A Tale of Two Tragedies: The Protestation

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A Tale of Two Tragedies


Isaac's House - Isaac

Isaac: Will my incidental ally return for the second act, or renege and force me to conclude our contract alone?

Enter Alexander

Isaac: You appear as miserable as the sinners confined to Hell. Only those who seek sympathy, or can't care for themselves, appear as you do, with disheveled attire and distraught countenance.

Alexander: Last night I hid, from myself or others I can not say. From the shadows, skulking, I learned of my assumed death.

Isaac: One half over, and the other to begin. Inside we will meet three brothers and my father. The guards are drunk and a trustworthy servant offered me a key to enable our silent entrance. The whole household has spent the last day and night in reveling. With your family slain, their mortal enemy has been struck down, and they see the whole city as their prize. Fear slipping from their minds transformed vigilant men heedless, and drink has turned them dull with sleep. But let us enter still with caution.

Alexander: Which passage shall we take?

Isaac: The left.

Alexander: Why do you stop?

Isaac: This is my brothers' room. Do not offer aid, for I will not accept it.
Isaac exits
Alexander: This man parades through his familial estate with the same confidence as my own, delivering the same earnest message from the gods. Am I disgusted by his mutual indifference to murder, or consoled by his duty to his divine devotion. He sees through the transparency of blood bonds, and answers only to those above. Upon reflection, I also see the two houses as indistinct, but unlike my companion I seek no spillage from these people, though I know them not.
Isaac enters
Isaac: One sacrifice concluded.
Alexander: The gore upon your body reminds me of the horrors of last night. Not that my mind bears reminding for the images are dyed on the lenses of my eyes. Yet the splatter upon your tunic, spread as it is, implies enjoyment and exuberance.
Isaac: Silence! Father's room is near, and though my foolish brothers were caught unprepared, my father will not. See, light seeps through the cracks in his door. Enter with me at once!
Breaks door, enter father, sword drawn
Father: Scrawny viper. Though your deception fooled your brothers, I sensed a plot. Though we celebrated the fall of our enemy, you could not be found. Instead, you plotted my death with the son of my foe. The pair of you seek your inheritance prematurely, aiming to end the lives of your fathers, and claim unearned wealth.
Isaac: We were the instrument of the annihilation of Alexander's family, but you mistake the cause. An injustice his family had committed against God. A trifling, misadventure their sin seemed to me, and there I found no joy in their passing, but I acted as God saw best. Your atrocities are as clear, and befouling, as defecation in holy water. Beyond this earthly punishment, shall surely await an eternal agony. How eagerly do I seek your damnation!
Father: If you can cause it.
Isaac and Father fight while Alexander stands aside
Alexander: I have killed my fair share, dear sister. Do I owe anything to he who has cause me such torment, goading me to success in my accursed mission? I shall assist him. Having slain my family, it seems wicked to leave the gods' command uncompleted.
Isaac: It is all over. God has succeeded through us. Where do you go?
Alexander: To seek solace.
Epilogue: City Square, the next day

Isaac: Woman, who has gathered this crowd?
Woman: Early this morning we spontaneously congregated, as if summoned by a spirit above. We were eager to host a feast in the honor of the two heroes who had freed us from the feuding families and their hostility and greed with which they have overshadowed our town. In hope for a better future we sought solace, and wished to meet those who've ushered us toward freedom and prosperity...
Isaac: And yet? Why do you not speak?
Woman: Then we did not know their names. But as we gathered in the early dawn, preparing our reception, we saw a young man whom many thought dead. Alexander entered in horrendous distress. He rushed into the center, as if pursued by some winged daemons which he could not banish. Crawling on the ground, rolling in the dust, he proclaimed his affliction to the crowd: his foul deeds which we had rejoiced at and then with one last spasm he threw himself on his sword. May the gods reclaim his families curse with his soul. What of you?
Isaac: I am the other, as you suspect, but seek no instability in my countenance. God commanded, and I acted, serving justice without regret. There is no stain on my soul, though my comrade inflicted one upon himself. An imaginary curse he called upon his mind, until it spawned insanity and shame. If only he had realized that God can order only righteousness, he would remain. His delusion defeated him, and if I could condone his final act, I would discover a measure of strength in his desperation. Yet, in death he vanquished his demons who obscure truth with their deceivingly human form.
Woman: What should we do? We are assembled, we bear fare to sustain a celebration for a week.
Isaac: Then celebrate, for both the living and the dead. Bury his body in honor, for with Alexander's aid the city has purged itself. Under my leadership the tribulations are past, the old families dead, and new growth can begin.

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