The Birds: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Aristophanes, translated by the Athenian Society. 24 speaking roles, 15,270 words, about 109 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Pisthetaerus has the most to say in The Birds: about 690 lines and 5,498 words, 36% of the play. The Birds is Aristophanes’ comedy about two Athenians who persuade the birds to build a city in the sky. Pisthetaerus carries it with over a third of the words, and the Chorus holds more than a fifth, so choral speaking matters here. Euelpides starts as an equal partner but leaves partway through, ending with about 11% of the words.

Speaking roles: 24
Scenes: Continuous
Words: 15,270
Speech time: 109 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Pisthetaerus	690	5,498	36%	39.3	1
Chorus	352	3,260	21.3%	23.3	1
Euelpides	216	1,681	11%	12.0	1
Epops	181	1,394	9.1%	10.0	1
Messenger	45	408	2.7%	2.9	1
Prometheus	45	361	2.4%	2.6	1
Herald	31	298	2%	2.1	1
Heracles	36	278	1.8%	2.0	1
Posidon	31	253	1.7%	1.8	1
Informer	34	228	1.5%	1.6	1
Cinesias	25	216	1.4%	1.5	1
Poet	23	205	1.3%	1.5	1
Iris	24	172	1.1%	1.2	1
Meton	21	157	1%	1.1	1
Prophet	20	146	1%	1.0	1
Priest	17	144	0.9%	1.0	1
Trochilus	19	135	0.9%	1.0	1
Parricide	15	133	0.9%	1.0	1
Second messenger	14	121	0.8%	0.9	1
Inspector	15	101	0.7%	0.7	1
Dealer in decrees	8	59	0.4%	0.4	1
Triballus	4	13	0.1%	0.1	1
A servant	1	7	0%	0.1	1
Phoenicopterus	1	2	0%	0.0	1

The longest speeches

Speech	Words	Lines
Chorus: “Lovable golden bird, whom I cherish above all …”	1,165	117
Chorus: “Henceforth it is to me that mortals must addre…”	496	50
Herald: “Oh you, who have founded so illustrious a city…”	240	24
Pisthetaerus: “Then, this being well done and completed, you …”	209	21
Epops: “Epopoi poi popoi, epopoi, popoi, here, here, q…”	194	20
Euelpides: “What misfortune is ours! we strain every nerve…”	183	19
Pisthetaerus: “When anyone sacrifices and, according to the r…”	165	17
Pisthetaerus: “Here! that’s enough tall talk. Just you listen…”	133	14
Chorus: “In my ethereal flights I have seen many things…”	124	13
Chorus: “Fall back! to the right! to the left! advance!…”	124	13

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Birds?

Pisthetaerus, with about 690 lines and 5,498 words, 36% of everything spoken in the play. Chorus is next, with about 352 lines (21.3%).

How long is The Birds?

The full text has 15,270 spoken words, about 109 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 The Birds?

24 named roles speak in this edition, in one continuous text with no scene breaks. 17 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.