Mitarai Digital Folio
History • c. 1591

Henry VI, part 2

3,122Lines 5Acts 24Scenes 64Characters 85% / 15%Male / Female Lines

Henry VI, part 2 (c. 1591) fields a crowded stage: 64 named speakers share 3,122 lines across 5 acts and 24 scenes.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Suffolk: “As by your high imperial majesty”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 3) — Warwick: “And more such days as these to us befall!”

Full cast of Henry VI, part 2 by line count

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

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
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

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 21 new speakers enter: York, Queen Margaret, King Henry Vi, Gloucester, Suffolk, Warwick, Duchess, Cardinal, Salisbury, Buckingham (+11 more)
  • Act 2 — 14 new speakers enter: Simpcox, Wife, Stanley, Sheriff, Townsman, Beadle, First Neighbour, Mayor, Herald, Third Neighbour (+4 more)
  • Act 3 — 6 new speakers enter: Vaux, Post, First Murderer, Commons, Second Murderer, First Murder
  • Act 4 — 20 new speakers enter: Cade, Captain, Clifford, Iden, Say, Dick, Whitmore, Holland, Sir Humphrey, Smith (+10 more)
  • Act 5 — 3 new speakers enter: Young Clifford, Richard, Edward

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 529 141 21%
Act 2 422 87 17%
Act 3 643 195 23%
Act 4 748 14 2%
Act 5 323 20 6%

Female voices peak in Act 3 (23% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 4 (2%).

Scene length across the play

Across 24 scenes: 6 very short (under 50 lines), 10 short (50–149 lines), 6 mid-length (150–299 lines), 2 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 12 lines, the longest 417 lines, with a mean of about 130 lines per scene.

Line-length signature

Of 3,122 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 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

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

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

Common questions

How long is Henry VI, part 2?

3,122 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 24 scenes — roughly 130 lines per scene.

Which act of Henry VI, part 2 is longest?

Act 3 runs 838 lines across 3 scenes — noticeably heavier than the play’s other acts.

Which female character has the most lines in Henry VI, part 2?

Queen Margaret with 317 lines — about 10% of the play’s dialogue.
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