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Back to Methuselah: every role by lines, words, and stage time

George Bernard Shaw. 77 speaking roles, 69,551 words, about 497 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

The Elderly Gentleman has the most to say in Back to Methuselah: about 827 lines and 7,308 words, 10.5% of the play. Back to Methuselah is Shaw’s five-part cycle about human longevity, running from the Garden of Eden into the far future. With 77 speaking roles, no part holds more than about a tenth of the words. The Elderly Gentleman is the largest, all in Part 4, and Eve speaks at the very start and returns at the end.

Speaking roles
77
Scenes
8
Words
69,551
Speech time
497 min

Every role, largest first

RoleLinesWordsShareMinutesScenes
The Elderly Gentleman8277,30810.5%52.23
Zoo5064,4086.3%31.53
Franklyn4423,8795.6%27.71
Eve4423,8195.5%27.33
Lubin4333,8105.5%27.21
Burge-Lubin4423,6005.2%25.71
Burge3773,2004.6%22.91
The Archbishop2862,5403.7%18.11
Confucius3032,5213.6%18.01
Cain2562,3743.4%17.02
Adam2752,2253.2%15.93
Pygmalion2402,1933.2%15.71
Conrad2281,7912.6%12.81
The She-Ancient1991,7192.5%12.31
The Serpent2111,7152.5%12.32
Mrs. Lutestring1901,7042.5%12.21
Napoleon1811,6442.4%11.71
The Envoy1731,5212.2%10.92
Barnabas1941,5012.2%10.71
Acis1711,3962%10.01
Martellus1521,3091.9%9.41
The Maiden1421,2571.8%9.01
Arjillax1581,2561.8%9.01
The He-Ancient1391,1241.6%8.01
Ecrasia1411,0631.5%7.61
Savvy1158871.3%6.31
The Woman917421.1%5.31
The Newly Born1097341.1%5.21
Lilith727181%5.11
Haslam866380.9%4.61
The Oracle765730.8%4.12
Strephon785580.8%4.01
The Male Figure514450.6%3.21
The Man554240.6%3.01
Zozim514010.6%2.91
The Ancient393370.5%2.41
The Youth423270.5%2.31
The Female Figure403230.5%2.31
The Parlor Maid342440.4%1.71
The Negress302430.3%1.71
The Veiled Woman161510.2%1.11
The Wife15950.1%0.72
The Clerical Gentleman11870.1%0.61
The Daughter12810.1%0.62
Another Youth10630.1%0.51
The Envoy’s Daughter6580.1%0.41
The Tweeded Gentleman7420.1%0.31
The Envoy’s Wife6380.1%0.32
A Voice4310%0.21
A Maiden5290%0.21
The Temple Youth3290%0.21
The Voice3290%0.21
Voices In The Temple3290%0.21
The Snake3270%0.21
His Daughter2200%0.11
The Authoritative Nymph2200%0.11
A Girl’s Voice From The Egg2160%0.11
The Egg2160%0.11
A Youth3150%0.11
Incredulous Voices2140%0.11
Another Maiden2120%0.11
A Woman’s Voice4100%0.12
All The Young3100%0.11
The Tunic Bearer1100%0.11
Confucius’s Voice290%0.11
Several Youths190%0.11
Several Young People180%0.11
The Woman’s Voice180%0.11
The Gentleman170%0.11
On All Hands160%0.01
The Simple-Lifer160%0.01
Eve’s Voice140%0.01
The Young Woman140%0.01
A Chinese Voice130%0.01
The Negress’s Voice130%0.01
A Man’s Voice120%0.01
Adam’s Voice110%0.01

Who speaks in which scene

Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.

Role1.11.2Pt 2Pt 34.14.24.3Pt 5
The Elderly Gentleman
Zoo
Franklyn
Eve
Lubin
Burge-Lubin
Burge
The Archbishop
Confucius
Cain
Adam
Pygmalion
Conrad
The She-Ancient

The longest speeches

SpeechSceneWordsLines
The Elderly Gentleman: “Yes, that, as you call it so flippantly. Are y…”Part 4, Act 171172
Lilith: “They have accepted the burden of eternal life.…”Part 567968
Eve: “Peace, peace, you two fools. Sit down and be q…”Part 1, Act 242843
The Elderly Gentleman: “I have the utmost respect, madam, for the magn…”Part 4, Act 142843
Eve: “Of the coming true of your dreams and mine. Of…”Part 1, Act 242143
Cain: “Whose fault was it that I killed Abel? Who inv…”Part 1, Act 233033
The Envoy: “Well, about this colonizing plan of yours. My …”Part 4, Act 231532
Franklyn: “That is only the first step of the Fall. Adam …”Part 230531
Eve: “What! You dare come here boasting about that g…”Part 1, Act 230331
Arjillax: “Just so. Well, the Archangel Michael was of my…”Part 527928

Small roles that can be doubled

These pairs of small roles never speak in the same scene, so one actor could play both. Check entrances and silent appearances in your script before you cast it this way.

  • Burge and The Archbishop
  • Burge and Confucius
  • Burge and Cain
  • Burge and Adam
  • Burge and Pygmalion
  • Burge and The She-Ancient
  • Burge and The Serpent
  • Burge and Mrs. Lutestring
  • Burge and Napoleon
  • Burge and The Envoy
  • Burge and Barnabas
  • Burge and Acis

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Back to Methuselah?

The Elderly Gentleman, with about 827 lines and 7,308 words, 10.5% of everything spoken in the play. Zoo is next, with about 506 lines (6.3%).

How long is Back to Methuselah?

The full text has 69,551 spoken words, about 497 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.

How many speaking roles are in Back to Methuselah?

77 named roles speak in this edition, across 8 scenes. 57 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.

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