two characters, Boraccio and Conrad, one of whom has been part of Don John's plot to discredit Hero. They misunderstand the conversation and arrest the two on the spot for acts of "treason" because they called the Prince's brother Don John a villain. They are brought before the governor Leonato, who is at a loss to understand Dogberry's nonsensical description of the supposed crimes, but allows Dogberry to examine them. His absurd pseudo-legal rhetoric confuses matters even more, but when the Prince arrives the truth about Don John's plot is revealed as the arrested man confesses. Dogberry is rewarded for his diligence and leaves. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Dogberry」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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