Act 4 of King John runs 589 lines across 3 scenes with 10 speaking characters — about 22.2% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Hubert: “Heat me these irons hot; and look thou stand”
Closes (Scene 3) — Bastard: “And heaven itself doth frown upon the land.”
The 3 scenes of Act 4
Who speaks in Act 4
Leading voice: King John with 21% of Act 4’s dialogue (121 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| King John ♂ | 121 | 20.5% |
| Arthur ♂ | 109 | 18.5% |
| Hubert ♂ | 104 | 17.7% |
| Salisbury ♂ | 81 | 13.8% |
| Bastard ♂ | 79 | 13.4% |
| Pembroke ♂ | 69 | 11.7% |
| Messenger ♂ | 14 | 2.4% |
Characters first heard in Act 4
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 4 range from Scene 1 (145 lines, the shortest) to Scene 2 (277 lines, the longest), averaging about 196 lines per scene.
How Act 4 of King John compares to other histories
| Play | Act 4 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry V | 997 | 9 |
| Richard III | 879 | 5 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 878 | 5 |
| Henry VI, part 2 | 762 | 10 |
| King John (this act) | 589 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 563 | 8 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 559 | 7 |
| Henry IV, part 1 | 387 | 4 |
| Henry VIII | 362 | 2 |
| Richard II | 340 | 1 |
About Act 4 of King John
How many lines are in Act 4 of King John?
589 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 4?
King John delivers 21% of the act’s dialogue (121 lines).