Henry IV, part 1: 3,038 Lines, 36 Characters, Act-by-Act Breakdown

Henry IV, part 1 (c. 1597) is a history with 3,038 lines of dialogue distributed across 5 acts and 18 scenes. 36 named characters speak at least once; the top five voices account for 74% of the play. Male voices dominate at 97% — female speakers deliver only 3%.

The play opens (Act 1, Scene 1) with King Henry Iv: “So shaken as we are, so wan with care,”

The play closes (Act 5, Scene 5) with King Henry Iv: “Let us not leave till all our own be won.”

Full cast of Henry IV, part 1 by line count

#	Character	Lines	Share	Acts
1	Falstaff ♂	616	20.3%	5
2	Hotspur ♂	562	18.5%	5
3	Prince Henry ♂	551	18.1%	5
4	King Henry Iv ♂	341	11.2%	3
5	Earl Of Worcester ♂	188	6.2%	4
6	Poins ♂	79	2.6%	2
7	Glendower ♂	79	2.6%	1
8	Vernon ♂	66	2.2%	2
9	Mortimer ♂	60	2.0%	1
10	Lady Percy ♀	57	1.9%	2
11	Hostess ♀	49	1.6%	2
12	Earl Of Douglas ♂	46	1.5%	2
13	Gadshill ♂	44	1.4%	1
14	Westmoreland ♂	41	1.3%	3
15	Sir Walter Blunt ♂	41	1.3%	4
16	Archbishop Of York ♂	34	1.1%	1
17	Bardolph ♂	28	0.9%	3
18	Northumberland ♂	26	0.9%	1
19	First Carrier ♂	20	0.7%	1
20	Chamberlain ♂	17	0.6%	1
21	Second Carrier ♂	16	0.5%	1
22	Francis ♂	15	0.5%	1
23	Peto ♂	14	0.5%	1
24	Messenger ♂	8	0.3%	2
25	Lancaster ♂	8	0.3%	1
…11 additional speaking roles with fewer than 8 lines

Line counts act by act

Act	Scenes	Lines	Speakers
Act 1	3	627	9
Act 2	4	850	21
Act 3	2	654	12
Act 4	4	387	13
Act 5	5	520	11

Longest scenes in Henry IV, part 1

Scene	Lines	Speakers
Act 2, Scene 4	532	11
Act 3, Scene 2	385	7
Act 1, Scene 3	313	5
Act 3, Scene 1	269	5
Act 1, Scene 2	206	3

Common questions

How long is Henry IV, part 1?

Henry IV, part 1 contains 3,038 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 18 scenes — roughly 169 lines per scene on average.

Who speaks the most in Henry IV, part 1?

Falstaff leads the cast with 616 lines — about 20% of the play.

Which act of Henry IV, part 1 is longest?

Act 2 runs 850 lines across 4 scenes.

Henry IV, part 1