These children spend too much money!
One of the common motifs in the play, appearing from the first Scene in the First Act, is the idea that the sons who come from well off families spend too much money on unnecessary things from their fathers’ perspectives. The Duke Angelo and Camillo are two such fathers who criticize their sons for their spending habits and for not thinking about their future.
The flames
When Leonora is asked by Julio to wait a bit longer for him, she claims that her "flames are in the flint’’ and she does not have the luxury to wait any longer to find a good husband. The flames are used in this context as a symbol, suggesting the youth and vigor possessed by Leonora. Once those had passed, it would become almost impossible for her to find a suitable and desirable match. Thus, through this, Leonora wanted to transmit the idea that she could wait not even a minute more.
Feelings of attraction are like a disease
Another common motif found in the play is the idea that love is a disease, affecting everyone. The characters who do fall in love with someone see their feelings for the opposite sex as something which is not benefic for themselves, a fever which affects their thinking and actions. This comparison appears time and time again and is a common motif in the play.
I can read this in your eyes
Another common motif found in the play is the idea that many of the characters can tell what the other person is thinking about just by looking into their eyes. This idea is repeated over and over again by many male characters who claim to know when they will be rejected just by looking into the eyes of the women standing opposite of them.
Disobedience
The women who refuse to follow their fathers’ wish and marry someone they do not love are called in the play "disobedient’’, time and time again. This way of referring to women has the purpose of transmitting the idea that they are not good daughters and people in general. Because of this label, many female characters feel a sense of guilt and shame, fearing they had shamed their families.
