Armado
In Love’s Labour’s Lost, Armado is described as “a most illustrious wight, a man of
fire, new words.” King Ferdinand announces that “And I will use him for
my Minstrelsy.”
Ferdinand.
This child of fancy that Armado
hight,
For interim to our studies shall relate,
In high-borne words the worth of many a
Knight:
From tawny Spain lost in the
world’s debate.
How you delight my Lords, I know not I,
But I protest I love to hear him lie,
And I will use
him for my Minstrelsy.
Minstrelsy is the art or occupation of practice a
minstrel with singing. Minstrelsy Armado can spell Mary
Sidney, suggesting the identity of Armado, a male wanton surrogate of Mary Sidney
in the drama world.
The line “And I will use him for my Minstrelsy” can spell
Mary Sidney Wilton House, reassuring the
identity of Armado.
Boyet’s description of Armado tells more
features of Armado in the play, and Mary Sidney of Wilton House in the real
world via Armado’s anagrams arm-ado and mar-ado.
Boyet.
This Armado is a Spaniard
that keeps here in court
A Phantasime, a Monarcho, and one that
makes sport
To the Prince and his Book-mates.
Spaniard is a foreigner to Ferdinand
and his lords, Phantasime an amazing being, and Monarcho an
absurd or insane person who considers himself a monarch. Boyet’s “Armado is a Spaniard
that keeps” can spell Shakespeare Mary Sidney.
Sidney’s Shakespeare is a foreign, amazing, and absurd monarch in the drama
world. Armado appears also in the riddle of Concolinel,
and Egma.
Jaquenetta
The arrangement of Jaquenetta having Armado’s child is
a surprise at the end. Costard knew that before Armado.
Costard.
Faith, unless you play the honest Trojan,
the poor Wench is cast away: she’s quick, the child brags in her belly already:
’tis yours.
Child has the usage of a poet’s creation. The name Jaquenetta can be a perfect anagram of quean-at-tie. Their bragging child is Shakespeare, a literary
circle organized by Mary Sidney Herbert, an illegitimate group of poets. This
may be seen also in comment by Holofernes: “Hound
his master, the Ape his keeper, the tired Horse his rider: But Damosella
virgin.”
