Master Cockstone's Name Symbol
Cockstone's name is a Jacobean slang term for testicle. This name is symbolic of the amount of respect that the playwright wants the audience to have for him. It is also symbolic of his moral compass and the way in which he does business.
Being A Farmer From Essex
Being a farmer from Essex is symbolic of being a gullible fool; it is strongly believed by city folk that the Essex farmers and landowners are easy to dupe because they are gullible and will believe anything without question. Unfortunately, Richard Easy perpetuates this stereotype by being easily duped by Quomodo's plan.
Shortyard's Name Symbol
Shortyard is another name for a man with a small penis (in Jacobean times). His name is a symbol of his character and total lack of moral compass, and also symbolic of the suggestion that his grandiose behavior is some kind of cover for his lack of physical attributes.
Diguise Motif
Throughout the play, disguise is a constant motif. It almost always indicates a scam or swindle taking place. Quomodo fakes his own death and comes back disguised as a Beadle hoping to find out what everyone was thinking of him. Shortyard assumes several disguises in the process of swindling Easy, and even creates an entirely different character called Blastfield who is the missing borrower of Quomodo's money. Falselight also assumes multiple disguises, including a police sergeant and a philanthropic citizen.
Mother Gruel's Name Symbol
Mother Gruel's last name is symbolic of poverty. Gruel was a thin cross between grits and soup and was fed to the poor. Gruel was also Andrew's name before he changed it to Lethe in an attempt to leave his years of poverty behind him.
