The Gloves
Early on in the play, Beatrice-Joanna drops her glove, which is retrieved by DeFlores. When she throws her other glove at him and berates him, DeFlores, along on stage, shoves his hand aggressively into one of the gloves. This gesture symbolizes DeFlores's aggressive nature and his intentions of winning over Beatrice-Joanna, no matter what it takes. His seeming violation of the glove only foreshadows the many other violations he will commit over the course of the play.
"Maid" Potion
The Maid potion, labeled as such because it can allegedly reveal whether the woman who takes it is truly a virgin, symbolizes the policing of women's bodies and sexuality. Alsemero uses the potion in order to verify that Beatrice-Joanna is a virgin on their wedding night. Similarly, DeFlores asks for payment for killing Alonzo in the form of Beatrice-Joanna's virginity. Finally, Alibius physically locks his wife away because he is worried another man will attempt to seduce her. Many male characters in the play are preoccupied with controlling what women do with their bodies, a common male anxiety operative at the time as men worried that an unfaithful wife would lead to illegitimate children.
Eyes
Eyes symbolize the relationship between appearance and reality, one of the major themes of the play. Throughout The Changeling, characters caution one another – and themselves – not to trust their eyes only, as appearances can be deceiving. Of course, even when characters think they are seeing clearly with proper judgment, they have usually been blinded by appearances and their own passions.
Diamonds
Diamonds symbolize the commodification of people in the play. There are a number of transactions that occur over the course of the play as different characters attempt to increase their social standing. When DeFlores sees the diamond ring on Alonzo's finger, he does not think twice about cutting off the finger completely, committing a brutal act in order to impress Beatrice-Joanna. And, even though she acts disgusted when he offers it to her, Beatrice-Joanna, too, engages in commodification by refusing to see DeFlores as a partner and instead assuming she can pay him off for the act she requested.
The Cupboard
Toward the end of the play, Alsemero locks Beatrice-Joanna in a cupboard once he discovers her conspiracy with DeFlores. DeFlores eventually joins her, and Alsemero jokes that they can finally be together sexually the way they have always wanted. The cupboard – and other instances of hiding and concealment – symbolizes the secret passions that lurk beneath the play's central plot. Everyone in the play is driven by their passions, but characters also attempt to conceal their true motivations from each other so they can serve themselves.
