Act 2 of Henry VIII runs 752 lines across 4 scenes with 19 speaking characters — about 23.2% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Second Gentleman: “Even to the hall, to hear what shall become”
Closes (Scene 4) — King Henry Viii: “My comfort comes along. Break up the court:”
Who carries the voice in Act 2
Female voices are notably stronger in Act 2 — 26% of this act’s dialogue vs. 16% across the full play.
Act 2
Male 560 · Female 192
The 4 scenes of Act 2
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 195 | 5 | 25.9% |
| Scene 2 | 170 | 7 | 22.6% |
| Scene 3 | 128 | 3 | 17.0% |
| Scene 4 | 259 | 8 | 34.4% |
Who speaks in Act 2
Leading voice: King Henry Viii with 17% of Act 2’s dialogue (130 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| King Henry Viii ♂ | 130 | 17.3% |
| Queen Katharine ♀ | 87 | 11.6% |
| Cardinal Wolsey ♂ | 81 | 10.8% |
| Buckingham ♂ | 74 | 9.8% |
| First Gentleman ♂ | 67 | 8.9% |
| Anne ♀ | 58 | 7.7% |
| Chamberlain ♂ | 50 | 6.6% |
Characters first heard in Act 2
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| Second Gentleman ♂ | 115 |
| First Gentleman ♂ | 107 |
| Suffolk ♂ | 93 |
| Gardiner ♂ | 92 |
| Old Lady ♀ | 64 |
| Griffith ♂ | 59 |
| Cardinal Campeius ♂ | 53 |
| Lincoln ♂ | 8 |
Pacing across the 4 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 2 range from Scene 3 (128 lines, the shortest) to Scene 4 (259 lines, the longest), averaging about 188 lines per scene.
How Act 2 of Henry VIII compares to other histories
| Play | Act 2 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry IV, part 1 | 850 | 4 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 786 | 4 |
| Henry VIII (this act) | 752 | 4 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 705 | 6 |
| Richard II | 649 | 4 |
| King John | 609 | 1 |
| Henry V | 566 | 5 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 530 | 5 |
| Henry VI, part 2 | 509 | 4 |
| Richard III | 425 | 4 |