Today, few seem to doubt that the analysis of Shakespeare’s wordplay
reveals itself as a fundamental tool for understanding the essential
and basic nature of his style. Among the several shapes that wordplay
adopts, that ludicrous misuse of words commonly known as malapropism
stands high. The aim of this article is twofold. In the first place, it
endeavours to analyse the language of Dogberry, a character in Much
Ado About Nothing marked by his constant use of malapropic language.
Then, an examination of several translations of the play is carried out,
with the purpose of evaluating the extent to which this idiosyncratic
use is rendered in Spanish, and the degree of its faithfulness.
