What is the central question in Candida? It hovers between a traditional marriage with all its insipidity and boredom as represented by Morell and Candida, and an escapist, romantic and often idealistic love represented by Marchbanks. The conflict that the play represents is between an unexpressed love-relationship and a vocal and adolescent love moulded by romantic poetry. The thematic conflict that the play represents is that between a religious preacher who at the core of his heart is also a Believer, and a Romanticist who in his flights of fancy falls in love with an older woman, because it is in her that he finds that true liberty could be found. Marchbanks thinks that Candida is fettered by a loveless marriage where all her natural inclinations and romantic imagination are repressed by the stringent religious codes of Morell. Marchbanks however, fails to understand that underneath this façade of Puritanic zeal, lies the same romantic love that Marchbanks so lovingly cherishes. Morell is a parson, a person who preaches moral codes to his congregation and tries to imbue them with the strict codes and morals of Christianity. In his play however, he is represented as an obsessive husband who loves his wife to distraction. This moral conflict in Morell is the central theme of the play – the conflict between the severity of a religious practitioner and a romantic (and often sensual) lover. Marchbanks, on the other hand, is steeped in romantic poetry, living in a fantasy world convincing himself that Candida needs to be freed from the shackles of a morbid and restraining marriage. Instilled with the ideas of his poetry, escapist and idealist, he is convinced that Candida belongs to him.

The main theme is substantiated by the sub-plot portraying the characters of Proserpine and Lexy. While Lexy, with its onomapatopoeic overtones (‘lazy’) represents the perfect foil to Morell; Proserpine who is secretly in love with Morell, is an energetic and vivacious lady. She presents the contrast to Candida who is quiet yet strong and determined. The greatest quality of her character is her ability to arrive at decisions. Both Marchbanks and Morell have their doubts leading to the famous ‘auction scene’; it is Candida who controls the entire episode and the choice that she makes is in perfect consonance with her character. She chides Marchbanks for his escapist attitude and chooses Morell as he offers his "strength for your defence, my honesty for your surety, and ability and industry for your livelihood, and my authority and position for your dignity". Marchbanks in his turn offers her his ‘weakness’, ‘desolation’ and ‘heart’s need’. Candida, as the play says, accepts Morell’s offer. The play however, remains open-ended when Shaw provides the final puzzle at the close of the play : "But they do not know the secret in the poet’s heart".