Mitarai Digital Folio
History • c. 1598

Henry IV, part 2

3,251Lines 5Acts 20Scenes 47Characters 91% / 9%Male / Female Lines

Henry IV, part 2 (c. 1598) fields a crowded stage: 47 named speakers share 3,251 lines across 5 acts and 20 scenes.

Opens (Act 0, Scene 0) — Rumour: “Open your ears; for which of you will stop”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 5) — Lancaster: “before you; but, indeed, to pray for the queen.”

Full cast of Henry IV, part 2 by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Falstaff ♂ 715 22.0% 5 8
2 King Henry Iv ♂ 323 9.9% 3 4
3 Prince Henry ♂ 196 6.0% 2 3
4 Shallow ♂ 185 5.7% 2 4
5 Mistress Quickly ♀ 176 5.4% 2 3
6 Archbishop Of York ♂ 150 4.6% 2 3
7 Lancaster ♂ 145 4.5% 2 5
8 Northumberland ♂ 113 3.5% 2 2
9 Westmoreland ♂ 111 3.4% 1 4
10 King Henry V ♂ 101 3.1% 1 1
11 Warwick ♂ 89 2.7% 3 4
12 Lord Bardolph ♂ 87 2.7% 1 2
13 Doll Tearsheet ♀ 80 2.5% 2 2
14 Morton ♂ 78 2.4% 1 1
15 Pistol ♂ 76 2.3% 2 3
16 Poins ♂ 68 2.1% 1 2
17 Hastings ♂ 57 1.8% 2 3
18 Mowbray ♂ 56 1.7% 2 3
19 Bardolph ♂ 51 1.6% 4 6
20 Lady Percy ♀ 46 1.4% 1 1
21 Rumour ♂ 41 1.3% 1 1
22 Silence ♂ 40 1.2% 2 2
23 Davy ♂ 34 1.0% 1 2
24 Page ♂ 29 0.9% 2 3
25 Clarence ♂ 29 0.9% 2 3
…22 additional speaking roles with fewer than 29 lines

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 0 1 41 1
Act 1 3 586 11
Act 2 4 786 16
Act 3 2 424 11
Act 4 5 878 15
Act 5 5 536 18

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 11 new speakers enter: Falstaff, Archbishop Of York, Northumberland, Lord Bardolph, Morton, Hastings, Mowbray, Page, Travers, Servant (+1 more)
  • Act 2 — 13 new speakers enter: Prince Henry, Mistress Quickly, Doll Tearsheet, Pistol, Poins, Bardolph, Lady Percy, Second Drawer, Gower, First Drawer (+3 more)
  • Act 3 — 9 new speakers enter: King Henry Iv, Shallow, Warwick, Silence, Bullcalf, Mouldy, Feeble, Shadow, Wart
  • Act 4 — 7 new speakers enter: Lancaster, Westmoreland, Clarence, Gloucester, Harcourt, Colevile, Messenger
  • Act 5 — 6 new speakers enter: King Henry V, Davy, First Beadle, First Groom, Second Groom, Princes

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 0 41 0 0%
Act 1 586 0 0%
Act 2 506 280 36%
Act 3 424 0 0%
Act 4 878 0 0%
Act 5 514 22 4%

Female voices peak in Act 2 (36% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 0 (0%).

Scene length across the play

Across 20 scenes: 2 very short (under 50 lines), 10 short (50–149 lines), 6 mid-length (150–299 lines), 2 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 31 lines, the longest 369 lines, with a mean of about 163 lines per scene.

Line-length signature

Of 3,251 total lines: 99% short (under 60 characters, typical of quickfire exchanges), 1% mid-length (60–180 characters), and 0% extended (over 180 characters). That makes this a fast-cut play — the text is dominated by brief exchanges and retorts.

Longest scenes in Henry IV, part 2

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 2, Scene 4 369 11
Act 3, Scene 2 313 9
Act 1, Scene 2 246 3
Act 4, Scene 5 244 6
Act 4, Scene 1 235 5

How Henry IV, part 2 compares to Shakespeare’s other histories

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Henry IV, part 2 (this play) c. 1598 3,251 5 20 47
Henry VIII c. 1613 3,236 5 17 46
Henry V c. 1599 3,230 5 28 46
Henry VI, part 2 c. 1591 3,122 5 24 64
Henry IV, part 1 c. 1597 3,038 5 18 36

Common questions

How long is Henry IV, part 2?

3,251 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 20 scenes — roughly 163 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Henry IV, part 2?

Falstaff with 715 lines — about 22% of the play.

Which act of Henry IV, part 2 is longest?

Act 4 runs 878 lines across 5 scenes — noticeably heavier than the play’s other acts.
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