Catholics and Protestants (Allegory)
The play is an allegory of the religious and political situation of the time, which saw the Catholic countries, led by Spain, attempting to convert Protestant countries, chiefly England and the British Isles, to Catholicism, by any means necessary. The play allegorizes the controversy and political negotiations that occurred after the engagement of Prince Charles of England to the Infanta Maria, Princess of Spain. In 1623, Prince Charles and the First Duke of Buckingham traveled to Madrid, but the marriage negotiations were ultimately unsuccessful. The play uses the allegories of the English as the white pieces and the Spanish as the black pieces.
Archbishop of Split (Allegory)
The Fat Bishop is an allegory of the Archbishop of Split, Marco Antonio de Dominis. He had left the Roman Catholic Church and joined the Anglican Church before returning to Rome again. He was known for his fickle behavior and self-interested allegiances. He was both famous and derided for his continual turncoat behavior.
Black Knight (Allegory)
The Spanish Ambassador to London, Diego Sarmiento de Acuna, conde de Gondemar, is allegorized and satirized in the play as the odious Black Knight. He is a consummate Machiavellian. His will is always done by his Pawn, and he is therefore able to avoid doing any of his own dirty work himself. He is the architect of the cover up to hide the Black Bishop's Pawn's involvement as the would-be rapist, and also uses the rape and subsequent cover-up as an excuse for covering up a multitude of other crimes by ordering the Black Bishop to burn all of his documents and files.
Traitors in the Court (Symbol)
There is no direct one-character allegory for the traitors that were in King James's Court, working with the Spanish to force Catholicism on the English. There are many characters in the play who symbolize treachery and deceit; the White King's Pawn is the main symbol of treachery. He is actually one of the black pieces acting as a spy within the House of White Pieces. He is said to be an amalgamation of Lionel Cranfield, the 1st Earl of Middlesex, and several of his associates, all of whom were impeached by the House of Lords in 1624. His act of subterfuge in the House of the White Pieces symbolizes the way that many of the aristocracy were open to helping the Spanish given an incentive.
Error (Allegory)
The "Error" character is an allegory of religious heresy. In the play, Error is a sycophantic follower of Ignatius Loyola. Both pretend that their objective is to spread Catholicism across the world but in reality they see themselves as the real rulers of the world. Everything that is "sinful" or deviant is allegorized in Error. He is also morally compromised and provocative; it is his "dream" of seeing the chess pieces pitted against each other that is the catalyst for the play.
