After De Flores murders Alonzo, he is insulted by Beatrice’s attempts to pay him, and by her suggestion that he should flee Alicante. Though De Flores needs money, he is ultimately motivated by his deep love of Beatrice, and he thinks that killing for money is more morally depraved than killing for love. In his argument with Beatrice, he employs logos to support his position:
DE FLORES : You must fly too, then.
BEATRICE : I?
DE FLORES : I’ll not stir a foot else.
BEATRICE : What’s your meaning?
DE FLORES : Why, are not you as guilty, in, I’m sure,
As deep as I? And we should stick together.
Come, your fears counsel you but ill, my absence
Would draw suspect upon you instantly;
There were no rescue for you.BEATRICE [ aside ] : He speaks home.
First, he insists that if he must leave Alicante as a result of the murder, then so must she, as she is every bit “as guilty” as he is for Alonzo’s death. Further, he refutes her argument that she would be safer without him there, noting that his “absence” would only draw suspicion on Beatrice herself, and that he would be unable to “rescue” her if he were to leave. Though De Flores’s motivations are immoral, he employs clear logic in his arguments. Ultimately, Beatrice is persuaded by his use of logos, acknowledging that his words are accurate despite her distaste for him.
