Philoctetes
by Sophocles
A wounded warrior, abandoned on a deserted island, is visited by former comrades who ask for his help in winning a war.
Subjects
About This Book
Philoctetes is a master archer who, during the Trojan War, is bitten by a snake and cursed with a foul-smelling, incurable wound. Odysseus abandons him on the island of Lemnos with a bow given to him by Heracles as his only companion.
Ten years later, a prophecy reveals to the Greeks that Philoctetes and his legendary bow will be necessary to win the Trojan War. This forces Odysseus and Neoptolemus, the son of Achilles, to embark on a quest to retrieve him from his exile on Lemnos.
Both Aeschylus and Euripides also wrote plays entitled Philoctetes, but only Sophocles’ version survives. It was first performed in 409 BC, and its performance won first prize.
Download Formats
Public domain in the United States. Users located outside of the United States must check their local laws before using this ebook. Original content released to the public domain via the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.