Act 1 of As You Like It runs 568 lines across 3 scenes with 10 speaking characters — about 21.2% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Orlando: “As I remember, Adam, it was upon this fashion”
Closes (Scene 3) — Celia: “To liberty and not to banishment.”
Who carries the voice in Act 1
Act 1 reflects the play’s overall balance — 44% female dialogue (play average: 39%).
Act 1
Male 319 · Female 249
The 3 scenes of Act 1
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Celia with 25% of Act 1’s dialogue (142 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Celia ♀ | 142 | 25.0% |
| Rosalind ♀ | 107 | 18.8% |
| Orlando ♂ | 97 | 17.1% |
| Oliver ♂ | 57 | 10.0% |
| Le Beau ♂ | 46 | 8.1% |
| Duke Frederick ♂ | 45 | 7.9% |
| Charles ♂ | 41 | 7.2% |
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 1 range from Scene 3 (138 lines, the shortest) to Scene 2 (268 lines, the longest), averaging about 189 lines per scene.
How Act 1 of As You Like It compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Twelfth Night | 578 | 5 |
| As You Like It (this act) | 568 | 3 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 542 | 2 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | 528 | 4 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 513 | 2 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 500 | 2 |
| Much Ado About Nothing | 384 | 3 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 381 | 3 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 356 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 274 | 2 |
About Act 1 of As You Like It
How many lines are in Act 1 of As You Like It?
568 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 1?
Celia delivers 25% of the act’s dialogue (142 lines).