Oedipus Rex: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Sophocles, translated by Francis Storr. 9 speaking roles, 12,041 words, about 86 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Oedipus has the most to say in Oedipus Rex: about 688 lines and 5,430 words, 45.1% of the play. Sophocles’ tragedy follows the king of Thebes as he hunts for the killer of the former king, Laius. Oedipus carries the play almost alone, with about 45% of the words, nearly three times the Chorus. Creon and Jocasta each hold under a tenth.

Speaking roles: 9
Scenes: Continuous
Words: 12,041
Speech time: 86 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Oedipus	688	5,430	45.1%	38.8	1
Chorus	278	2,009	16.7%	14.4	1
Creon	143	1,123	9.3%	8.0	1
Jocasta	130	1,022	8.5%	7.3	1
Teiresias	83	705	5.9%	5.0	1
Second Messenger	77	616	5.1%	4.4	1
Messenger	57	452	3.8%	3.2	1
Priest	56	439	3.6%	3.1	1
Herdsman	32	245	2%	1.8	1

The longest speeches

Speech	Words	Lines
Oedipus: “And thou shalt not be frustrate of thy wish,”	542	68
Oedipus: “Ye pray; ’tis well, but would ye hear my words”	506	63
Second Messenger: “By her own hand. And all the horror of it,”	442	55
Oedipus: “What’s done was well done. Thou canst never sh…”	410	50
Priest: “Yea, Oedipus, my sovereign lord and king,”	375	48
Chorus: “Sweet-voiced daughter of Zeus from thy gold-pa…”	367	58
Creon: “Not so, if thou wouldst reason with thyself,”	294	36
Oedipus: “God speed thee! and as meed for bringing them”	292	36
Chorus: “Who is he by voice immortal named from Pythia’…”	280	32
Oedipus: “Aye, and on thee in all humility”	259	31

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Oedipus Rex?

Oedipus, with about 688 lines and 5,430 words, 45.1% of everything spoken in the play. Chorus is next, with about 278 lines (16.7%).

How long is Oedipus Rex?

The full text has 12,041 spoken words, about 86 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 Rex?

9 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.