Un rasgo distintivo del lenguaje de Dogberry en Much Ado About Nothing y su tratamiento en las traducciones españolas

Abstract

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.