A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 3
681Lines
2Scenes
18Speakers
49% / 51%Male / Female Lines
Act 3 is the play’s heaviest act — 681 lines across 2 scenes, against a play-wide average of about 432 lines per act, with 18 speaking characters.
Opens (Scene 1) — Quince: “Pat, pat; and here's a marvellous convenient place”
Closes (Scene 2) — Puck: “The man shall have his mare again, and all shall be well.”
Who carries the voice in Act 3
Female voices are notably stronger in Act 3 — 51% of this act’s dialogue vs. 40% across the full play.
Act 3
Male 334 · Female 347
The 2 scenes of Act 3
Who speaks in Act 3
Leading voice: Helena with 17% of Act 3’s dialogue (116 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Helena ♀ | 116 | 17.0% |
| Puck ♀ | 114 | 16.7% |
| Bottom ♂ | 88 | 12.9% |
| Hermia ♀ | 80 | 11.7% |
| Oberon ♂ | 64 | 9.4% |
| Demetrius ♂ | 62 | 9.1% |
| Lysander ♂ | 60 | 8.8% |
How Act 3 of A Midsummer Night's Dream compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 3 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| As You Like It | 720 | 5 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream (this act) | 681 | 2 |
| Twelfth Night | 675 | 4 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 667 | 5 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | 645 | 5 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 547 | 5 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 470 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 377 | 2 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 349 | 2 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 223 | 1 |