Autolycus, the Shepherd, and the Shepherd's Son are all part of a lower social class than the central cast of characters, who are members of the Sicilian and Bohemian courts. However, by donning and shedding the attire and mannerisms of the nobility, these characters satirize contemporary social hierarchies.
In Act 4, Scene 4, Autolycus convinces the Shepherd and Shepherd's Son with ease that he is a noble:
Whether it like me or no, I am a courtier. Seest thou not the air of the court in these enfoldings? Hath not my gait in it the measure of the court? Receives not thy nose court odor from me? Reflect I not on thy baseness court contempt? Think’st thou, for that I insinuate and toze from thee thy business, I am therefore no courtier? I am courtier cap-a-pie; and one that will either push on or pluck back thy business there.
Autolycus points to his attire, which is borrowed from Florizell; his gait; and his smell as evidence that he is a courtier. The fact that the Shepherd and his son are immediately convinced shows that the qualities that make a person noble are ultimately arbitrary. Moreover, after falling prey to Autolycus's deception, the Shepherd's son declares that the fact that Autolycus wears his noble clothing "not handsomely" and acts "fantastical" makes him "the more noble." Like Leontes in his false belief about Hermione's infidelity, the Shepherd's son is subject to confirmation bias: he only sees evidence for what he already believes.
In Act 5, Scene 2, the Shepherd and Shepherd's Son receive noble status and appear dressed in "rich clothing." However, their speech and behavior remain unchanged, reinforcing the meaninglessness of social hierarchies. This also contributes to the comedic mood of Acts 4 and 5 by undermining the somberness of the noble main characters.
