The chess game played in act 5, scene 1 of The Tempest represents the inevitable shift of power to the younger generation. It is significant that Miranda and Ferdinand are playing this game; through this friendly match, Shakespeare not only represents a contest between equals, one male and one female, but also reveals Miranda's belief that her future husband is a fair person who will behave ethically in real-life diplomatic matters.

As the two play the game, their influence on the board represents the change in their position. No longer pieces on a metaphorical board moved by Prospero's hand, they now have the agency to act and choose—moving pieces rather than being moved. From this moment, Prospero relinquishes his manipulative ways, including the use of magic, and the pair is free to direct their own lives.

Prospero desired the union between his daughter and Alonso’s son, but he was politically motivated and failed to consider the young people as individuals with personal preferences. Although Prospero succeeded in bringing them together—thereby accomplishing his political goal of uniting Naples and Milan—Shakespeare uses the chess game to indicate that the lovers’ emotions are genuine and implies that their marriage will begin on a solid basis of respect, not just infatuation.