Motif: Disguises
The clothes worn throughout the play by various characters work as a disguise, not only of who they are but also of the nature of what is happening in the play as a whole. Epicene is disguised: she is in fact a boy, and her disguise is at the core of the plot. Her outfit also works as a disguise for Dauphine, who is the one behind the ploy.
The disguises worn by Cutbeard and Otter near the end of the play only reinforce the idea that they are all in some way hiding something. Just like Daw and La Foole hide their ignorance by using words they do not know, Cutbeard, Otter, and Epicene hide their true identities beneath their clothes, while Dauphine hides his intentions behind his friends.
Symbol: Silence
Silence works as a symbol of what is yearned for but is ultimately unattainable. Morose becomes the questionable character that he is not only because of his greed but also because of his yearning for silence, something that could rarely be attained living in a city like London. Silence also works as a symbol of his hypocrisy because he wants it but is unwilling to give it; he forces his servants to signal their communication through gestures while he drones on about his penchant for silence.
Symbol: Marriage
Marriage symbolizes both a solution and a problem. On the one hand, to Morose it initially represents a solution when he is looking for a way of stopping his nephew Dauphine from inheriting his fortune. While there is an obstacle of finding a wife who is suitable for him, upon meeting Epicene and finding her silence to his liking, he believes he has achieved his objective by marrying her.
Once Epicene is revealed to be loud and opinionated, however, marriage becomes a problem itself, a burden. Morose is desperate to break free of it, as the marriage means being perpetually connected to a woman who is by no means submissive or quiet. This false marriage parallels that between Captain and Mistress Otter, whose constant disagreements are a source of entertainment for the audience.
Motif: Standards for Women
Central to the play's action are the standards to which women are held, specifically for marriage. Morose wants a submissive, silent wife, something the others think does not exist, deeming women too loud, opinionated, and demanding. Daw and La Foole claim to have slept with Epicene, thereby ruining her virtue (without knowing her to be a boy), just for the sake of trying to find a reason for Morose to be able to call off the wedding. Epicene's (fake) virtue depends on them to either be confirmed or ruined, and they have no qualms about doing the latter.
In sixteenth- and seventeenth-century England, women's virtue – specifically with regard to virginity – was still held in high regard and often dictated the opportunities available to her through marriage. However, Epicene suggests that, despite the patriarchal standards of the day, perceptions of women's involvement in society were indeed shifting. The women's college, while often a source of comedy in the play, represents a move toward valuing a "new" type of woman who is independent, well-educated, and capable of seeking her own profession.
Symbol: Inheritance
Dauphine's inheritance works as an (ironic) symbol of the professional possibilities people (men in particular) had in early modern England. For Dauphine, an inheritance from his uncle would allow him to remain comfortably idle for the remainder of his life, rather than joining the labor force. For his friends, the fact that Dauphine was to inherit gave them the possibility of being able to enjoy his fortune, his being one of the main reasons why they agree to help him in his ploy. The relative financial security of all the characters in the play is what allows the antics of the intersecting plots to unfold.
