Mitarai Digital Folio
Problem play • c. 1604

Measure for Measure

2,833Lines 5Acts 17Scenes 26Characters 81% / 19%Male / Female Lines

Written in Shakespeare’s late-period career (c. 1604), Measure for Measure is a problem play of 2,833 lines, 5 acts and 17 scenes with 26 speaking roles.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Duke Vincentio: “Of government the properties to unfold,”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 1) — Duke Vincentio: “What's yet behind, that's meet you all should know.”

Full cast of Measure for Measure by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Duke Vincentio ♂ 851 30.0% 5 10
2 Isabella ♀ 420 14.8% 5 8
3 Angelo ♂ 321 11.3% 4 6
4 Lucio ♂ 302 10.7% 5 6
5 Escalus ♂ 188 6.6% 5 5
6 Provost ♂ 163 5.8% 5 9
7 Pompey ♂ 156 5.5% 4 5
8 Claudio ♂ 113 4.0% 3 3
9 Elbow ♂ 68 2.4% 2 2
10 Mariana ♀ 68 2.4% 2 3
11 Friar Peter ♂ 36 1.3% 2 3
12 Mistress Overdone ♀ 29 1.0% 2 2
13 First Gentleman ♂ 22 0.8% 1 1
14 Abhorson ♂ 19 0.7% 1 2
15 Barnardine ♂ 14 0.5% 1 1
16 Froth ♂ 10 0.4% 1 1
17 Second Gentleman ♂ 10 0.4% 1 1
18 Juliet ♀ 10 0.4% 1 1
19 Francisca ♀ 9 0.3% 1 1
20 Messenger ♂ 6 0.2% 1 1
21 Friar Thomas ♂ 6 0.2% 1 1
22 Servant ♂ 5 0.2% 1 2
23 Justice ♂ 3 0.1% 1 1
24 Pomphey ♂ 2 0.1% 1 1
25 As Long As You Or I ♂ 1 0.0% 1 1
…1 additional speaking roles with fewer than 1 lines

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 14 new speakers enter: Duke Vincentio, Isabella, Angelo, Lucio, Escalus, Provost, Pompey, Claudio, Mistress Overdone, First Gentleman (+4 more)
  • Act 2 — 7 new speakers enter: Elbow, Froth, Juliet, Servant, Justice, Pomphey, As Long As You Or I
  • Act 4 — 5 new speakers enter: Mariana, Friar Peter, Abhorson, Barnardine, Messenger

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 1 4 429 14
Act 2 4 739 14
Act 3 2 553 9
Act 4 6 533 13
Act 5 1 579 8

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 371 58 14%
Act 2 557 182 25%
Act 3 455 98 18%
Act 4 475 58 11%
Act 5 439 140 24%

Female voices peak in Act 2 (25% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 4 (11%).

Scene length across the play

Across 17 scenes: 4 very short (under 50 lines), 4 short (50–149 lines), 8 mid-length (150–299 lines), 1 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 14 lines, the longest 579 lines, with a mean of about 167 lines per scene.

Longest scenes in Measure for Measure

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 5, Scene 1 579 8
Act 3, Scene 1 281 4
Act 3, Scene 2 272 7
Act 2, Scene 1 271 8
Act 2, Scene 2 222 5

Line-length signature

Of 2,833 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 Measure for Measure compares to Shakespeare’s other problem plays

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Measure for Measure (this play) c. 1604 2,833 5 17 26
All's Well That Ends Well c. 1603 2,925 5 23 24
Troilus and Cressida c. 1602 3,456 5 24 28

Common questions

How long is Measure for Measure?

2,833 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 17 scenes — roughly 167 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Measure for Measure?

Duke Vincentio with 851 lines — about 30% of the play.

Which act of Measure for Measure is longest?

Act 2 runs 739 lines across 4 scenes — noticeably heavier than the play’s other acts.

Which female character has the most lines in Measure for Measure?

Isabella with 420 lines — about 15% of the play’s dialogue.
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