Anglo-Spanish Conflict
A Game at Chess is largely allegorical; its main theme is the political tension between Spain and England. Since the middle ages the Spanish had tried to advance upon England, with the specific purpose of converting them to Catholicism from Anglicanism by any means necessary. In 1588, the Spanish Armada attempted to invade England but failed. At the time that the play was written, negotiations were underway between the royal families of each country, who planned to marry Prince Charles to the Spanish Infanta Maria Anna. This is the central theme of the play, which shows the political machinations of countries represented through chess pieces. This is also the reason the play was shut down after only nine days: accused of representing a current reigning monarch on stage, the producers of the play (including Middleton) were all prosecuted by King James I's Privy Council.
Church Corruption
One of the major themes of the play is corruption in the Catholic church. The main illustration of this theme is the Fat Bishop, who has no allegiance other than to himself and his ego. His main preoccupation is with getting himself into the highest office of the Catholic clergy. He is never seen to perform any church duties, but fills his days with gluttony and sex. He seems to break more commandments than he keeps, emphasizing his hypocrisy and suggesting a broader hypocrisy within the Catholic church as a whole. At the time, England was still a Protestant country, but James I's Catholicism led many to believe that the country would eventually be converted. Protestant spokespeople often criticized the Catholic church for its corrupt use of funds, its ornamentation (especially regarding the clothing and lifestyles of its clergymen), and its reliance on authorities outside one's individual relationship with God.
Sexual Deviance
In the play, the Spanish Catholics are depicted as sexually licentious and promiscuous. The Black Knight gives a long list of the sexual infractions he has personally committed. Throughout the play, the main objective of the Black King and his pawns is to bed the White Virgin. They go to any lengths to accomplish this, including attempted rape. The female black pieces are also obsessed with sex: the Black Queen's Pawn manages to trick the Black Bishop's Pawn into sleeping with her. By presenting the black pieces as sexually deviant, Middleton suggests that there is something morally askew with their way of life – and therefore with Spain and the Catholic church.
Subterfuge and Sabotage
There are spies in the court of the House of White Pieces. There is great subterfuge throughout the play, mostly committed by the black pieces. The Black Knight, whose moral compass is questionable, is the chief perpetrator of this sabotage, always ready with a cover-up and a plan. He is the architect of the burning of the Black Bishop's files to make sure that earlier cover-ups are never revealed. Additionally, the Black Queen's Pawn tricks the White Virgin with a so-called magic mirror, making sure that it is angled so that only the image of the Black Bishop's Pawn is visible and tricking her into thinking that it is destiny that she end up with the him. In this way, the play equates the deceptions and duplicity of a chess match with the political machinations of early modern England and Spain.
Gender
Gender is a unique theme in A Game at Chess, as it appears within the context of a chess game, in which queens have decidedly more power and capability than any other piece on the board. The queen in a chess match can move virtually any way she likes, while the other pieces (including the king) are limited to certain pathways and restrictions. Thus, the play both expresses the early modern notion that women can be used as "pawns" in broader transactions (like marriages between families), and suggests that women are integral to successful political negotiations that mirror a chess match.
Strategy
Of course, a play about a chess game must feature a great deal of strategizing among its characters. Indeed, the play showcases how strategic thinking is the key continued success and survival among both the black and white pieces. Even when characters are corrupt or morally questionable, their ability to strategize effectively often prolongs their success and delays their punishment. Given the allegory of the play, Middleton offers a cynical look at English politics through this lens, suggesting that even unsavory characters can achieve success politically if they are strategic thinkers.
Triumph of England
The play is first and foremost interested in portraying the real tensions that existed between England and Spain, as well as the attempts to negotiate peace through the marriage of Charles I and Maria Anna. However, the play does not shy away from the celebration of England as the victor in the game of chess, showing the steady defeat of the black pieces and the triumph of the white. Of course, by making England white and Spain black, Middleton associates England with purity and moral rectitude while simultaneously associating Spain with corruption and villainy. In this way, Middleton's play contributes to the conflict between the countries that had already existed for more than half a century.
