Exiles: every role by lines, words, and stage time

James Joyce. 7 speaking roles, 18,604 words, about 133 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Robert has the most to say in Exiles: about 851 lines and 6,699 words, 36% of the play. Joyce’s only surviving play is a tense drawing-room drama about a writer, his partner, and the friend who courts her. Robert has the largest part, with more than a third of the words. Bertha and Richard are almost exactly even at about a quarter each, and with Beatrice the four principals hold over 90% of the play.

Speaking roles: 7
Scenes: 3
Words: 18,604
Speech time: 133 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Robert	851	6,699	36%	47.9	3
Bertha	682	4,743	25.5%	33.9	3
Richard	685	4,674	25.1%	33.4	3
Beatrice	215	1,371	7.4%	9.8	2
Brigid	85	649	3.5%	4.6	2
Archie	74	452	2.4%	3.2	2
The Fishwoman	3	16	0.1%	0.1	1

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.

Role	Act 1	Act 2	Act 3
Robert
Bertha
Richard
Beatrice
Brigid
Archie

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Richard: “Yes, here we are! A Distinguished Irishman. No…”	Act 3	161	17
Robert: “A battle of both our souls, different as they …”	Act 2	154	16
Robert: “She wept. She told me she was the divorced wif…”	Act 3	140	14
Robert: “Here you are. You are lucky to find me in. Why…”	Act 2	110	11
Robert: “Until I had come to like her more and more (be…”	Act 2	109	11
Robert: “These cigars Europeanize me. If Ireland is to …”	Act 1	108	11
Richard: “I have wounded my soul for you—a deep wound of…”	Act 3	94	10
Robert: “Richard, you are too suspicious. It is a defec…”	Act 1	92	10
Richard: “Not that fear. But that I will reproach myself…”	Act 2	92	10
Richard: “Why? Many reasons. To give Archie lessons. We …”	Act 1	80	8

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Exiles?

Robert, with about 851 lines and 6,699 words, 36% of everything spoken in the play. Bertha is next, with about 682 lines (25.5%).

How long is Exiles?

The full text has 18,604 spoken words, about 133 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 Exiles?

7 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 1 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.