Comedy • c. 1595
Love's Labours Lost
5 Acts
9 Scenes
2,862 Lines
Comedy • c. 1596
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
2,159Lines
5Acts
9Scenes
30Characters
60% / 40%Male / Female Lines
Unusually for a Shakespeare comedy, women carry 40% of the dialogue in A Midsummer Night's Dream (c. 1596) — 2,159 lines in total across 5 acts and 30 speaking characters.
Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Theseus: “Now, fair Hippolyta, our nuptial hour”
Closes (Act 5, Scene 1) — Puck: “And Robin shall restore amends.”
Full cast of A Midsummer Night's Dream by line count
| # | Character | Lines | Share | Acts | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theseus ♂ | 233 | 10.8% | 3 | 3 |
| 2 | Helena ♀ | 229 | 10.6% | 4 | 5 |
| 3 | Oberon ♂ | 226 | 10.5% | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Puck ♀ | 209 | 9.7% | 4 | 6 |
| 5 | Bottom ♂ | 204 | 9.4% | 4 | 5 |
| 6 | Lysander ♂ | 178 | 8.2% | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | Hermia ♀ | 165 | 7.6% | 4 | 4 |
| 8 | Titania ♀ | 158 | 7.3% | 4 | 5 |
| 9 | Demetrius ♂ | 134 | 6.2% | 5 | 6 |
| 10 | Quince ♂ | 83 | 3.8% | 3 | 3 |
| 11 | Pyramus ♂ | 56 | 2.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 12 | Egeus ♂ | 41 | 1.9% | 2 | 2 |
| 13 | Prologue ♂ | 35 | 1.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 14 | Hippolyta ♀ | 34 | 1.6% | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Thisbe ♀ | 34 | 1.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Fairy ♀ | 30 | 1.4% | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Philostrate ♂ | 24 | 1.1% | 1 | 1 |
| 18 | Flute ♂ | 23 | 1.1% | 3 | 3 |
| 19 | Wall ♂ | 12 | 0.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | Lion ♂ | 9 | 0.4% | 1 | 1 |
| 21 | Snout ♂ | 7 | 0.3% | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | Snug ♂ | 6 | 0.3% | 2 | 2 |
| 23 | Moonshine ♂ | 6 | 0.3% | 1 | 1 |
| 24 | Mustardseed ♂ | 5 | 0.2% | 2 | 2 |
| 25 | Starveling ♂ | 5 | 0.2% | 3 | 3 |
| …5 additional speaking roles with fewer than 5 lines | |||||
How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5
| Act | Male lines | Female lines | Female share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 252 | 104 | 29% | |
| Act 2 | 156 | 273 | 64% | |
| Act 3 | 334 | 347 | 51% | |
| Act 4 | 222 | 43 | 16% | |
| Act 5 | 332 | 96 | 22% |
Female voices peak in Act 2 (64% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 4 (16%).
Line counts act by act
| Act | Scenes | Lines | Speakers | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 2 | 356 | 14 | |
| Act 2 | 2 | 429 | 8 | |
| Act 3 | 2 | 681 | 18 | |
| Act 4 | 2 | 265 | 18 | |
| Act 5 | 1 | 428 | 15 |
When each speaker first enters
- Act 1 — 14 new speakers enter: Theseus, Helena, Bottom, Lysander, Hermia, Demetrius, Quince, Egeus, Hippolyta, Flute (+4 more)
- Act 2 — 4 new speakers enter: Oberon, Puck, Titania, Fairy
- Act 3 — 5 new speakers enter: Mustardseed, Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Moth, Hernia
- Act 5 — 7 new speakers enter: Pyramus, Prologue, Thisbe, Philostrate, Wall, Lion, Moonshine
Line-length signature
Of 2,159 total lines: 100% short (under 60 characters, typical of quickfire exchanges), 0% mid-length (60–180 characters), and 0% extended (over 180 characters). That makes this a fast-cut play — the text is dominated by brief exchanges and retorts.
Longest scenes in A Midsummer Night's Dream
| Scene | Lines | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Act 3, Scene 2 | 486 | 7 |
| Act 5, Scene 1 | 428 | 15 |
| Act 2, Scene 1 | 273 | 6 |
| Act 1, Scene 1 | 255 | 7 |
| Act 4, Scene 1 | 224 | 14 |
How A Midsummer Night's Dream compares to Shakespeare’s other comedies
| Play | Year | Lines | Acts | Scenes | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A Midsummer Night's Dream (this play) | c. 1596 | 2,159 | 5 | 9 | 30 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | c. 1591 | 2,234 | 5 | 20 | 17 |
| The Comedy of Errors | c. 1594 | 1,962 | 5 | 11 | 20 |
| Twelfth Night | c. 1601 | 2,483 | 5 | 18 | 18 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | c. 1599 | 2,583 | 5 | 17 | 23 |
Common questions
How long is A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
2,159 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 9 scenes — roughly 240 lines per scene.
Which act of A Midsummer Night’s Dream is longest?
Act 3 runs 681 lines across 2 scenes — noticeably heavier than the play’s other acts.
Which female character has the most lines in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?
Helena with 229 lines — about 11% of the play’s dialogue.