Dogberry
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Dogberry is a character created by William Shakespeare for his play Much Ado About Nothing. The Nuttall Encyclopædia describes him as a "self-satisfied night constable" with an inflated view of his ow
Dogberry, as depicted by Henry Stacy Marks
Much Ado About Nothing by Alfred Elmore 1846
William Kempe
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William Kempe, commonly referred to as Will Kemp, was an English actor and dancer who specialised in comic roles. He was best known as one of the original stage actors in early dramas by William Shake
Dogberry
…bumbling watchmen. Dogberry is notable for his numerous malapropisms, sometimes called "dogberryisms" or "dogberrys". The character was created for William Kempe, who played comic roles in Shakespeare's theatre company the Lord Chamberlain's Men. In the play, Dogberry is the chief of Messina's citizen-police…
Woodcut of Kempe (right) morris dancing from Kempes Nine Daies Wonder (1600)
Wood carving of Kempe in Chapelfield Gardens, Norwich