# Electra: every role by lines, words, and stage time

> Sophocles, translated by Francis Storr. 7 speaking roles, 11,147 words, about 80 minutes of speech.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/plays/electra
- Last updated: 2026-10-08

**Electra** has the most to say in Electra: about 656 lines and 4,831 words, 43.3% of the play. Sophocles’ tragedy follows Electra as she waits for her brother Orestes to avenge their father’s murder. Electra dominates the play with over 43% of the words, more than three times any other part. Orestes, Chrysothemis, and the Aged Servant each hold just over a tenth, and Clytemnestra has less than a tenth.

- Speaking roles: 7
- Scenes: Continuous
- Words: 11,147
- Speech time: 80 min

## Every role, largest first

| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Electra | 656 | 4,831 | 43.3% | 34.5 | 1 |
| Chorus | 204 | 1,371 | 12.3% | 9.8 | 1 |
| Orestes | 174 | 1,301 | 11.7% | 9.3 | 1 |
| Chrysothemis | 154 | 1,266 | 11.4% | 9.0 | 1 |
| Aged Servant | 152 | 1,187 | 10.6% | 8.5 | 1 |
| Clytemnestra | 117 | 917 | 8.2% | 6.6 | 1 |
| Aegisthus | 37 | 274 | 2.5% | 2.0 | 1 |

## The longest speeches

| Speech | Words | Lines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Aged Servant: “That was my errand, and I’ll tell thee all.” | 644 | 82 |
| Orestes: “Dearest of followers, how well thou show’st” | 432 | 56 |
| Electra: “Hear then. Thou say’st, “I slew thy father.” Who” | 424 | 52 |
| Electra: “It shames me, friends, that ye should thus set down” | 408 | 52 |
| Electra: “Last relics of the man I most did love,” | 358 | 44 |
| Electra: “Then listen how I am resolved to act.” | 326 | 42 |
| Clytemnestra: “So once again I find thee here at large,” | 291 | 36 |
| Electra: “Nay, let not aught, my sister, touch the tomb,” | 258 | 32 |
| Electra: “O shame that thou, the child of such a sire,” | 242 | 29 |
| Chorus: “Wise nature taught the birds of air” | 240 | 38 |

## Questions actors ask

### Who has the most lines in Electra?

Electra, with about 656 lines and 4,831 words, 43.3% of everything spoken in the play. Chorus is next, with about 204 lines (12.3%).

### How long is Electra?

The full text has 11,147 spoken words, about 80 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 Electra?

7 named roles speak in this edition, in one continuous text with no scene breaks. 0 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.

## How we count

Counts are computed from the full text of the [Standard Ebooks edition](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/sophocles/electra/francis-storr) (public domain; retrieved 2026-10-08). Words are every spoken word, with stage directions removed. Lines are verse lines as printed, plus prose at 10 words a line, because prose has no fixed line breaks; editions differ, so other sources give slightly different line counts. Time is words at 140 words a minute, before pauses and stage business. A role is counted in a scene when it speaks there. To count a script that is not in the library, paste it into the [script line counter](https://www.offbook.com/tools/script-line-counter).