“ʼTis but the chance of War”: Fortune and Opportunity in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida

Abstract

The study of the representation of the interrelated notions of Fortune and Occasio in Shakespeare’s Troilus and Cressida has been largely neglected by critics. This is particularly surprising because this play, where all that takes place is nothing “but the chance of war,” and characters’ efforts and expectations are often contradicted by the turns of events, seems to invite us to meditate upon what determines a successful outcome. This article shows that considering the concepts of Fortune and Occasion, and the imagery traditionally associated with them, can provide original critical perspectives on this play. The manner in which the characters refer to Fortune/Occasio reveals the extent to which each of them is willing and capable of exercising agency. Sheer opportunism and brute force are what is required to win in the world of the play, where valor, honor and chivalry have become obsolete vestiges of a lost mythical past.