The clash between classes
The major theme in the play is concerned with analyzing the way class distinction affects the relationships between people. In the play, we have various couples who are scared their relationship will not be accepted, mainly because of the class differences which exist between them. The men know they need their fathers’ approval to marry and for the fathers, the wealth the sons would accumulate through marriage is far more important than the feelings of their offspring. The men who want to marry the women they love try to go against their fathers but realize they can’t do such a thing without risking their future and their inheritance. Thus, because of this, many characters refuse to admit their feelings for someone they were not supposed to be attracted to and instead lie to themselves and as a result, get trapped in unhappy marriages.
Love and emotions
Another common theme in the play is the way in which love affects the characters and their way of thinking. The characters in the play claim to love one another but are afraid to admit their feelings, mainly because of the social stigma they will have to suffer thought. Still, the male characters continue to pursue the female ones, doing everything they can to make them understand just how much they love them. The male characters that do not have a romantic interest are shocked to see how the rest of the male characters are behaving and even describe them as being affected by an illness which makes them act in an irrational way. The way the main characters react when experiencing love is one of the main themes in the play and also, one of the most important ones.
The importance of honor for a woman
One further important theme in the play is the idea that, for a woman, the most important and valuable thing she could possess was her honor. Women were expected to remain pure, to have no sexual contact with the men courting them and to always behave like saints. When a woman did not behaved in such a manner, she was criticized by the rest of the people around her. The woman was no longer seen as having any value, but rather as some spoiled good which had to be thrown away. Some women gave up their honor, being promised by their lovers they will be married in a short time and then they were abandoned. For them, this was extremely shameful, as there was almost no way such a woman could hide her shame from the rest of the world.
