Act 5 of Hamlet belongs to Hamlet, who delivers 48% of the act’s dialogue (354 of 731 lines) across 2 scenes.
Opens (Scene 1) — First Clown: “Is she to be buried in Christian burial that”
Closes (Scene 2) — Prince Fortinbras: “Becomes the field, but here shows much amiss.”
The 2 scenes of Act 5
Who speaks in Act 5
Leading voice: Hamlet with 48% of Act 5’s dialogue (354 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet ♂ | 354 | 48.4% |
| First Clown ♂ | 94 | 12.9% |
| Horatio ♂ | 61 | 8.3% |
| Laertes ♂ | 53 | 7.3% |
| Osric ♂ | 48 | 6.6% |
| King Claudius ♂ | 37 | 5.1% |
| Queen Gertrude ♀ | 19 | 2.6% |
Characters first heard in Act 5
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| First Clown ♂ | 94 |
| Osric ♂ | 48 |
| Second Clown ♂ | 18 |
| First Priest ♂ | 13 |
| Lord ♂ | 7 |
| First Ambassador ♂ | 6 |
Who carries the voice in Act 5
Act 5 reflects the play’s overall balance — 3% female dialogue (play average: 9%).
Act 5
Male 712 · Female 19
How Act 5 of Hamlet compares to other tragedies
| Play | Act 5 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet (this act) | 731 | 2 |
| Coriolanus | 686 | 6 |
| Titus Andronicus | 578 | 3 |
| Othello | 567 | 2 |
| Antony and Cleopatra | 520 | 2 |
| King Lear | 477 | 3 |
| Romeo and Juliet | 441 | 3 |
| Macbeth | 398 | 8 |
| Timon of Athens | 381 | 4 |
| Julius Caesar | 379 | 5 |
About Act 5 of Hamlet
How many lines are in Act 5 of Hamlet?
731 lines spread across 2 scenes.
Who dominates Act 5?
Hamlet delivers 48% of the act’s dialogue (354 lines).