Thomas Middleton
A GAME AT CHESS

licensed 12 June 1624

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BLACK BISHOP

The Black Bishop represents the Father-General of the Jesuits. He helps to forge evidence when the Black Bishop's Pawn's lechery is revealed by the White Queen's Pawn. He plots with the Black Knight to entrap the Fat Bishop into returning to the Black House, and assists the Black Knight in trying to convert the White Knight.

BLACK BISHOP, SECOND

A "ghost character." Referred to as representing the Pope, but he does not appear in the play.

BLACK BISHOP'S PAWN

The Black Bishop's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. He is a scheming Jesuit, whose attempt at converting the White Queen's Pawn is undermined by his lechery: when he tries to force himself on her, she escapes to the White House and reveals to them his true colours. The Black Bishop's Pawn escapes, and the Black House forges letters to prove his absence at the time in question. This ploy fools the White House until the White Knight arrives and unmasks the deception. The Black Bishop's Pawn returns to gull the White Queen's Pawn. He looks over her shoulder when she is looking for the face of her future husband in a magic mirror, and thereby tricks her into thinking that they are destined for each other. The White Queen's Pawn refuses sex before marriage; since priests cannot marry, the Black Queen's Pawn suggests that the Black Bishop's Pawn offer a marriage contract and later deny it: this will not break any vows to the Church. But the Black Queen's Pawn then uses a 'bed trick' to fool the Bishop's Pawn into sleeping with her when he thinks he's sleeping with the White Queen's Pawn. She then triumphantly reveals her trickery and the Black Bishop's Pawn is 'taken' by the White Bishop's Pawn, and thrown into the Bag.

BLACK DUKE

The Black Duke represents the Conde-Duque de Olivares (1587-1645), a favourite of Philip IV of Spain. He contributes nothing to the plot, and in the conclusion the White Duke throws him into the Bag.

BLACK JESTING PAWN

A Black pawn who catches a White Pawn between himself and a Second Black Pawn. They move off, sandwiched together, and the White Pawn kicks the Jesting Pawn as they go; he cannot kick back because he is on the end of the 'skewer'.

BLACK KING

The Black King is a caricature of Philip IV of Spain. He and his underlings are plotting to rape the White Queen. In the play's conclusion, the Black House is defeated by the White Knight's cunning, and the White King throws the Black King into the Bag.

BLACK KNIGHT

The Black Knight is a caricature of Diego Sarmiento de Acuņa, Conde de Gondomor (1567-1626), Spanish ambassador to England. The play portrays Gondomar as a boastful Machiavel, and pokes fun at his crippling anal fistula, which required him to travel on a specially made sedan chair. The Black Knight is plotting to overthrow the White House and achieve world domination. He plots to bring the Fat Bishop to the Black side, tempting him with a letter hinting at a bishopric, but does this only in order to damn him, as revenge for a joke the Bishop once made about his fistula. He leads the plot that seeks to hide the Black Bishop's Pawn's lechery. He encourages the White King's Pawn to come over to the Black side and then throws him into the Bag when his purpose is served. He then invites the White Knight to the Black House, and offers to satisfy all the desires of the flesh that the White Knight confesses to, but the White Knight then announces that he requested these things only to trap the Black side into revealing their evil. The Black side is defeated, and the White Knight throws the Black Knight into the Bag.

BLACK KNIGHT'S PAWN

The Black Knight's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. He is responsible for the castration of the White Bishop's Pawn, and is now suffering the pangs of conscience. The Black Bishop's Pawn refuses to grant him absolution, so he goes to the Fat Bishop and asks to pay penance. But the Fat Bishop cannot find castration in the Taxa Poenitentiaria, and therefore turns him down. The Black Knight's Pawn decides that his only option is to murder the White Bishop's Pawn, thereby committing a crime for which penance can be paid. But his attempt at murder is foiled when he is 'taken' by the White Queen's Pawn and thrown into the Bag.

BLACK PAWN, SECOND

A Black pawn. He catches a White Pawn between himself and the Black Jesting Pawn. They move off, sandwiched together. The Second Black Pawn kicks the White Pawn, who kicks the Jesting Pawn in turn.

BLACK QUEEN

The Black Queen represents the Queen of Spain, but her character is given no definition. In the conclusion, the White Queen throws her into the Bag.

