A Game at Chess
1624 play by Thomas Middleton / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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A Game at Chess is a comic satirical play by Thomas Middleton, first staged in August 1624 by the King's Men at the Globe Theatre. The play is notable for its political content, dramatizing a conflict between Spain and England.
A Game at Chess | |
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Written by | Thomas Middleton |
Date premiered | August 1624 |
Place premiered | Globe Theatre, London |
Original language | English |
Subject | Anglo-Spanish relations, Protestantism and Catholicism |
Genre | Satire, allegory |
Setting | A chessboard |
The plot takes the form of a chess match, and the play includes some genuine chess moves. Instead of personal names, the characters are known as the White Knight, the Black King, and so forth. Yet the play unmistakably alludes to Anglo-Spanish diplomacy under King James I of England, especially the failed marriage negotiation between Prince Charles and the Spanish Infanta Maria Anna of Spain. The play is satirical of King James, and it was shut down after only nine days.