Henry IV, part 2: 3,251 Lines, 47 Characters, Act-by-Act Breakdown

Henry IV, part 2 (c. 1598) is a history with 3,251 lines of dialogue distributed across 5 acts and 20 scenes. 47 named characters speak at least once; the top five voices account for 49% of the play. Male voices dominate at 91% — female speakers deliver only 9%.

The play opens (Act 0, Scene 0) with Rumour: “Open your ears; for which of you will stop”

The play closes (Act 5, Scene 5) with Lancaster: “before you; but, indeed, to pray for the queen.”

Full cast of Henry IV, part 2 by line count

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

Line counts act by act

Act	Scenes	Lines	Speakers
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

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

Common questions

How long is Henry IV, part 2?

Henry IV, part 2 contains 3,251 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 20 scenes — roughly 163 lines per scene on average.

Who speaks the most in Henry IV, part 2?

Falstaff leads the cast 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.

Henry IV, part 2