| Diego | |
| Fictional Character | |
| Ruled Britannia POD: July-August, 1588 | |
| Type of Appearance: | Direct |
| Nationality: | Spain |
| Religion: | |
| Date of Birth: | 16th century |
| Date of Death: | 1598 |
| Cause of Death: | Killed during the English revolt against Spanish rule |
| Occupation: | Soldier, Manservant, amateur actor |
| Affiliations: | Spanish Army |
Diego (d. 13 October 1598) was a servant to Lope de Vega while Vega was stationed in London, England in 1597-8. Unlike Baltasar Guzmán's servant Enrique, Diego was slow-witted, undisciplined, and lazy. Vega nevertheless made Diego play opposite Enrique in the debut performance of La Dama Boba.
In 1598, Vega caught Diego violating the Lenten fast by eating meat late at night. Vega used the incident to blackmail Diego into working harder, using reassignment to the Scottish border as the threat. Fearing Diego might try to kill him, Vega wrote a letter describing what he'd seen and entrusted it to Guzman to be opened in the event of his death.
Later that year, Diego was killed when an English mob attacked his barracks as part of Robert Cecil's rebellion against the Spanish troops stationed in England to support Queen Isabella and King Albert.
Literary comment[]
Diego seems to be modeled on the "lazy servant" stock character which appears in a number of Vega's plays.
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