Mitarai Digital Folio
Tragedy • c. 1606

Macbeth

2,385Lines 5Acts 28Scenes 41Characters 80% / 20%Male / Female Lines

Macbeth (c. 1606) fields a crowded stage: 41 named speakers share 2,385 lines across 5 acts and 28 scenes.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — First Witch: “When shall we three meet again”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 8) — Malcolm: “Whom we invite to see us crown'd at Scone.”

Full cast of Macbeth by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Macbeth ♂ 718 30.1% 5 15
2 Lady Macbeth ♀ 265 11.1% 4 9
3 Malcolm ♂ 212 8.9% 4 8
4 Macduff ♂ 180 7.5% 3 7
5 Ross ♂ 135 5.7% 5 7
6 Banquo ♂ 113 4.7% 3 7
7 Lennox ♂ 74 3.1% 5 6
8 Duncan ♂ 70 2.9% 1 3
9 First Witch ♀ 62 2.6% 3 4
10 Porter ♂ 46 1.9% 1 1
11 Doctor ♂ 45 1.9% 2 3
12 Lady Macduff ♀ 41 1.7% 1 1
13 Hecate ♀ 39 1.6% 2 2
14 Sergeant ♂ 35 1.5% 1 1
15 First Murderer ♂ 30 1.3% 2 4
16 Siward ♂ 30 1.3% 1 4
17 Second Witch ♀ 27 1.1% 2 3
18 Third Witch ♀ 27 1.1% 2 3
19 All ♂ 24 1.0% 4 5
20 Messenger ♂ 23 1.0% 3 3
21 Gentlewoman ♀ 23 1.0% 1 1
22 Angus ♂ 21 0.9% 2 2
23 Lord ♂ 21 0.9% 1 1
24 Son ♂ 20 0.8% 1 1
25 Second Murderer ♂ 15 0.6% 1 2
…16 additional speaking roles with fewer than 15 lines

Scene length across the play

Across 28 scenes: 8 very short (under 50 lines), 14 short (50–149 lines), 6 mid-length (150–299 lines).

The shortest scene runs 11 lines, the longest 281 lines, with a mean of about 85 lines per scene.

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 1 7 534 14
Act 2 4 396 12
Act 3 6 509 15
Act 4 3 548 18
Act 5 8 398 18

Longest scenes in Macbeth

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 4, Scene 3 281 4
Act 2, Scene 3 182 9
Act 4, Scene 1 173 10
Act 1, Scene 3 169 8
Act 3, Scene 4 168 6

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 353 181 34%
Act 2 339 57 14%
Act 3 412 97 19%
Act 4 442 106 19%
Act 5 355 43 11%

Female voices peak in Act 1 (34% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 5 (11%).

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 14 new speakers enter: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Malcolm, Ross, Banquo, Lennox, Duncan, First Witch, Sergeant, Second Witch (+4 more)
  • Act 2 — 5 new speakers enter: Macduff, Porter, Old Man, Donalbain, Fleance
  • Act 3 — 9 new speakers enter: Hecate, First Murderer, Lord, Second Murderer, Third Murderer, Servant, Lords, Both Murderers, Attendant
  • Act 4 — 6 new speakers enter: Doctor, Lady Macduff, Son, Third Apparition, Second Apparition, First Apparition
  • Act 5 — 7 new speakers enter: Siward, Gentlewoman, Menteith, Caithness, Young Siward, Seyton, Soldiers

Line-length signature

Of 2,385 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.

How Macbeth compares to Shakespeare’s other tragedies

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Macbeth (this play) c. 1606 2,385 5 28 41
Timon of Athens c. 1607 2,451 5 17 54
Titus Andronicus c. 1594 2,553 5 14 27
Julius Caesar c. 1599 2,599 5 18 51
Romeo and Juliet c. 1595 3,079 5 25 35

Common questions

How long is Macbeth?

2,385 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 28 scenes — roughly 85 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Macbeth?

Macbeth with 718 lines — about 30% of the play.

Which female character has the most lines in Macbeth?

Lady Macbeth with 265 lines — about 11% of the play’s dialogue.
More Tragedy