Henry VI, part 2: 3,122 Lines, 64 Characters, Act-by-Act Breakdown

Henry VI, part 2 (c. 1591) is a history with 3,122 lines of dialogue distributed across 5 acts and 24 scenes. 64 named characters speak at least once; the top five voices account for 52% of the play. Dialogue splits 85% male and 15% female.

The play opens (Act 1, Scene 1) with Suffolk: “As by your high imperial majesty”

The play closes (Act 5, Scene 3) with Warwick: “And more such days as these to us befall!”

Full cast of Henry VI, part 2 by line count

#	Character	Lines	Share	Acts
1	York ♂	385	12.3%	4
2	Queen Margaret ♀	317	10.2%	5
3	King Henry Vi ♂	315	10.1%	5
4	Gloucester ♂	307	9.8%	3
5	Suffolk ♂	297	9.5%	4
6	Cade ♂	242	7.8%	1
7	Warwick ♂	131	4.2%	4
8	Duchess ♀	119	3.8%	2
9	Cardinal ♂	108	3.5%	3
10	Salisbury ♂	95	3.0%	4
11	Buckingham ♂	75	2.4%	5
12	Captain ♂	64	2.0%	1
13	Clifford ♂	56	1.8%	2
14	Iden ♂	51	1.6%	2
15	Say ♂	48	1.5%	1
16	Young Clifford ♂	46	1.5%	1
17	Dick ♂	36	1.2%	1
18	Messenger ♂	31	1.0%	2
19	Hume ♂	31	1.0%	1
20	Peter ♂	25	0.8%	2
21	Somerset ♂	25	0.8%	4
22	Simpcox ♂	24	0.8%	1
23	Richard ♂	24	0.8%	1
24	Horner ♂	23	0.7%	2
25	Bolingbroke ♂	23	0.7%	1
…39 additional speaking roles with fewer than 23 lines

Line counts act by act

Act	Scenes	Lines	Speakers
Act 1	4	670	21
Act 2	4	509	26
Act 3	3	838	16
Act 4	10	762	27
Act 5	3	343	12

Longest scenes in Henry VI, part 2

Scene	Lines	Speakers
Act 3, Scene 2	417	12
Act 3, Scene 1	387	9
Act 1, Scene 1	260	11
Act 1, Scene 3	219	16
Act 5, Scene 1	218	12

Common questions

How long is Henry VI, part 2?

Henry VI, part 2 contains 3,122 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 24 scenes — roughly 130 lines per scene on average.

Who speaks the most in Henry VI, part 2?

York leads the cast with 385 lines — about 12% of the play.

Which act of Henry VI, part 2 is longest?

Act 3 runs 838 lines across 3 scenes.

Henry VI, part 2