Much Ado About Nothing, Act 3
547Lines
5Scenes
17Speakers
62% / 38%Male / Female Lines
Act 3 of Much Ado About Nothing runs 547 lines across 5 scenes with 17 speaking characters — about 21.2% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Hero: “Good Margaret, run thee to the parlor;”
Closes (Scene 5) — Dogberry: “excommunication and meet me at the gaol.”
Who carries the voice in Act 3
Female voices are notably stronger in Act 3 — 38% of this act’s dialogue vs. 20% across the full play.
Act 3
Male 341 · Female 206
The 5 scenes of Act 3
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 120 | 4 | 21.9% |
| Scene 2 | 120 | 5 | 21.9% |
| Scene 3 | 163 | 7 | 29.8% |
| Scene 4 | 86 | 4 | 15.7% |
| Scene 5 | 58 | 4 | 10.6% |
Who speaks in Act 3
Leading voice: Dogberry with 18% of Act 3’s dialogue (98 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Dogberry ♂ | 98 | 17.9% |
| Hero ♀ | 95 | 17.4% |
| Margaret ♀ | 49 | 9.0% |
| Borachio ♂ | 48 | 8.8% |
| Don Pedro ♂ | 46 | 8.4% |
| Ursula ♀ | 34 | 6.2% |
| Don John ♂ | 33 | 6.0% |
Characters first heard in Act 3
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| Dogberry ♂ | 175 |
| Verges ♂ | 25 |
| Watchman ♂ | 15 |
| First Watchman ♂ | 10 |
| Second Watchman ♂ | 8 |
Pacing across the 5 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 3 range from Scene 5 (58 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (163 lines, the longest), averaging about 109 lines per scene.
How Act 3 of Much Ado About Nothing compares to other comedies
| Play | Act 3 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| As You Like It | 720 | 5 |
| A Midsummer Night's Dream | 681 | 2 |
| Twelfth Night | 675 | 4 |
| The Merchant of Venice | 667 | 5 |
| The Merry Wives of Windsor | 645 | 5 |
| Much Ado About Nothing (this act) | 547 | 5 |
| Two Gentlemen of Verona | 470 | 2 |
| The Comedy of Errors | 377 | 2 |
| Taming of the Shrew | 349 | 2 |
| Love's Labours Lost | 223 | 1 |