Mitarai Digital Folio
History • c. 1595

Richard II

2,800Lines 5Acts 19Scenes 35Characters 94% / 6%Male / Female Lines

Richard II (c. 1595) fields a crowded stage: 35 named speakers share 2,800 lines across 5 acts and 19 scenes.

Opens (Act 1, Scene 1) — King Richard Ii: “Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster,”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 6) — Henry Bolingbroke: “In weeping after this untimely bier.”

Full cast of Richard II by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 King Richard Ii ♂ 758 27.1% 5 9
2 Henry Bolingbroke ♂ 413 14.8% 5 8
3 Duke Of York ♂ 290 10.4% 4 8
4 John Of Gaunt ♂ 191 6.8% 2 4
5 Northumberland ♂ 142 5.1% 4 6
6 Thomas Mowbray ♂ 135 4.8% 1 2
7 Queen ♀ 115 4.1% 3 4
8 Duchess Of York ♂ 94 3.4% 1 2
9 Duke Of Aumerle ♂ 85 3.0% 4 7
10 Bishop Of Carlisle ♂ 63 2.3% 2 2
11 Duchess ♀ 58 2.1% 1 1
12 Gardener ♂ 52 1.9% 1 1
13 Henry Percy ♂ 45 1.6% 4 5
14 Bushy ♂ 39 1.4% 3 3
15 Sir Stephen Scroop ♂ 37 1.3% 1 1
16 Green ♂ 32 1.1% 3 3
17 Lord Fitzwater ♂ 27 1.0% 2 2
18 Lord Marshal ♂ 25 0.9% 1 1
19 Lord Ross ♂ 22 0.8% 1 2
20 Bagot ♂ 22 0.8% 2 2
21 Exton ♂ 21 0.8% 1 3
22 Earl Of Salisbury ♂ 20 0.7% 2 2
23 Servant ♂ 17 0.6% 3 3
24 Captain ♂ 15 0.5% 1 1
25 Groom ♂ 12 0.4% 1 1
…10 additional speaking roles with fewer than 12 lines

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 1 4 656 12
Act 2 4 649 16
Act 3 4 590 15
Act 4 1 340 12
Act 5 6 565 13

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 12 new speakers enter: King Richard Ii, Henry Bolingbroke, John Of Gaunt, Thomas Mowbray, Duke Of Aumerle, Duchess, Bushy, Green, Lord Marshal, Second Herald (+2 more)
  • Act 2 — 11 new speakers enter: Duke Of York, Northumberland, Queen, Henry Percy, Lord Ross, Bagot, Earl Of Salisbury, Servant, Captain, Lord Willoughby (+1 more)
  • Act 3 — 4 new speakers enter: Bishop Of Carlisle, Gardener, Sir Stephen Scroop, Lady
  • Act 4 — 4 new speakers enter: Lord Fitzwater, Abbot, Duke Of Surrey, Lord
  • Act 5 — 4 new speakers enter: Duchess Of York, Exton, Groom, Keeper

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 1 598 58 9%
Act 2 609 40 6%
Act 3 541 49 8%
Act 4 340 0 0%
Act 5 533 32 6%

Female voices peak in Act 1 (9% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 4 (0%).

Scene length across the play

Across 19 scenes: 3 very short (under 50 lines), 7 short (50–149 lines), 6 mid-length (150–299 lines), 3 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 12 lines, the longest 340 lines, with a mean of about 147 lines per scene.

Line-length signature

Of 2,800 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 Richard II

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 4, Scene 1 340 12
Act 1, Scene 3 310 8
Act 2, Scene 1 301 7
Act 3, Scene 2 220 5
Act 3, Scene 3 215 6

How Richard II compares to Shakespeare’s other histories

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Richard II (this play) c. 1595 2,800 5 19 35
Henry VI, part 1 c. 1592 2,761 5 27 52
Henry VI, part 3 c. 1591 2,931 5 28 46
King John c. 1596 2,648 5 16 28
Henry IV, part 1 c. 1597 3,038 5 18 36

Common questions

How long is Richard II?

2,800 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 19 scenes — roughly 147 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Richard II?

King Richard Ii with 758 lines — about 27% of the play.
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