Blood
Like most early modern tragedies, 'Tis Pity She's a Whore features a great deal of blood and violence throughout. Blood, of course, becomes a symbol of death, but also of sacrifice: when Annabella writes to Giovanni to tell him they have been discovered, she authors the letter in her own blood. This image is one of love and commitment (she is willing to bleed for her beloved brother) but also one of doom – Annabella knows that nothing awaits them but death.
The Humors
In early modern English medical practice, practitioners believed that a person's body was composed of four central "humors" that had to remain balanced at all times, otherwise one could succumb to illness. These humors were blood, yellow bile, black bile, and phlegm. In the play, Richardetto – pretending to be a doctor – frequently alludes to an imbalance in these humors when people (especially women) are sick; he tells Florio that Annabella's blood is the problem (a condition now known as anemia) when in reality she is pregnant with Giovanni's baby.
Idolatry
Multiple characters in the play develop a form of idolatry as they relentlessly pursue their passions of lust, bloodlust, and revenge. Puttana provides the imagery of the golden calf to suggest that Donado is attempting to "sell" Annabella a false "god" in the form of Bergetto, an idiotic suitor. Giovanni expresses his wish that he could physically turn his lust for his sister into an idol he could worship. Finally, other characters are so overcome by their passions that they begin to "worship" revenge instead of God – most notably Soranzo, who declares that revenge is the only thing that awaits him at the top of a metaphorical mountain.
Hell
Throughout the play, the Friar paints a startling and disturbing portrait of Hell in an attempt to dissuade Giovanni and Annabella from engaging in incest. He tells them that people who have maintained incestuous relationships are now "wretched things" who suffer eternally in Hell after spending years in "lawless sheets" (1.1). Of course, this damning portrait is not enough to convince Giovanni, and he pursues his sister anyway.
