The Empty Chairs (Symbol)
The titular chairs in the play function as a symbol of the man's inability to connect or communicate with the outside world. The chairs are, in many regards, the central focus of the play. They are shuffled around to accommodate the guests. The man and woman appear to speak to them, as there is no visible guest ever seated. They become in demand as the space seems to become overwhelmed near the play's conclusion. Their emptiness suggests that while the man has fretted so much about constructing a spectacle around his speech, finding an audience and venue, his achievement is hollow. The empty chairs represent the futility of his efforts.
The Orator (Symbol)
The orator is a symbol of failed communication in the play. The man spends much of the play waiting for the arrival of the orator, as he has decided the only way his message can be shared is through the medium of someone else's voice. This proves to be a terrible mistake, as the orator is both deaf and mute. When he begins to speak, he is only able to utter unintelligible noises. He attempts to write something on a chalkboard, but is similarly unable to share anything meaningful. The orator symbolizes the man's ultimate failure to share his message, as he is physically incapable of speaking.
The Water (Symbol)
The old man and woman live in a tower surrounded by water. In the play, the water outside their home works as a symbol of their isolation and stasis. At the beginning of the play, the woman says the water has been stagnating and as a result mosquitos have begun to proliferate in it. The water also keeps them separate from the outside world, as they can only be reached by boat. Their relationship is defined by both their complete separation from the rest of the world and the couple's unchanging dynamic. The woman cares for the man, giving him the parental adoration he demands. The slow water symbolizes their entrapment in these roles. Cut off from other people, they show no signs of changing or growing. It is therefore entirely fitting that when they die near the end of the play, it is from leaping from their window into the water, as it marks their final inability to actually escape these circumstances.
Doorbell (Symbol)
The doorbell works as a symbol of the intrusion of the outside world. While the old man and woman appear to be entirely alone, the sound of their doorbell, and of boats moving below them, are audible. However, no guests ever physically appear. The suggestion here is that while the man and woman are cut off from the actual outside world, their concern about its perception of them is still present. In this way, like the unseen guests, the doorbell reminds them of this pressure without actually presenting a tangible connection to it.
Parenthood (Motif)
One of the recurring motifs in the play is parenthood. Early on, the man lapses into baby talk while sitting on his wife's lap. She plays the role of his mother and coddles him. Later in the play, it is revealed that the man may have abandoned his parents and that they married him off in an attempt to force him to become an adult. He claims that his wife, the old woman or "Semiramis," as he calls her, has largely served the function of both his parents, providing the support and adoration they never gave him. Parenthood, in this context, is portrayed as a source of pain and absence for the man, warping his relationship with his wife and forcing her into a role that is both demanding and almost totally thankless.
