# Oedipus at Colonus: every role by lines, words, and stage time

> Sophocles, translated by Francis Storr. 9 speaking roles, 12,999 words, about 93 minutes of speech.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/plays/oedipus-at-colonus
- Last updated: 2026-10-08

**Oedipus** has the most to say in Oedipus at Colonus: about 638 lines and 4,820 words, 37.1% of the play. Sophocles’ tragedy follows the aged, blind, and exiled Oedipus as he reaches Colonus near Athens to seek refuge and a place to die. Oedipus carries more than a third of the words, about twice the Chorus. Theseus is the next-largest individual part, and Antigone, Oedipus’s guide, holds about a tenth.

- Speaking roles: 9
- Scenes: Continuous
- Words: 12,999
- Speech time: 93 min

## Every role, largest first

| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oedipus | 638 | 4,820 | 37.1% | 34.4 | 1 |
| Chorus | 398 | 2,353 | 18.1% | 16.8 | 1 |
| Theseus | 196 | 1,513 | 11.6% | 10.8 | 1 |
| Antigone | 191 | 1,244 | 9.6% | 8.9 | 1 |
| Polyneices | 116 | 894 | 6.9% | 6.4 | 1 |
| Creon | 101 | 751 | 5.8% | 5.4 | 1 |
| Messenger | 82 | 646 | 5% | 4.6 | 1 |
| Ismene | 78 | 538 | 4.1% | 3.8 | 1 |
| Stranger | 31 | 240 | 1.8% | 1.7 | 1 |

## The longest speeches

| Speech | Words | Lines |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Messenger: “Thy question hits the marvel of the tale.” | 596 | 75 |
| Oedipus: “O shameless railer, think’st thou this abuse” | 462 | 57 |
| Polyneices: “Well dost thou counsel, and I will speak out.” | 441 | 59 |
| Oedipus: “Nay, worthy seniors, but for Theseus’ sake” | 391 | 49 |
| Oedipus: “O front of brass, thy subtle tongue would twist” | 331 | 40 |
| Theseus: “Ho! hasten to the altars, one of you,” | 324 | 42 |
| Chorus: “O when the flying foe,” | 317 | 61 |
| Oedipus: “Then may the gods ne’er quench their fatal feud,” | 301 | 37 |
| Chorus: “Thou hast come to a steed-famed land for rest,” | 296 | 45 |
| Oedipus: “O son of Aegeus, for this state will I” | 296 | 38 |

## Questions actors ask

### Who has the most lines in Oedipus at Colonus?

Oedipus, with about 638 lines and 4,820 words, 37.1% of everything spoken in the play. Chorus is next, with about 398 lines (18.1%).

### How long is Oedipus at Colonus?

The full text has 12,999 spoken words, about 93 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 Oedipus at Colonus?

9 named roles speak in this edition, in one continuous text with no scene breaks. 1 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/oedipus-at-colonus/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).