Comedy • c. 1595
Love's Labours Lost
5 Acts
9 Scenes
2,862 Lines
Comedy • c. 1599
Much Ado About Nothing
2,583Lines
5Acts
17Scenes
23Characters
80% / 20%Male / Female Lines
Written in Shakespeare’s middle-period career (c. 1599), Much Ado About Nothing is a comedy of 2,583 lines, 5 acts and 17 scenes with 23 speaking roles.
Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Leonato: “I learn in this letter that Don Peter of Arragon”
Closes (Act 5, Scene 4) — Benedick: “I'll devise thee brave punishments for him.”
Full cast of Much Ado About Nothing by line count
| # | Character | Lines | Share | Acts | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benedick ♂ | 432 | 16.7% | 5 | 8 |
| 2 | Leonato ♂ | 328 | 12.7% | 5 | 9 |
| 3 | Don Pedro ♂ | 313 | 12.1% | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | Claudio ♂ | 287 | 11.1% | 5 | 8 |
| 5 | Beatrice ♀ | 270 | 10.5% | 5 | 8 |
| 6 | Dogberry ♂ | 175 | 6.8% | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | Hero ♀ | 131 | 5.1% | 5 | 6 |
| 8 | Borachio ♂ | 123 | 4.8% | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | Don John ♂ | 107 | 4.1% | 4 | 6 |
| 10 | Friar Francis ♂ | 83 | 3.2% | 2 | 2 |
| 11 | Margaret ♀ | 62 | 2.4% | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | Antonio ♂ | 55 | 2.1% | 3 | 4 |
| 13 | Ursula ♀ | 48 | 1.9% | 3 | 4 |
| 14 | Conrade ♂ | 35 | 1.4% | 3 | 3 |
| 15 | Messenger ♂ | 30 | 1.2% | 3 | 3 |
| 16 | Balthasar ♂ | 28 | 1.1% | 1 | 2 |
| 17 | Verges ♂ | 25 | 1.0% | 3 | 4 |
| 18 | Watchman ♂ | 15 | 0.6% | 2 | 2 |
| 19 | Sexton ♂ | 15 | 0.6% | 1 | 1 |
| 20 | First Watchman ♂ | 10 | 0.4% | 2 | 2 |
| 21 | Second Watchman ♂ | 8 | 0.3% | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | Boy ♂ | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | 1 |
| 23 | Lord ♂ | 1 | 0.0% | 1 | 1 |
Line counts act by act
| Act | Scenes | Lines | Speakers | Density |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 3 | 384 | 11 | |
| Act 2 | 3 | 644 | 13 | |
| Act 3 | 5 | 547 | 17 | |
| Act 4 | 2 | 417 | 16 | |
| Act 5 | 4 | 591 | 15 |
How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5
| Act | Male lines | Female lines | Female share | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Act 1 | 333 | 51 | 13% | |
| Act 2 | 507 | 137 | 21% | |
| Act 3 | 341 | 206 | 38% | |
| Act 4 | 350 | 67 | 16% | |
| Act 5 | 541 | 50 | 8% |
Female voices peak in Act 3 (38% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 5 (8%).
Scene length across the play
Across 17 scenes: 2 very short (under 50 lines), 9 short (50–149 lines), 3 mid-length (150–299 lines), 3 long (300+ lines).
The shortest scene runs 24 lines, the longest 347 lines, with a mean of about 152 lines per scene.
When each speaker first enters
- Act 1 — 11 new speakers enter: Benedick, Leonato, Don Pedro, Claudio, Beatrice, Hero, Borachio, Don John, Antonio, Conrade (+1 more)
- Act 2 — 4 new speakers enter: Margaret, Ursula, Balthasar, Boy
- Act 3 — 5 new speakers enter: Dogberry, Verges, Watchman, First Watchman, Second Watchman
- Act 4 — 2 new speakers enter: Friar Francis, Sexton
- Act 5 — 1 new speaker enter: Lord
Line-length signature
Of 2,583 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.
Longest scenes in Much Ado About Nothing
| Scene | Lines | Speakers |
|---|---|---|
| Act 2, Scene 1 | 347 | 12 |
| Act 4, Scene 1 | 335 | 8 |
| Act 5, Scene 1 | 334 | 8 |
| Act 1, Scene 1 | 294 | 8 |
| Act 2, Scene 3 | 247 | 7 |
How Much Ado About Nothing compares to Shakespeare’s other comedies
| Play | Year | Lines | Acts | Scenes | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Much Ado About Nothing (this play) | c. 1599 | 2,583 | 5 | 17 | 23 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | c. 1601 | 2,615 | 5 | 23 | 25 |
| Taming of the Shrew | c. 1592 | 2,637 | 5 | 14 | 37 |
| The Merchant of Venice | c. 1597 | 2,665 | 5 | 19 | 23 |
| As You Like It | c. 1599 | 2,676 | 5 | 22 | 27 |
Common questions
How long is Much Ado About Nothing?
2,583 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 17 scenes — roughly 152 lines per scene.
Who speaks the most in Much Ado About Nothing?
Benedick with 432 lines — about 17% of the play.