BLACK QUEEN'S PAWN

The Black Queen's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. She is a scheming Jesuitess who, along with the Black Bishop's Pawn, is trying to convert the White Queen's Pawn to the Black side. She prevents the Black Bishop's Pawn from forcing his lust onto the White Queen's Pawn because she thinks this will lose any chance of converting her. She then helps him to flee. Later, the Black Queen's Pawn tells the White Queen's Pawn that she has a magic mirror, which will reveal her future husband. When the White Queen's Pawn looks into it, the Black Bishop's Pawn looks over her shoulder; she sees his face and resolves to marry him. When the White Queen's Pawn refuses sex before marriage, the Black Queen's Pawn encourages the Black Bishop's Pawn to make a marriage contract (with a view later to deny it). This done, she uses a 'bed trick' to fool the Black Bishop's Pawn into sleeping with her rather than the White Queen's Pawn. She then triumphantly reveals her trickery, which she sees as a punishment for his lechery. She is 'taken' by the White Queen, and thrown into the Bag.

BLANCHE

A "ghost character." A daughter of the Black Bishop's Pawn who, as does her sister Bridget, writes to her father from "safe sanctuary in the Whitefriars" (which implies that she is a prostitute).

BRIDGET

A "ghost character." A daughter of the Black Bishop's Pawn who, as does her sister Blanche, writes to her father from "safe sanctuary in the Whitefriars" (which implies that she is a prostitute).

EGYPTIAN

A "ghost character" from whom the Black Queen's Pawn bought her magic mirror.

ERROR

An allegorical figure representing misbelief. In the Induction, the play is presented as Error's "dream," played out for Ignatius Loyola.

FAT BISHOP

The Fat Bishop is a caricature of Marc Antonio de Dominis, Archbishop of Spalato (1566-1624). The role was written to be performed by the clown-actor William Rowley. The Fat Bishop was originally of the Black House, but he left them, and now works for the White House, writing defamatory pamphlets against his former masters. However, the Fat Bishop is unhappy with the rewards given by the White House. The Black Knight and Black Bishop tempt him back to their side with the possibility of a lofty bishopric, but they really intend only to damn him forever; the Black Knight is still angry about an incident when the Fat Bishop made a joke about his fistula. The Fat Bishop publicly returns to the Black House. He refuses absolution to the Black Knight's Pawn because he cannot find castration in the Taxa Poenitentiaria. He is eventually scuppered by over-ambition: he tries to 'take' the White Queen, but is surprised by the White Bishop, and thrown into the Bag, where he squashes the other characters.

FAT BISHOP'S PAWN

The Fat Bishop's Pawn has no function other than fetching and carrying for his master.

IGNATIUS LOYOLA

Ignatius Loyola, The Founder of the Jesuits (1491-1556) appears in the Induction of the play. He is angry that the Jesuits have failed to take over England. Error invites him to watch a "dream," in the form of a game of chess between their Black side and the White House.

LOPEZ, DOCTOR

A "ghost character." Roderigo Lopez, executed in 1594 for plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, is listed in the Fat Bishop's Taxa Poenitentiaria as having been awarded 20,000 ducats by the Church for his trouble.

PAULUS, CARDINAL

A "ghost character." A kinsman of the Fat Bishop, Cardinal Paulus has been elevated to the papacy. He writes to the Fat Bishop hinting that, if he reconverted to the Black House, he could take his vacant position and from there take the papacy when Paulus dies. The letter is, however, a forgery. Middleton based the character on Pope Paul V (1605-21), in the mistaken belief that Bishop de Dominis, on whom the Fat Bishop is based, returned to Rome on Paul's accession; in fact, it was on the accession of Paul's successor, Gregory XV.

SAVOY DAME

A "ghost character." A woman of low reputation, whom the Black Knight recalls gulling.

SECOND BLACK BISHOP

A "ghost character." Referred to as representing the Pope, but he does not appear in the play.

SECOND BLACK PAWN

A Black pawn. He catches a White Pawn between himself and the Black Jesting Pawn. They move off, sandwiched together. The Second Black Pawn kicks the White Pawn, who kicks the Jesting Pawn in turn.

STATUES, BRAZEN

The Black House entertains the White Knight with dancing brazen statues.

TAILOR

A "ghost character." The Fat Bishop keeps his belongings at a friendly tailor's house to avoid their being seized when he deserts the White House.

WHITE BISHOP

The White Bishop is presumably intended to represent the Archbishop of Canterbury although he is not an obvious caricature of the real Archbishop. He 'takes' the Fat Bishop at the end and throws him into the Bag.

WHITE BISHOP'S PAWN

The White Bishop's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. He once had a romance with the White Queen's Pawn, but the Black Knight's Pawn castrated him. He accompanies the White Knight and White Duke on their first journey to the Black House. He 'takes' the Black Bishop's Pawn, at the end, and is prevented from being killed by the Black Knight's Pawn when the White Queen's Pawn rescues him.

