Money
Money is the main subject discussed in the prologue. The characters who are yet to be introduced are all obsessed with money and financial stability and Michaelmas Term plans to take advantage of their love for money to control them and to make them do his bidding. Money is thus portrayed as the way through which the devil works and is portrayed as being extremely powerful especially when it came to influencing people and convincing them to do unspeakable things.
Women
Because of the time period when the play was written, women were not seen as being extremely valuable. They are portrayed here in a rather degrading way, as goods which can be passed from one man to another. Marriage is the way through which a man can acquire a woman. Through this, a woman becomes the property of her husband and she becomes unable to be free no matter if her husband is faithful or not to her. Women are thus portrayed in a rather bleak nature and seen as nothing more than helpless creatures.
London
Many characters describe London as being a "man-eater" city, where no one can escape unscathed. Both men and women lose their dignity and their power in the city and when they leave they find themselves in worse shape when compared with how they were when they first arrived there. London is portrayed as an extremely dangerous place, a cesspool where every sin and type of moral degradation is at home. London is also portrayed as a city that has a lot of power over those residing within its walls and the capability of changing their lives completely.
The Church
The vast majority of the initial action takes place inside a church where the men gather to talk about ways they can earn more money and get a lot of influence. While inside the church, the men do not mention praying or listening to the sermon not even once. Because of this, the Church is also portrayed as a degraded space, used for ungodly purposes.
