Act 2 of Hamlet runs 748 lines across 2 scenes with 10 speaking characters — about 18.6% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Lord Polonius: “Give him this money and these notes, Reynaldo.”
Closes (Scene 2) — Hamlet: “Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king.”
The 2 scenes of Act 2
Who speaks in Act 2
Leading voice: Hamlet with 37% of Act 2’s dialogue (280 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet ♂ | 280 | 37.4% |
| Lord Polonius ♂ | 231 | 30.9% |
| First Player ♂ | 49 | 6.6% |
| Rosencrantz ♂ | 45 | 6.0% |
| King Claudius ♂ | 40 | 5.3% |
| Ophelia ♀ | 28 | 3.7% |
| Voltimand ♂ | 21 | 2.8% |
Characters first heard in Act 2
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| First Player ♂ | 52 |
| Reynaldo ♂ | 15 |
How Act 2 of Hamlet compares to other tragedies
| Play | Act 2 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Antony and Cleopatra | 883 | 7 |
| Coriolanus | 762 | 3 |
| Hamlet (this act) | 748 | 2 |
| Othello | 735 | 3 |
| Romeo and Juliet | 685 | 7 |
| King Lear | 678 | 4 |
| Julius Caesar | 552 | 4 |
| Titus Andronicus | 538 | 4 |
| Macbeth | 396 | 4 |
| Timon of Athens | 291 | 2 |
About Act 2 of Hamlet
How many lines are in Act 2 of Hamlet?
748 lines spread across 2 scenes.
Who dominates Act 2?
Hamlet delivers 37% of the act’s dialogue (280 lines).