In Act 3, Marcello, brother of Flamineo and Vittoria, condemns his brother for “pandering” (or “prostituting”) their sister to Brachiano in exchange for money. In his response, Flamineo employs logos to defend his actions against his brother’s attack:
FLAMINIO
I made a kind of path
To her and mine own preferment.MARCELLO
Your ruin!FLAMINIO
Hum! Thou art a soldier,
Followest the Great Duke, feedest his victories
As witches do their serviceable spirits,
Even with thy prodigal blood. What hast got,
But, like the wealth of captains, a poor handful,
Which in thy palm thou bear’st, as men hold water:
Seeking to gripe it fast, the frail reward
Steals through thy fingers.
Flamineo argues that financial security is a legitimate goal, and further, that Marcello himself has no right to criticize him. Using logos, he first notes that Marcello is a soldier who works on behalf of Brachiano and therefore contributes to the corrupt Duke’s power, and therefore, his ability to seduce women. Brachiano, Flamineo suggests, indirectly sponsors the Duke’s sins by contributing to his “victories” in war. Next, Flamineo suggests that Marcello cannot support their family through his wages as a soldier, as the vast majority of the plunder gained in war goes to Brachiano instead. Flamineo emphasizes the logical basis of his position in order to justify his actions throughout the play.
