The Return of Philoctetes
The Greeks discover that Troy cannot fall without Philoctetes and the bow of Heracles, forcing them to return for the warrior they abandoned.
The Story
Philoctetes had been abandoned on Lemnos after suffering a terrible wound.
Years later, the Greeks learned that Troy could not be captured without him and the bow of Heracles.
The warrior they had discarded had become essential to their victory.
Odysseus returned to Lemnos to obtain Philoctetes and his weapons.
In Sophocles' tragedy, Neoptolemus, the young son of Achilles, accompanies him.
Odysseus proposes deception.
Neoptolemus initially follows the plan and gains Philoctetes' trust, but he becomes increasingly troubled by the dishonesty involved.
Philoctetes had every reason to hate the Greek commanders who had left him behind.
Persuading him to return was therefore not simply a military problem.
It was also a moral one.
Eventually Philoctetes returned to the war.
His wound could be treated, and the bow of Heracles once again entered battle.
Later tradition made Philoctetes responsible for the death of Paris.
The abandoned warrior thus became one of the figures required for Troy's final destruction.
Key Figures
Why It Matters
Philoctetes' return connects several prophecies surrounding Troy's fall and completes the story begun by his abandonment on Lemnos.
Traditions & Variations
The surviving traditions differ over who retrieved Philoctetes and how he was persuaded to return. Sophocles' version gives Neoptolemus a particularly important role.