Act 5 of King Lear runs 477 lines across 3 scenes with 12 speaking characters — about 13.6% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Edmund: “Know of the duke if his last purpose hold,”
Closes (Scene 3) — Albany: “Shall never see so much, nor live so long.”
The 3 scenes of Act 5
Who speaks in Act 5
Leading voice: Edmund with 23% of Act 5’s dialogue (109 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Edmund ♂ | 109 | 22.9% |
| Albany ♂ | 106 | 22.2% |
| Edgar ♂ | 100 | 21.0% |
| King Lear ♂ | 54 | 11.3% |
| Regan ♀ | 32 | 6.7% |
| Kent ♂ | 24 | 5.0% |
| Goneril ♀ | 23 | 4.8% |
Characters first heard in Act 5
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 5 range from Scene 2 (13 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (386 lines, the longest), averaging about 159 lines per scene.
About Act 5 of King Lear
How many lines are in Act 5 of King Lear?
477 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 5?
Edmund delivers 23% of the act’s dialogue (109 lines).
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 5?
Scene 3, at 386 lines — well above the act’s scene average.