WHITE DUKE

The White Duke represents George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham (1592-1628). He accompanies the White Knight on his two journeys to the Black House. In the conclusion, he throws the Black Duke into the Bag.

WHITE KING

The White King represents King James I. He is virtuous to the point of folly, believing too easily in the innocence of the Black Bishop's Pawn when the Black House produce false letters to absolve him. He is unshaken by the treachery of the White King's Pawn. In the play's conclusion he embraces the White Knight and thanks him for unmasking the evil of the Black House. He throws the Black King into the Bag.

WHITE KING'S PAWN

The White King's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. He is a White piece who has secretly converted to the Black cause, and the Black Knight offers him a cardinal's position. Before the White House, the Black Knight grabs the Pawn and throws off his white costume, revealing a black one underneath. But the Black Knight does this only to cause dissension in the White House and promptly throws the White King's Pawn into the Bag.

WHITE KNIGHT

The White Knight is a flattering depiction of Prince Charles. Brave and virtuous, he saves the White Queen's Pawn by riding to the Black House and uncovering their deception. Later, he and the White Duke travel to the Black House with the aim of unmasking their treachery. The Black House welcomes them with a display of luxury. The White Knight inquires how certain of his desires, such as greed and lechery, may be satisfied. The Black House boasts of their superlative ability to satisfy such desires, but the White Knight announces that their evil has been proven from their tongues and that he has won the game with 'checkmate by discovery'. He then throws the Black Knight into the bag.

WHITE QUEEN

The White Queen is unlikely to represent Queen Anne, who had been dead since 1619, and was in any case a Catholic. She is probably best understood as a symbol of the Church of England. The Black House is plotting to rape her. She is threatened with capture by the Fat Bishop, but is rescued by the White Bishop's Pawn. She 'takes' the Black Queen's Pawn, and later throws the Black Queen into the Bag.

WHITE QUEEN'S PAWN

The White Queen's Pawn does not seem to be based on a real person although various possibilities have been suggested. She once had a romance with the White Bishop's Pawn, but the Black Knight's Pawn castrated him. She is virtuous, but susceptible to temptation by the Black Queen's Pawn and the Black Bishop's Pawn. The latter's attempts at converting her are undermined by her revulsion at his lecherous advances. When he tries to force her, she escapes and tells the White House what has happened. But, when the Black House forges evidence to disprove her claim, the White House leaves her at the mercy of the Blacks, who plan unpleasant penances for her. Fortunately, the White Knight travels to the Black House, finds out the truth, and saves her. The White Queen's Pawn is then gulled by the Black Queen's Pawn into thinking that a magic mirror has shown her future husband to be the Black Bishop's Pawn. She demands marriage before sex, and agrees to a marriage contract with him. But the Black Queen's Pawn then uses a 'bed trick' to fool the Black Bishop's Pawn into sleeping with her, and the White Queen's Pawn's virtue is thus preserved. When the Black Knight's Pawn tries to kill the White Bishop's Pawn, she 'takes' him. She speaks the epilogue.

WHITE PAWN

A White pawn. He is caught between the Black Jesting Pawn and a Second Black Pawn. They move off, sandwiched together. The Second Black Pawn kicks the White Pawn, who kicks the Jesting Pawn in turn.

Synopsis:

The Induction features Ignatius Loyola talking to the recently awakened Error. Error has had a dream of a chess game. The personified chess pieces enter the stage and perform the dream.

I.i White Queen's Pawn and Black Queen's Pawn meet in an opening gambit. The Black Bishop's Pawn enters. He is a Jesuit. We learn that Black Queen's Pawn is a "secular" Jesuit, as women could become and proselytize in the world. There is a conspiracy between Black Queen's Pawn and Black Bishop's Pawn to try to convert White Queen's Pawn. White Queen's Pawn relates how she was in love with the White Bishop's Pawn, but he was castrated by the Black Knight's Pawn. Black Bishop's Pawn swears he could never grant absolution for such a crime. The more they converse, the more convinced Black Bishop's Pawn becomes that White Queen's Pawn cannot be won over. White Bishop's Pawn enters and sees Black Bishop's Pawn with White Queen's Pawn, but he believes in White Queen's Pawn's virtue. At the same time Black Knight's Pawn enters, sees White Queen's Pawn with the Jesuit Black Bishop's Pawn and believes she is already seduced. Nevertheless he approaches her. She rebuffs him as the monster that castrated her love.

The Black Knight enters, the Machiavel. He is plotting for the "universal monarchy" of the Catholic forces. Black Bishop's Pawn tells Black Knight that his working upon White Queen's Pawn is part of the quest for the universal monarchy—the fall of one betokens the collapse of all.

