Lorenzo makes an appearance early in the play in Act I, Scene II, alongside the Portuguese Prince Balthazar and Horatio, best friend of Don Andrea.
When Lorenzo thinks that he may be discovered by Hieronimo and Bel-imperia, he covers his tracks by ordering Pedringano to kill Serberine.
He then sees this as an opportunity to persuade the King that Hieronimo has gone completely mad and is no longer fit to be the Knight's Marshall.
[4] Lorenzo is an example of the recognized type in the Elizabethan theatre of the Machiavellian villain, a word that originated from the name of Niccolò Machiavelli, a philosopher in the early 16th century.
His foil, Hieronimo, shares similar characteristics, but his contemplative nature and sympathetic motive make his manipulative traits easy to overlook.
In the play, Lorenzo shows an active displeasure in the constructedness of language saying, he doesn’t have any interest “…to spend the time in trifling words…” often opting for physical violence to get his way.
He also showcases formal skills in Act III, when he delivers lines as couplets in Italian, showing his high status and potential to use speech artistically and intellectually to achieve his goals.