Symbol for the lack of independence a servant had
In the first Act, the servant in the house tells the master, Richard, that there are some letters in the mailbox which she would like to take out. Richard gives the servant the keys to the letterbox and the servant retrieves the letters. The lack of access to the letterbox is used in this Act as a symbol to suggest the lack of independence and influence a servant had in a household.
The outsider
Another common motif in the play is the idea that Richard always felt as if he was an outsider when it came to Beatrice and Robert. Richard expresses his feelings about the matter to Beatrice when they talk about a possible relationship between the two of them and Richard uses this occasion to express his feelings regarding the relationship Beatrice had with Robert.
Symbol for familiarity
It was uncommon for men and women from those times to be on a first name basis with other people, even with those around their age or even relatives. When someone called another person by their given name, it usually meant that those people were extremely close, probably married. The use of the first name becomes in this context a symbol used for familiarity and also to suggest that the two people using the names were extremely close.
All men are the same
One of the common motifs in the play is the idea that all men are the same. This idea is promoted by the women of the play who remind the males that no matter how hard they try to convince them that they are different, the women know that they had probably tried the same thing on other women as well. This becomes a common motif in the play, being repeated over and over again.
Symbol for a woman’s obedience
When Richard comes home, he meets with Bertha and gives her his hat, instructing her to put it in the drawer. Bertha says nothing about the action, and choses to obey, even asking Richard if she is allowed to leave the room. This interaction is important because it shows just how submissive women were in those times. The hat also becomes a symbol in this case, used to show Bertha’s submission when it comes to Richard.
