Fake Sacrament

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

As Brachiano is dying from poison, Lodovico and Gasparo, disguised as monks, pretend to administer extreme unction (part of the last rites) to him. But, since the sacrament is a fake, it makes sure that Brachiano won't just die—he'll be damned for his sins:

Lodo. … He is departing: pray stand all apart,
And let us only whisper in his ears
Some private meditations, which our order
Permits you not to hear.
[Here, the rest being departed, Lodovico and Gasparo discover themselves.

Gas. Brachiano.

Lodo. Devil Brachiano, thou art damn'd.

Gas. Perpetually. (5.3)

In the same way that the sacrament is a fraud, Brachiano's outward mask of innocence has been a total fraud as well. He's only getting the kind of forgiveness his life demanded—false forgiveness. If he'd actually confessed to his murder plot or shown a slight sense of human remorse, maybe things would be different. But, given Brachiano's character, that probably wasn't going to happen.