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As his full name already suggests, Don Adriano de Armado is a ridiculous character whose penchant for high-flown verbosity is often undermined by the banality of his words. “Armado” is clearly related to the Spanish word armada—a connection that would have reminded Elizabethan audiences of the recent, spectacular defeat of the Spanish Armada in the English channel. This link immediately suggests a certain incompetence regarding Armado, a man whom Boyet will later describe as “a phantasime” and “a Monarcho” (4.1.108). Phantasime probably means “fantastic being,” and Monarcho refers to the title assumed by an Italian man in Elizabeth’s court who proclaimed himself the emperor of the world. And there is indeed something both fantastic and a bit insane about this Spaniard, whose main role at court seems to be inspiring the King and his lords with his bizarre treasury of “fire-new words” (1.1.182). His speech is ludicrously verbose and peppered with ten-dollar words, though his subjects are never lofty. Meanwhile, his courtship of the lowly wench Jaquenetta comically mirrors the romances among the nobility. At the play’s end, however, he takes a more active role as the stage manager, instigating the final poetic dialogue between Spring and Winter, then directing everyone along: “You that way; we this way” (5.2.1003).
