Mitarai Digital Folio
Tragedy • c. 1604

Othello

3,558Lines 5Acts 15Scenes 28Characters 81% / 19%Male / Female Lines

Written in Shakespeare’s late-period career (c. 1604), Othello is a tragedy of 3,558 lines, 5 acts and 15 scenes with 28 speaking roles.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — Roderigo: “Tush! never tell me; I take it much unkindly”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 2) — Lodovico: “This heavy act with heavy heart relate.”

Full cast of Othello by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Iago ♂ 1,098 30.9% 5 13
2 Othello ♂ 887 24.9% 5 12
3 Desdemona ♀ 388 10.9% 5 9
4 Cassio ♂ 277 7.8% 5 9
5 Emilia ♀ 245 6.9% 4 8
6 Brabantio ♂ 139 3.9% 1 3
7 Roderigo ♂ 114 3.2% 4 7
8 Lodovico ♂ 76 2.1% 2 4
9 Duke Of Venice ♂ 73 2.1% 1 1
10 Montano ♂ 61 1.7% 2 3
11 Bianca ♀ 34 1.0% 3 3
12 Gratiano ♂ 32 0.9% 1 2
13 Clown ♂ 27 0.8% 1 2
14 First Senator ♂ 26 0.7% 1 1
15 Third Gentleman ♂ 17 0.5% 1 1
16 Second Gentleman ♂ 12 0.3% 1 1
17 Herald ♂ 12 0.3% 1 1
18 Messenger ♂ 9 0.3% 1 1
19 First Musician ♂ 5 0.1% 1 1
20 Second Senator ♂ 5 0.1% 1 1
21 First Officer ♂ 5 0.1% 1 2
22 Sailor ♂ 4 0.1% 1 1
23 First Gentleman ♂ 3 0.1% 1 1
24 Fourth Gentleman ♂ 2 0.1% 1 1
25 Senator ♂ 2 0.1% 1 1
…3 additional speaking roles with fewer than 2 lines

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 1 3 739 13
Act 2 3 735 14
Act 3 4 826 9
Act 4 3 691 8
Act 5 2 567 11

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 711 28 4%
Act 2 701 34 5%
Act 3 598 228 28%
Act 4 454 237 34%
Act 5 427 140 25%

Female voices peak in Act 4 (34% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 1 (4%).

Scene length across the play

Across 15 scenes: 2 very short (under 50 lines), 4 short (50–149 lines), 3 mid-length (150–299 lines), 6 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 7 lines, the longest 533 lines, with a mean of about 237 lines per scene.

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 13 new speakers enter: Iago, Othello, Desdemona, Cassio, Brabantio, Roderigo, Duke Of Venice, First Senator, Messenger, Second Senator (+3 more)
  • Act 2 — 9 new speakers enter: Emilia, Montano, Third Gentleman, Second Gentleman, Herald, First Gentleman, Fourth Gentleman, All, Second Gentlemen
  • Act 3 — 4 new speakers enter: Bianca, Clown, First Musician, Gentleman
  • Act 4 — 1 new speaker enter: Lodovico
  • Act 5 — 1 new speaker enter: Gratiano

Line-length signature

Of 3,558 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 Othello

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 3, Scene 3 533 5
Act 1, Scene 3 427 12
Act 5, Scene 2 423 9
Act 2, Scene 3 390 7
Act 2, Scene 1 333 12

How Othello compares to Shakespeare’s other tragedies

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Othello (this play) c. 1604 3,558 5 15 28
Antony and Cleopatra c. 1606 3,565 5 42 54
King Lear c. 1605 3,499 5 26 26
Coriolanus c. 1608 3,761 5 29 61
Hamlet c. 1600 4,023 5 20 37

Common questions

How long is Othello?

3,558 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 15 scenes — roughly 237 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Othello?

Iago with 1,098 lines — about 31% of the play.

Which female character has the most lines in Othello?

Desdemona with 388 lines — about 11% of the play’s dialogue.
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