Othello the Legatus Epilogue

Epilogue

The late morning next day on the side of the hill, Othello stood there, discarded of his armor and uniform, he looked to the harbour. He felt sad and tired of the recent events. He thought he knew all his friends, but he was mistaken.

"There are no real friends in life." Othello muttered to himself. "Only devious enemies that pretend to be yours. Iago, Cassio, they are all fake friends."

"Was she one too, Othello?" The voice was to the rear of Othello.

"Brabatio? How did you turned up?" Othello asked of the older man who was with his personal guards.

"I came with Lodovico and Gratiano on the ship, but I landed some distance away. I wanted to see my daughter but news of her demise travelled fast. I was also told you escaped from her room. I had you tracked, and here I am." Brabatio explained himself, while his guards disarmed the Legatus.

"I can explained, Brabatio." Othello replied. "We were...."

"A life was taken, Othello. One of mine and that needed vengeance." Brabatio replied. "I told you before. My daughter is not what she appeared to be. She was head strong, determined and above all, she knew what she wanted. She did loved you, that was true. But you were deceived by others to think that she did not. It was you who was undecisive in this relationship."

"You see things too much though the mask that you think everyone had a mask on them. But some of us don't. We are true in our expression. We are not whores paid to moan when there was nothing to it; paid to share when they was never a need; paid to say meaningless words when they understood only the clatter of coins. We are the true people and friends, and lovers. You however was like a whore; you hide yourself beneath the mask and looked at who would sway your thoughts. Unfortunately, my daughter was not a whore. She decided to love you."

"I am sorry, Brabatio. I regretted my actions." Othello told him back in a defeated tone. "Since I became one with this mask, I hated them all. For many of my friends then, left me thinking I had become a monster. So I chose to believe in only myself. I thought I found love with her, but many a times, I asked myself. Did she love me or love my mask?"

"Words, meant nothing to me now. You ought to know that in the Legion. Once you are defeated, you can't fault anyone but yourself." Brabatio told him." Only the winner could decide. And I have decided."

Brabatio braced himself for the striking blow.

"Do your worst, Brabatio. I would not asked for mercy."

"Mercy is not mine to give. It was Desdemona' but she is no more here. However, I actually liked you in my family. Its how you get in that annoyed me. But with her death attributed to your action, you are no more my family. However, your other family seek you. They want you to answer for the death of their brothers." Brabatio told him. From the shadows of the trees, a group of tribesmen appeared.

"Roman, we are here." The leader of the group told Brabatio. He looked at Othello. "Can we have him?"

"Yes, by all means." Brabatio told them. Othello was to struggle but he was held down by three tribesmen while the Romans slipped back to the harbour.

Meanwhile at the far end of the harbour, Cassio was carried there by the stretcher bearers. Branius was standing by him; while of them watched the burning funeral pyre. It was for Desdemona and Emilia.

"Cassio, you done well. You played your role well. You led on the hunt for the so called lover into Iago, and he listened to your words. Damned! I never thought you had it in you."

"Branius, when Desdemona selected Othello to be her love, I had plotted the downfall of Othello. I was the one who convinced the lady that Othello was in pain with his wound. She was the mothering type; the one to take on the challenge. I let them build up their so called love. While at the battles I nurtured the idea into Othello of Desdemona beauty. He was reluctant initially with his scar, but I told him that was made him mysterious. He could think of no one but her. He even asked me if I mind he take her one as his love, I gave my blessing. He made me his Prime Pilus on that trust. I then led Iago; he knew our secret, to discredit me. I fought with Montana not because I was drunk, but I wanted to be led back to Desdemona. She felt pity on me and laid the charms for me. I signaled her to be alone with me. We used to do that when we were then together. She called on Emilia, but I did not planned Emilia theft of the sash. When you showed me the sash, I actually wanted a duplicate to set up Othello, but you went back on the arrangement."

"I was jealous." Branius replied. Cassio laughed at the reply.

"Don't be a bitch. That's my role. We are supposed to be jealous. And when we get jealous, we get even or hurt you bad." Cassio smiled.

"But you never bargain to get hurt?" Branius told him.

"No, not by the knee. That was the work of Iago,. I saw him but I was too late to stop it."

"So you told me to sent Iago up with the Romans that time. You timed it so that Othello would run. But why?" Branius asked.

"Brabatio wanted him to run, so he can capture the bastard." Cassio replied.

"Brabatio is here?" Branius asked. "So he was also in it."

"Only after the ceremony and the blessing by the Emperor. He saw me and pleaded me to take on Desdemona. I told him I would do otherwise. I told him to pushed for the Emperor to make Othello the Senator and myself the Legatus. He did as I asked."

"So Roderigo died by Iago' hand was the unplanned one.." Branius muttered out. "Justice I guess. After all he pursued here."

"On my investment. I had the merchants buy up whatever he was offering, so he could come here. I had the taverns skimmed him of his coins, and the Captain of the ship was paid to be nasty. In all, they were all pawns for my moves to become Legatus."

In the bay, a ship set sailed with an additional crew. One who was set in last night with heavy chains on his ankles and wrists', bounded to the oar that he was to row. His eyes were gouged out and his tongue removed while his face was scarred on one side. Even his mother would not recognized him, and if she were asked to, she would had refused.

"Captain, the wind is up, and we can sailed now." The ship first crew spoke up.

"Aye, sail on. We are going to down the coasts to the darker continent." The Captain gave the order while holding onto the pouch of coins he had received for his effort.

Footnote:

The story of William Shakespeare's Othello is set in16th-century Venice and Cyprus. Othello the Moor, a noble black warrior in the Venetian army, has secretly married a beautiful white woman called Desdemona, the daughter of a prominent senator, Brabantio. When he finds out, he is outraged, and promptly disowns her.

Othello’s ensign, Iago, harbors a secret jealousy and resentment towards the Moor, partly because another soldier, lieutenant Cassio, has been promoted ahead of him, and also because he suspects that Othello has had an affair with his wife. Intent on revenge, Iago hatches a devious plan to plant suspicions in Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been unfaithful to him with Cassio. He orchestrates a street fight, for which Cassio is wrongly blamed, and is then dismissed from his post by Othello. Desdemona takes up Cassio’s case with her husband, which only further inflames his suspicions that the pair are lovers.

In the meantime, Iago manages to procure a treasured handkerchief from Desdemona that was given to her by Othello. He plants it on Cassio so that Othello sees it, then concludes that it is proof of their affair. Maddened by jealousy, he orders Iago to murder Cassio, and then he strangles Desdemona. Immediately afterwards her innocence is revealed, and Iago’s treachery exposed. In a fit of grief and remorse Othello kills himself. Iago is taken into custody by the Venetian authorities.