The magical androgyne
Pyrocles is a confusing character for many people. Remember that this era of theater was one where men played both male and female roles, so that androgyny is often a theme in classical theater. Also, androgyny is a classical symbol in a long list of cultural artifacts like important Greek and Jewish myths, with a strong and consistent association with mysticism and magic. When Pyrocles decides to take on a woman's identity and dress as a woman, he demonstrates the androgyny of his character, and he shows his feline, feminine aspect, slithering into the situation as a woman so as not to stir a commotion. He is clever and magically seductive, like Hermes.
Balance and attraction
Pyrocles and Musidorous are balanced characters and foils, as are the daughters of the house. The masculinity and femininity of Pyrocles in disguise as Zelmane shows symbolically that humans are attracted to personalities that demonstrate a balance of equal and opposite aspects. For instance, Zelmane unintentionally emasculates the king of the land by seducing him, because the king likes a woman who seems strong and strategic (classically masculine traits). When Zelmane fends off a wild predator, she proves herself to be a man, and suddenly, Basilius has to deal with his legitimate attraction to a man masquerading as a woman.
The Oracle's prophecy
The Duke consults the archetypal sage, the Oracle of Delphi. This invokes a common literary motif that has similarities with the genie in a bottle motif. The motif operates as follows: The Oracle receives questions from local heroes and villagers in need of insight, but he frames the knowledge that he gives them as a kind of riddle, allowing them to believe that they can escape the unfortunate prophecies. In the process of running from their fate, they accidentally precipitate their fate by hubris.
Marriage as a mirror
The marriage of the Duke is a truly intimate relationship and he is absolutely dismayed to realize that anyone could seduce his wife away from him. Then he meets Zelmane, and his misogyny is shown as hubris. He wants his wife to be completely faithful, but he gives himself the freedom to do whatever he wants. In the process, he shows as a mirror what could seduce his wife into marital infidelity; he falls for the same person that she does. The marriage is exposed by the attractive mate that ends up belonging to the daughter after all.
The hubris of escape
As noted in the Oracle motif, there is an escape from fate. This comes with literal symbology, as in, the characters literally seek to escape to a remote life in the wilderness. This is hubris, of course, because before long suitors have arrived as agents of fate. The family is now starved for new human connection, and everyone welcomes the visitors with full hospitality and virtue. The truth of fate is that no one can outrun it, and by attempting to escape, this family falls right into the lap of their shared fate.
