A Game at Chess Essay Questions

Who were the Jesuits and why is this significant for understanding the conflict between the white pieces and the black pieces?

The black chess pieces are always introduced when they come on stage as being Jesuits. The name is used to refer here to the members of the Society of Jesus, founded in the 16th century in Italy. From the beginning, the Jesuits had to deal with persecution in their own country, mainly because of the name they chose for themselves. In time, the Jesuits spread to other countries as well and they found a great following in the countries where Catholicism was not the main form of religion. One such country was England, which was largely Protestant. Because the Jesuits still had to break free from the general manner of preaching adopted by Catholics, their style was flamboyant, with a general characteristic of performance added to their practices. The Protestants, who sought to keep their religion and the expression of their faith as simple as possible, resented the Jesuits and saw their practices as unnecessary and degrading. This lead to a constant conflict between the Jesuits and the Protestants, portrayed here by the constant disagreement between the black and white chess pieces.

Why are the white chess pieces afraid that the black pieces will steal their "light"?

The term "light" is used in the play as a symbol representing religious power. This concern of the white pieces can thus be understood as a religious commentary in which the white pieces, or rather the Protestants, were expressing their fear of losing the religious supremacy in England. If that were to happen, then the Protestants would have to change their religious practices to conform to the Jesuit way – which, at the time, looked quite a bit like Catholicism. Crucially, King James I of England was raised Catholic, having been the son of Mary, Queen of Scots. When he succeeded Elizabeth I, the country was concerned that they would experience another swift religious shift back to Catholicism.

Why was the play shut down, despite its popularity?

A Game at Chess was one of Thomas Middleton's most popular plays. Despite this fact, the play was shut down after only nine days on the early modern English stage. While critics can only speculate as to the precise reason the show was halted, most agree that it likely had something to do with the play's portrayal of a reigning monarch (King James I), which was illegal at the time of production. The play purports to be about a chess match, which is one way that Middleton could have side-stepped this crime, but it was abundantly clear to anyone in the audience that the White King was indeed King James I. Ultimately, Middleton was acquitted for his involvement after he showed that the Master of the Revels approved the play for performance.

How is the court of King James I portrayed in the play?

The White House in the play is synonymous with the court of King James I, who ruled England from 1603 to 1625. The play generally portrays the White House favorably, especially considering that the white pieces eventually defeat the deceptive black pieces and send all their players to the bag. However, the play does, at times, take an ironic approach to the White House: the white players are often too trusting and gullible, and the White King in particular (the allegorical representation of James himself) is deceived by the Black Knight when he produces false documents that condemn the White Queen's Pawn. Though the battle is eventually won thanks to the White Knight (Prince Charles), the play takes a rather ambivalent approach to its representation of King James's court, suggesting another reason why the performance may have been shut down so early.

Who is the hero of the play?

While it may seem likely that, in its celebration of the White House and the strength of English Protestantism, the play would posit the White King as its hero, this is not necessarily the case. Aside from his decision that the White Queen's Pawn should be punished (a poor decision, audiences will know), the White King has a relatively minor role in the play. It is in fact the White Knight (an allegory for Prince Charles, later King Charles I) who serves as the play's hero, deceiving the Black Knight into confessing the crimes of the Black House and eventually winning the match for the White players.