Antony and Cleopatra, Act 1
582Lines
5Scenes
17Speakers
62% / 38%Male / Female Lines
Act 1 of Antony and Cleopatra runs 582 lines across 5 scenes with 17 speaking characters — about 16.3% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Philo: “Nay, but this dotage of our general's”
Closes (Scene 5) — Cleopatra: “He shall have every day a several greeting,”
Who carries the voice in Act 1
Female voices are notably stronger in Act 1 — 38% of this act’s dialogue vs. 24% across the full play.
Act 1
Male 358 · Female 224
The 5 scenes of Act 1
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 69 | 5 | 11.9% |
| Scene 2 | 204 | 11 | 35.1% |
| Scene 3 | 124 | 3 | 21.3% |
| Scene 4 | 94 | 3 | 16.2% |
| Scene 5 | 91 | 4 | 15.6% |
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Cleopatra with 27% of Act 1’s dialogue (158 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cleopatra ♀ | 158 | 27.1% |
| Mark Antony ♂ | 131 | 22.5% |
| Octavius Caesar ♂ | 63 | 10.8% |
| Charmian ♀ | 55 | 9.5% |
| Domitius Enobarbus ♂ | 44 | 7.6% |
| Messenger ♂ | 30 | 5.2% |
| Alexas ♂ | 27 | 4.6% |
Pacing across the 5 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 1 range from Scene 1 (69 lines, the shortest) to Scene 2 (204 lines, the longest), averaging about 116 lines per scene.
How Act 1 of Antony and Cleopatra compares to other tragedies
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| King Lear | 951 | 5 |
| Hamlet | 921 | 5 |
| Coriolanus | 842 | 10 |
| Othello | 739 | 3 |
| Romeo and Juliet | 725 | 5 |
| Antony and Cleopatra (this act) | 582 | 5 |
| Timon of Athens | 576 | 2 |
| Julius Caesar | 574 | 3 |
| Macbeth | 534 | 7 |
| Titus Andronicus | 502 | 1 |
About Act 1 of Antony and Cleopatra
How many lines are in Act 1 of Antony and Cleopatra?
582 lines spread across 5 scenes.
Who dominates Act 1?
Cleopatra delivers 27% of the act’s dialogue (158 lines).
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 1?
Scene 2, at 204 lines — well above the act’s scene average.