Act 3 of King John runs 635 lines across 4 scenes with 13 speaking characters — about 24.0% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Constance: “Gone to be married! gone to swear a peace!”
Closes (Scene 4) — Lewis: “If you say ay, the king will not say no.”
Who carries the voice in Act 3
Female voices are notably stronger in Act 3 — 39% of this act’s dialogue vs. 14% across the full play.
Act 3
Male 389 · Female 246
The 4 scenes of Act 3
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 355 | 11 | 55.9% |
| Scene 2 | 11 | 2 | 1.7% |
| Scene 3 | 84 | 6 | 13.2% |
| Scene 4 | 185 | 4 | 29.1% |
Who speaks in Act 3
Leading voice: Constance with 34% of Act 3’s dialogue (216 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Constance ♀ | 216 | 34.0% |
| Cardinal Pandulph ♂ | 138 | 21.7% |
| King John ♂ | 104 | 16.4% |
| King Philip ♂ | 74 | 11.7% |
| Blanch ♀ | 27 | 4.3% |
| Lewis ♂ | 26 | 4.1% |
| Bastard ♂ | 22 | 3.5% |
Characters first heard in Act 3
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| Cardinal Pandulph ♂ | 164 |
| Salisbury ♂ | 158 |
| Hubert ♂ | 141 |
Pacing across the 4 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 3 range from Scene 2 (11 lines, the shortest) to Scene 1 (355 lines, the longest), averaging about 159 lines per scene.
How Act 3 of King John compares to other histories
| Play | Act 3 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry VI, part 2 | 838 | 3 |
| Richard III | 836 | 7 |
| Henry VIII | 737 | 2 |
| Henry V | 700 | 8 |
| Henry IV, part 1 | 654 | 2 |
| King John (this act) | 635 | 4 |
| Richard II | 590 | 4 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 581 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 492 | 4 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 424 | 2 |
About Act 3 of King John
How many lines are in Act 3 of King John?
635 lines spread across 4 scenes.
Who dominates Act 3?
Constance delivers 34% of the act’s dialogue (216 lines).
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 3?
Scene 1, at 355 lines — well above the act’s scene average.