The White King's Pawn enters, and we learn he is a spy for the Black House. He swears to confound the White House with his council and allow the Black House to defeat the White House and establish the universal monarchy.

In Act II White Queen's Pawn meets again with Black Bishop's Pawn. She believes him to be a holy counselor. He tries her obedience by ordering a kiss, she rebukes him. She swears to reveal him as an arch-hypocrite after he swears to take both her life and honor if she will not willingly give her honor up to him.

As Black Bishop's Pawn attempts to take White Queen's Pawn by force, a noise comes from within (made by Black Queen's Pawn) and Black Bishop's Pawn, fearful of discovery, lets White Queen's Pawn escape. Black Bishop's Pawn returns to Black Bishop and Black Knight carrying the news that he will be revealed by White Queen's Pawn. Black Bishop tells Black Bishop's Pawn to ride thirty leagues away, antedate letters back ten days, and Black Bishop will swear that Black Bishop's Pawn has been gone all during the time that White Queen's Pawn swears he tried to rape her. He will use the antedated letters for proof. Black Queen's Pawn leads Black Bishop's Pawn away into the "underground" passageway (into the trap?)

Black Queen's Pawn then goes to get Black Bishop's Pawn's letters. They might reveal his true nature. She intends to destroy them. Along the way she meets Black Knight's Pawn, who is lamenting his deed of castrating White Bishop's Pawn.

II.ii finds the Fat Bishop and his pawn (Fat Bishop's Pawn) awaiting the return of Fat Bishop's books from the printer. Fat Bishop is a turncoat and has switched to the White House from the Black. He now writes defamatory tracts against the Black House even though he is dissatisfied with the reward he receives in the White House. He hopes for advancement. Black Knight enters and, aside, says that he has a personal animosity toward the Fat Bishop. Fat Bishop once told him to cure his anal fistula by having himself hanged at Holborn. Fat Bishop is also repugnant to Black Knight because his writings hurt his cause for the universal monarchy. Black Knight plots with Black Bishop to lure Fat Bishop back onto the side of the Black House and then damn him "into the bag forever."

White Queen's Pawn tells the royalty of the White House of her near rape at the hands of Black Bishop's Pawn. Black Bishop and Black Knight produce the antedated letters from Black Bishop's Pawn "proving" that White Queen's Pawn is lying. White King and White Queen leave White Queen's Pawn to the penance of the Black House. White Knight and White Bishop suspect the truth and determine to free White Queen's Pawn. Black King punishes White Queen's Pawn—she is ordered to fast for three days. Black Queen raises it to four days. Black Bishop sentences White Queen's Pawn to twelve hours of kneeling all at once. Black Knight adds that the kneeling must be done in a room full of nude pictures. After this, there will be worse penance, they promise.

III.i finds Fat Bishop (played by Rowley) wondering why he has not received quicker advancement in the White House. Black Knight enters with a letter purporting to be from the Pope that seems to promise Fat Bishop that he will be next in line to the Papal throne if he'll only come back to the Black House. Fat Bishop immediately converts to the Black House.

Black Knight's Pawn enters with the news that White Knight and White Bishop have discovered the antedated letter trick. White Knight and White Bishop enter and demand the return of White Queen's Pawn. White King and White Queen are glad. Black Knight pretends he knew nothing about the forged papers. Black Queen's Pawn enters ahead of the White Queen's Pawn and announces that she saw all, that Black Bishop's Pawn is guilty and White Queen's Pawn is stainless. With this, Black Queen's Pawn wins the admiration of White Queen's Pawn. She also arouses the disbelief of the Black House. She confides secretly to the Black House that all this is a ploy to damn White Queen's Pawn after all.

We learn that Black King lusts after White Queen. We also learn that Black Knight has a vendetta against White Knight. Black Knight seizes White King's Pawn and strips off his white garment to reveal his Blackness in a ploy to disrupt the White House. Fat Bishop also reveals that he has rejoined the Black House. The White House leaves. Most of the Black House leaves. White King's Pawn turns to Black Knight for his advancement. Black Knight says pawns cannot be advanced and puts White King's Pawn into the bag.

Black Queen's Pawn tells White Queen's Pawn that she foresaw White Queen's Pawn's marriage in her magic mirror. For proof of the magic mirror, Black Queen's Pawn takes White Queen's Pawn to see it.

III.i finds a Black Jesting Pawn meeting a White Pawn. A Black Pawn enters and sandwiches the White Pawn between the two black pawns. Black Pawn kicks White Pawn who kicks Black Jesting Pawn. The effect is comic.

