Humour is Vital in Any Comedy : Much Ado About Nothing

In the Shakespearean comedy, ‘Much Ado About Nothing’, Shakespeare employs the use of humour to arouse the audience.  As humour is vital in any comedy, his presentation of the characters’ misadventures as amusing rather than disastrous, exemplifies the plot and allows for the audience to grasp the comedic intention of the play.  

        

 In the play, Dogberry and his constables evoke a sense of comic relief by use of their idiotic language and their blatant stupidity in the play. This is evident in Act three, Scene three, where Dogberry’s misuse of words creates humour for the audience. For instance where he states, “First, who think you the most desartless man to be Constable”, his use of “desartless” instead of deserving. “You are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the constable of the watch”, his use of “senseless” instead of sensible. “Adieu: be vigitant, I beseech you”, he uses “vigitant” instead of vigilant. In the first instance where Dogberry misuses his words, the audience is lead to believe that he has made a mistake, but as he continuously speaks, misusing words, the audience may come to the realisation that Dogberry naturally speaks in this way. Although Dogberry and his constables play a minor role in the play “Much Ado About Nothing”, their comedic actions add to the humour of the play, as well as his verbal faux pas generates laughs from those in the audience. Furthermore, their silly acts reveal Don John’s deceitfulness and his attempt to make Claudio to believe that Hero was unfaithful.

 

Humour and Comedy are interconnected and humour is needed to make a comedy what it is. Also, the presence of humour lightens the mood in the play. Dogberry and his constables’ actions create a sense of relief, in comparison to the other tragic events of the play. Thus, one can conclude that the vitality of humour in a Comedy is immense.