Sex
The predominant theme of Lord Rochester's poems, especially in his earlier literary career, is sex; not just the abstract notion of sex, but the enjoyment of frequent sexual experiences with an abundance of various women, some genuine romantic encounters, others with the universally acknowledged "town whore". Rochester does not gloss over the intricate details of his sexual experiences but describes them moment by moment, from first kiss to final moment of ejaculation. He is a man who loves wine, women and song, but whose poetry and prose is focused predominantly on detailing his enjoyment of women.
This theme begins to give way to other themes as he ages; he seems to have a sort of mid-life crisis that renders him less able to perform sexually, but more inclined to philosophize about the loss of his sexual abilities.
The Role of Women
Rochester believes that women have one main role in life and that is to be his sexual plaything. He does not write very much about the "proper" women with whom he might imagine that he will enjoy a future; he focuses instead on the encounters that he has with ladies of dubious character, and prostitutes. As a man and a poet he is that antithesesis of a gentleman, and believes that the job of a woman is to make sure that he is sexually pleasured.
Libertarianism and Philosophy
As his sexual abilities wane, Rochester experiences some sort of mid-life crisis, and becomes more of a philosopher than a philanderer. He began to become more introspective and to trouble himself with more meaningful questions than how many women he could sleep with in a short period of time. This maturation might also have had its root in his physical health as well; having contracted syphilis, he was likely at the point when looking back over his life provided him with a slightly less rewarding view than he would have liked.
Personal Feuds
Rochester could sometimes be rather spiteful in his writing; He frequently used his writing as a way to get revenge upon someone with whom he had been feuding. He also satirised them as characters and made them tantamount to a laughing stock, which of course made it seem that he was in the right, and they were childish, petty and ridiculous. Despite his bon viveur persona he became embroiled in many an angry spat and these became one of the the minor themes of his poems.
