Mitarai Digital Folio
History • c. 1592

Henry VI, part 1

2,761Lines 5Acts 27Scenes 52Characters 90% / 10%Male / Female Lines

Henry VI, part 1 (c. 1592) fields a crowded stage: 52 named speakers share 2,761 lines across 5 acts and 27 scenes.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Bedford: “Hung be the heavens with black, yield day to night!”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 5) — Suffolk: “But I will rule both her, the king and realm.”

Full cast of Henry VI, part 1 by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Talbot ♂ 416 15.1% 4 12
2 Joan La Pucelle ♀ 255 9.2% 5 10
3 Gloucester ♂ 212 7.7% 4 7
4 King Henry Vi ♂ 187 6.8% 3 5
5 Suffolk ♂ 170 6.2% 2 3
6 Charles ♂ 134 4.9% 5 8
7 Messenger ♂ 98 3.5% 3 5
8 Of Winchester ♂ 96 3.5% 4 6
9 Mortimer ♂ 95 3.4% 1 1
10 York ♂ 95 3.4% 2 4
11 Plantagenet ♂ 91 3.3% 2 3
12 Warwick ♂ 79 2.9% 4 4
13 Lucy ♂ 77 2.8% 1 3
14 Bedford ♂ 76 2.8% 3 4
15 Somerset ♂ 73 2.6% 3 4
16 Exeter ♂ 61 2.2% 4 5
17 Reignier ♂ 59 2.1% 4 6
18 Alencon ♂ 49 1.8% 4 7
19 John Talbot ♂ 47 1.7% 1 2
20 Of Auvergne ♂ 45 1.6% 1 1
21 Burgundy ♂ 44 1.6% 4 6
22 Margaret ♀ 33 1.2% 1 1
23 Bastard Of Orleans ♂ 29 1.1% 4 5
24 Vernon ♂ 29 1.1% 3 3
25 General ♂ 27 1.0% 1 1
…27 additional speaking roles with fewer than 27 lines

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 1 6 611 20
Act 2 5 530 24
Act 3 4 492 23
Act 4 7 559 21
Act 5 5 569 17

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 20 new speakers enter: Talbot, Joan La Pucelle, Gloucester, Charles, Messenger, Of Winchester, Bedford, Exeter, Reignier, Alencon (+10 more)
  • Act 2 — 16 new speakers enter: Suffolk, Mortimer, Plantagenet, Warwick, Somerset, Of Auvergne, Burgundy, Vernon, Captain, Lawyer (+6 more)
  • Act 3 — 6 new speakers enter: King Henry Vi, Basset, Fastolfe, First Soldier, Watch, All
  • Act 4 — 5 new speakers enter: York, Lucy, John Talbot, General, Servant
  • Act 5 — 5 new speakers enter: Margaret, Shepherd, Su Ffolk, Scout, Legate

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 550 61 10%
Act 2 518 12 2%
Act 3 405 87 18%
Act 4 543 16 3%
Act 5 457 112 20%

Female voices peak in Act 5 (20% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 2 (2%).

Scene length across the play

Across 27 scenes: 5 very short (under 50 lines), 15 short (50–149 lines), 7 mid-length (150–299 lines).

The shortest scene runs 21 lines, the longest 218 lines, with a mean of about 102 lines per scene.

Line-length signature

Of 2,761 total lines: 100% short (under 60 characters, typical of quickfire exchanges), 0% 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 VI, part 1

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 3, Scene 1 218 9
Act 5, Scene 3 200 6
Act 4, Scene 1 196 11
Act 1, Scene 1 181 5
Act 5, Scene 4 177 8

How Henry VI, part 1 compares to Shakespeare’s other histories

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Henry VI, part 1 (this play) c. 1592 2,761 5 27 52
Richard II c. 1595 2,800 5 19 35
King John c. 1596 2,648 5 16 28
Henry VI, part 3 c. 1591 2,931 5 28 46
Henry IV, part 1 c. 1597 3,038 5 18 36

Common questions

How long is Henry VI, part 1?

2,761 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 27 scenes — roughly 102 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Henry VI, part 1?

Talbot with 416 lines — about 15% of the play.

Which female character has the most lines in Henry VI, part 1?

Joan La Pucelle with 255 lines — about 9% of the play’s dialogue.
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