Much Ado about Nothing - Do you know the play well??

Question:Okay.. my brother and I recently discovered this movie/play and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our favorite, side-splitter was Michael Keaton as Dougberry.. But there is one thing we can't agree on.. wondering if anyone can give definitive proof who's right.

in the play/movie the hilariously idiot constable dougsberry is always using words in the wrong way (like he doesn't know the meaning of half the words he uses).. at one point someone calls dougsberry an___ (curse word I don't use.. starts with A and means donkey).. Anyway.. dougsbarry for the rest of the play is reminding everyone "Do not forget.. that I am an ___"
Me and my brother interpret this differently
One of us thinks that Dousbarry thinks the term is a compliment
One of us thinks he just wants everyone to know that the villan CALLED him that..

Who's right LOL.. Stupid question, but I thought I'd bring out for any scholars who wish to tackle it.

I'm interested in opinions, but even more in difinitive evidence.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Okay.. my brother and I recently discovered this movie/play and thoroughly enjoyed it. Our favorite, side-splitter was Michael Keaton as Dougberry.. But there is one thing we can't agree on.. wondering if anyone can give definitive proof who's right.

in the play/movie the hilariously idiot constable dougsberry is always using words in the wrong way (like he doesn't know the meaning of half the words he uses).. at one point someone calls dougsberry an___ (curse word I don't use.. starts with A and means donkey).. Anyway.. dougsbarry for the rest of the play is reminding everyone "Do not forget.. that I am an ___"
Me and my brother interpret this differently
One of us thinks that Dousbarry thinks the term is a compliment
One of us thinks he just wants everyone to know that the villan CALLED him that..

Who's right LOL.. Stupid question, but I thought I'd bring out for any scholars who wish to tackle it.

I'm interested in opinions, but even more in difinitive evidence.

First of all, the character's name is Dogberry, not Dougberry. Dogberry is perhaps Shakespeare's funniest fool and is always a crowd-pleaser whenever the play is performed. Part of what makes him so funny is the fact that he doesn't understand the English language at all! So, in fact, he thinks being called an *** is a compliment, not the insult Conrad intended it to be. If you listen carefully to all of his dialogue you quickly realize that he not only doesn't know what things mean, he is a terrible constable. He encourages his men to sleep on the job. It's a total fluke that he captures the villains and outs the plot to discredit Hero, which is a typical comic device in Shakespeare.

So, no, Dogberry is not reminding everyone that Conrad called him a bad name. He is wearing the title of *** with pride because he doesn't know what an *** is.

At one point Dogberry says "this plaintiff here, the offender, did call me ***” and asks that it “be remembered in his punishment”. This clearly shows he considers it an insult. And the reason for him going on about it is that he wants the offender to suffer legal consequences.

I agree that the context tells you that he wants it noted "for the record", that he understands it is an insult. The WAY he says it is the joke, because everyone else is hearing it out of context.