III.iii is the "magic mirror" scene. Black Queen's Pawn has set up a trick whereby White Queen's Pawn, a supreme gull, sees the reflection of the disguised Black Bishop's Pawn when she speaks her own name and asks to see her husband.

IV.i Goes outside. White Queen's Pawn and Black Queen's Pawn "happen" to spot the disguised Black Bishop's Pawn (who had, just before, been recognized by Black Knight's Pawn, who sued to him for absolution over having castrated White Bishop's Pawn, but who was sent away unsatisfied). White Queen's Pawn doesn't recognize him as Black Bishop's Pawn but as the husband she saw in the mirror. Black Bishop's Pawn feigns ignorance of the affair. Black Queen's Pawn, in order to prove the validity of the mirror to White Queen's Pawn, takes Black Bishop's Pawn in to see it.

When Black Queen's Pawn and Black Bishop's Pawn return to White Queen's Pawn, Black Bishop's Pawn swears he saw White Queen's Pawn in the mirror when he asked to see his wife. This convinces the gullible White Queen's Pawn. Black Bishop's Pawn suggests he and White Queen's Pawn go to bed since they are destined to marry anyway. White Queen's Pawn refuses to do so until they are married in fact. The refusal causes Black Bishop's Pawn trouble because, as a cleric, he cannot marry. Black Queen's Pawn advises him merely to contract the marriage to her. A contract is recognized as marriage in the secular world, but not in the religious world. Black Bishop's Pawn might convince White Queen's Pawn to bed with him while not technically breaking his vows to the church. The ploy works, they are contracted, Black Bishop's Pawn and White Queen's Pawn, and the assignation is arranged.

In IV.ii Black Knight has arranged for Fat Bishop to absolve Black Knight's Pawn of the sin of castrating White Bishop's Pawn. Unfortunately Fat Bishop cannot find any charge in his book regarding the absolution fee for castration. He finds fees only for murder, rape, simony, sodomy, and the like. Black Knight's Pawn determines to murder White Bishop's Pawn in order to be absolved for the murder as there is a fee for that absolution.

IV.iii is a dumb show. Black Queen's Pawn leads White Queen's Pawn into a chamber. Black Queen's Pawn then leads Black Bishop's Pawn into another chamber, turns off the light, and follows Black Bishop's Pawn into that chamber under cover of dark.

IV.iv finds White Bishop and White Knight determined to dissemble their way into the confidence of Black Knight and Black Bishop, whom they suspect of treachery. Black Knight and Black Bishop enter and invite them to the Black House. White Queen is left alone and is threatened with capture by Fat Bishop. White King rescues her, and Fat Bishop is put into the bag.

In V.i Black Bishop's Pawn, above, and Black Knight, riding in his litter, discuss the state of affairs in the game and predict victory. White Bishop and White Knight are brought in and entertained by the Black House.

V.ii finds White Queen's Pawn confronted by Black Bishop's Pawn now out of his disguise. Black Bishop's Pawn tries to gloat over having tricked White Queen's Pawn into bed, but he is confounded when Black Queen's Pawn enters to say it was she, not White Queen's Pawn, who slept with him. White Bishop's Pawn and White Queen enter and capture Black Bishop's Pawn. Black Knight's Pawn enters to kill White Bishop's Pawn, but White Queen's Pawn captures him instead.

V.iii finds White Knight and White Bishop in the Black House. Black Knight and Black Bishop try to seduce them over to their side, enticing them with promises of gourmandizing, whoring, ambitious advancement, and thievery to their hearts' content. That is the way of the Black House behind its pious facade. When Black Knight is tricked into admitting that the Black House is the master of dissembling, White Knight and White Bishop capture Black King "by discovery."

They win the game.

The White House enters and Black Bishop's Pawn, Fat Bishop, and Black Jesting Pawn are put into the bag (or are already in the bag from previously). They contend with one another in the "hell" of the bag. Next go in Black King, Black Queen, Black Knight, and Black Duke (Duke = Rook). All ends with the triumph of the White House.

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Notes of Interest:
This play was first presented on August 6, 1624 just after James I left the country. Knowing the play would be controversial, the King's Men waited until the King was away in order to play it. It ran only nine days before James returned, ordered the play closed, forbade the company from playing, and had Middleton arrested. It is nevertheless the most successful play of the Renaissance.

Middleton was guilty of breaking at least one law: it was illegal to present any modern Christian king onstage, and here was Philip IV and James I.

Plays to be compared:
Measure for Measure and The Changeling, inter alia (for the bed trick).

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