Summary
The Fat Bishop complains that he has not received more titles and honors from the White House. The Black Knight enters and produces a fake letter from Rome saying that the Fat Bishop could become the next Pope if he changes allegiances to the Black House. The Fat Bishop agrees.
It is soon revealed that the Black Bishop's Pawn was in town during the attempted rape of the White Queen's Pawn. The White Queen's Pawn is released from the custody of the Black House. The Black Queen's Pawn tells the White Queen's Pawn that she was the one who created a diversion during the attempted rape that allowed the White Queen's Pawn to escape. The White Queen's Pawn expresses her gratitude toward the Black Queen's Pawn.
The Black Knight captures the White King's Pawn after revealing that he is a spy. Meanwhile, the Fat Bishop begins slandering the White House. The Black Knight sends the White King's Pawn to the "the bag" – a place for expired chess pieces.
The Black Queen's Pawn convinces the White Queen's Pawn that she has seen the visage of the White Queen's Pawn's future husband in a magic mirror. The Black Queen's Pawn takes the White Queen's Pawn to the mirror, where the Black Bishop's Pawn stands disguised as a wealthy man. The White Queen's Pawn believes he is truly her future husband.
Analysis
Deception, strategy, and game-play continue in Act Three of the play, even as truths start to emerge and the falsehoods perpetrated by the Black House are exposed. In this section of the play, audiences can see the power dynamic begin to shift slightly: with the revelation that the Black Bishop's Pawn was actually in town for the attempted rape, the White Queen's Pawn is acquitted and freed. This news suggests that, eventually, all truths will come to the fore and innocence will prevail over deception. This does not, however, discourage the Black House from continuing its corrupt strategy. On the contrary, the members of the Black House essentially double down on their attempts to dupe the White House – and specifically the White Queen's Pawn – into losing the game. While A Game at Chess is a rather unconventional performance in many ways, the trick perpetrated by the Black Queen's Pawn and the Black Bishop's Pawn was not an uncommon occurrence on the Renaissance stage. Often, early modern dramatic plots were driven by mistaken identities and "bed tricks," or substitutions of one person for another in the dark during a sexual act. Thus, even though the play abides strongly to the allegorical structure of the chess match, Middleton still includes some of the conventions of the early modern theater to keep audiences entertained.
That said, one particularly entertaining character in Act Three is the Fat Bishop. Of course, he is more of a caricature than anything else: the Fat Bishop cares only for titles, honors, and self-advancement. Originally a supporter of the White House, the Fat Bishop switches his allegiances based on whomever offers him the best titles. The Fat Bishop is meant to represent the indulgences and corruption of the Catholic church: his corpulence is indicative of his greed and self-interest, and his desire for titles suggests that he is a hypocritical member of the clergy. Through the character of the Fat Bishop, the play both satirizes the notion of Catholic morality (associated, of course, with Spain) and exposes the perceived hypocrisy of an organization that was, at the time, often criticized for its pomp and extravagance.
