Act 1 of Henry IV, part 1 runs 627 lines across 3 scenes with 9 speaking characters — about 20.6% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — King Henry Iv: “So shaken as we are, so wan with care,”
Closes (Scene 3) — Hotspur: “Till fields and blows and groans applaud our sport!”
The 3 scenes of Act 1
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Hotspur with 27% of Act 1’s dialogue (172 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Hotspur ♂ | 172 | 27.4% |
| King Henry Iv ♂ | 120 | 19.1% |
| Prince Henry ♂ | 81 | 12.9% |
| Falstaff ♂ | 79 | 12.6% |
| Earl Of Worcester ♂ | 63 | 10.0% |
| Poins ♂ | 46 | 7.3% |
| Westmoreland ♂ | 33 | 5.3% |
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 1 range from Scene 1 (108 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (313 lines, the longest), averaging about 209 lines per scene.
How Act 1 of Henry IV, part 1 compares to other histories
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Richard III | 1,080 | 4 |
| Henry VIII | 732 | 4 |
| Henry VI, part 2 | 670 | 4 |
| Richard II | 656 | 4 |
| Henry IV, part 1 (this act) | 627 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 611 | 6 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 586 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 585 | 4 |
| Henry V | 451 | 3 |
| King John | 278 | 1 |
About Act 1 of Henry IV, part 1
How many lines are in Act 1 of Henry IV, part 1?
627 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 1?
Hotspur delivers 27% of the act’s dialogue (172 lines).