“Time—who could beat it, who could defeat it ever? Maybe some saints and heroes, but not Chance Wayne.”

Chance and Princess have a peculiar fixation on time, so I traced the key word time throughout the play. I came to the conclusion that time is both characters greatest enemy: “It goes tick-tick, it’s quieter than your heart-beat, but it’s slow dynamite, a gradual explosion.” Whereas Princess is anxious about the effects of time and its aging properties, Chance also worries about the effects of time on his own appearance and its ability to change people.

For Princess, the passing of time strips her of youth and beauty. Once, a celebrated actress she is now plagued by panic attacks when she is reminded of her golden days. Chance’s struggle with time stems from the opportunities he has missed. As time passes, he becomes increasingly frustrated because he is unable to reach the level of success as an actor as he had anticipated. Chance laments in Act One, “…Time does it. Hardens people. Time and the world you lived in.”  However, the passing of does not change his feelings for Heavenly. And while time exacerbates the venereal disease she is inflicted with, Heavenly remains youthful in Chance’s eyes.  

While the play takes place in the South on a seemingly uneventful Sunday, the unlikely events that take place through the course of the day create a sense of urgency in the play and the reader: “Just for your recognition of me in you, and the enemy, time, in us all.”