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

Sophocles, translated by Francis Storr. 6 speaking roles, 11,360 words, about 81 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Philoctetes has the most to say in Philoctetes: about 641 lines and 4,872 words, 42.9% of the play. Sophocles’ drama follows Odysseus and young Neoptolemus as they try to take the bow of Heracles from Philoctetes, who was abandoned on Lemnos. Philoctetes holds about 43% of the words, and Neoptolemus about a quarter. With only 6 speaking roles, these two parts carry about 70% of the play.

Speaking roles: 6
Scenes: Continuous
Words: 11,360
Speech time: 81 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Philoctetes	641	4,872	42.9%	34.8	1
Neoptolemus	401	3,018	26.6%	21.6	1
Chorus	216	1,382	12.2%	9.9	1
Odysseus	166	1,312	11.5%	9.4	1
Sailor	62	494	4.3%	3.5	1
Heracles	37	282	2.5%	2.0	1

The longest speeches

Speech	Words	Lines
Philoctetes: “O what a heaven-forsaken wretch am I,”	491	61
Neoptolemus: “To fetch me in a gay decked galley came”	394	48
Philoctetes: “Oh hands, how ill ye fare, made prisoners”	365	45
Philoctetes: “Thou fire, thou utter monster,”	355	43
Chorus: “I saw him not, yet fame affirms the tale”	316	46
Philoctetes: “Oh! in thy father’s, in thy mother’s name,”	305	39
Heracles: “Go not yet till thou hast heard, Son of Poeas,…”	268	35
Odysseus: “Thou must cajole and cheat”	247	31
Neoptolemus: “Sweet to my ears the praises of my sire,”	246	31
Philoctetes: “O hateful life that keep’st me lingering on”	227	27

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Philoctetes?

Philoctetes, with about 641 lines and 4,872 words, 42.9% of everything spoken in the play. Neoptolemus is next, with about 401 lines (26.6%).

How long is Philoctetes?

The full text has 11,360 spoken words, about 81 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 Philoctetes?

6 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.