Marriage
Cleomelia, the protagonist in this book, is married to three suitors. Heartlove, Gasper, and Conrade all seek Cleomelia’s hand in marriage. Eventually, Cleomelia tricks and dupes all of them into marriage. Gasper is the first person to marry her secretly. When his father discovers their marriage, he deliberately sends him to Colombia. After Gasper goes to Colombia, Cleomelia gets married to Heartlove. Finally, she marries Captain Conrade.
Fantasy
All the men courting Cleomelia are driven by fantasy rather than reality. The wealthy merchants exaggerate Cleomelia’s value in the hope of finding a happy life. Cleomelia’s illusory value drives the three merchants crazy. In fact, Cleomelia exemplifies desire and seductive potential but fails to deliver the illusion she embodies.
Greediness
Malaventure leaves England for Bengal due to the greediness of wealth. He believes that he will accumulate enormous wealth in Bengal. Cleomelia also is presented as a greedy person. When all her merchant husbands die, Cleomelia inherits all their wealth and “turned all into cash and bills” (Haywood 78). The statement gives the reader an insight into believing that the sole purpose of Cleomelia was to amass wealth due to greediness.
Credulity
Cleomelia’s merchant husbands are quick to believe her venerated illusion of romantic desire. When Gasper is informed by his father about Cleomelia’s beauty, he falls for her without a second thought. Cleomelia’s beauty and attraction make the merchants gullible and fall in love with her in the hope of finding happiness. Actually, their credulity nature makes them believe that marrying Cleomelia would fulfill their desire.
Family and Relationship
Malaventure loves and values her daughter. Their relationship shows the importance of family. When Malaventure’s wife dies, he is consoled by the beauty and behavior of Cleomelia. Favonius loves his son Gasper, and he shows this by finding him a wife to marry. This shows that he is concerned with the life of his son.
