Philoctetes
Also known as: Philoktetes, Philoctetes on Lemnos, Philoktētēs
On the deserted island of Lemnos, the abandoned archer Philoctetes—afflicted by a foul wound—must be persuaded by Neoptolemus and Odysseus to sail to Troy, where prophecy deems his bow essential for victory.
Description
Sophocles’ Philoctetes stages the moral crisis of Neoptolemus, tasked by Odysseus to deceive the marooned archer and seize the bow of Heracles. Isolated for years after a snakebite and left behind by the Greeks for his cries and stench, Philoctetes survives in a cave with only the bow as companion and lifeline. The plot turns on competing claims of honor, expedience, and divine will. Neoptolemus’ conscience recoils from Odysseus’ stratagem, and the conflict escalates until the deified Heracles appears ex machina, commanding reconciliation and the voyage to Troy where healing and glory await. The play probes suffering, persuasion, and the ethics of ends versus means within a stark Lemnian landscape.
Historiography
The text survives through the medieval manuscript tradition that preserved seven tragedies of Sophocles, accompanied by ancient scholia. Earlier treatments of the myth by Aeschylus and Euripides are lost, making Sophocles’ version the most complete classical dramatization. The play was admired in antiquity and widely adapted in modern literature and theatre, notably influencing discussions of just deception and civic duty. Twentieth-century receptions include poetic and stage reimaginings that emphasize its politics of persuasion and healing.
Date Notes
Premiered and won first prize at the City Dionysia in 409 BCE; no earlier oral version by Sophocles is attested.
Major Characters
- Philoctetes
- Neoptolemus
- Odysseus
- Heracles
- Chorus of Sailors
Myths
- Abandonment on Lemnos
- The Bow of Heracles
- Healing of Philoctetes
- Departure to Troy
Facts
- Set entirely on the island of Lemnos before the fall of Troy.
- Philoctetes’ incurable wound stems from a snakebite sustained at Chryse.
- The Greeks abandoned Philoctetes due to his cries and the wound’s stench disrupting sacrifices.
- A prophecy declares Troy cannot fall without Philoctetes and the bow of Heracles.
- Odysseus instructs Neoptolemus to use deceit to obtain the bow.
- Neoptolemus’ moral reversal drives the play’s central ethical dilemma.
- Heracles appears ex machina to command reconciliation and the voyage to Troy.
- Sophocles’ version is the only extant classical tragedy on this myth; Aeschylus’ and Euripides’ treatments are lost.
- The chorus consists of Neoptolemus’ sailors and mediates between pity and expedience.
- The play won first prize at the City Dionysia in 409 BCE.