Character in Winter's Tale
Leontes ♂ male
692Lines Spoken
1.2First Scene
5.3Last Scene
20.6%Of Play Dialogue
Leontes is the #1 largest role in Winter's Tale, speaking 692 lines (20.6% of the play) across 6 scenes from Act 1 through Act 5. Below: scene-by-scene line counts, who Leontes shares the stage with most, and key speech examples.
Leontes’s position in the full cast
| # | Role | Lines | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Leontes (this role) | 692 | 20.6% |
| 2 | Paulina | 340 | 10.1% |
| 3 | Camillo | 299 | 8.9% |
| 4 | Autolycus | 294 | 8.7% |
| 5 | Polixenes | 273 | 8.1% |
| 6 | Hermione | 211 | 6.3% |
| 7 | Florizel | 206 | 6.1% |
| 8 | Clown | 184 | 5.5% |
| 9 | Shepherd | 133 | 4.0% |
| 10 | Perdita | 131 | 3.9% |
How Leontes’s dialogue distributes across the play
Leontes’s dramatic peak falls in Act 2 with 220 lines — the act where the role carries the most weight on stage.
Voice signature
Opening line (Act 1, Scene 2): “We'll part the time between's then; and in that”
Representative speech (Act 1, Scene 2): “Thou want'st a rough pash and the shoots that I have,”
Who Leontes shares the stage with
| Scene partner | Shared scenes |
|---|---|
| Paulina | 4 |
| Hermione | 4 |
| First Lord | 3 |
| Servant | 2 |
| Dion | 2 |
| Mamillius | 2 |
| Antigonus | 2 |
| Polixenes | 2 |
| Cleomenes | 2 |
| Lords | 2 |
Questions about Leontes
Is Leontes the lead role in Winter’s Tale?
Leontes is ranked #1 by line count among 35 speaking characters in Winter's Tale — a major role carrying 20.6% of the play’s dialogue.
What is Leontes’s longest scene?
Act 1 Scene 2, where Leontes speaks 215 lines.
Who does Leontes speak to the most?
Leontes shares the most scenes with Paulina — 4 scenes together across Winter's Tale.