Act 1 of Richard II runs 656 lines across 4 scenes with 12 speaking characters — about 23.4% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — King Richard Ii: “Old John of Gaunt, time-honour'd Lancaster,”
Closes (Scene 4) — King Richard Ii: “Pray God we may make haste, and come too late!”
The 4 scenes of Act 1
| Scene | Lines | Speakers | Share of act |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scene 1 | 207 | 4 | 31.6% |
| Scene 2 | 74 | 2 | 11.3% |
| Scene 3 | 310 | 8 | 47.3% |
| Scene 4 | 65 | 5 | 9.9% |
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: King Richard Ii with 26% of Act 1’s dialogue (172 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| King Richard Ii ♂ | 172 | 26.2% |
| Henry Bolingbroke ♂ | 137 | 20.9% |
| Thomas Mowbray ♂ | 135 | 20.6% |
| John Of Gaunt ♂ | 86 | 13.1% |
| Duchess ♀ | 58 | 8.8% |
| Lord Marshal ♂ | 25 | 3.8% |
| Duke Of Aumerle ♂ | 20 | 3.0% |
Pacing across the 4 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 1 range from Scene 4 (65 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (310 lines, the longest), averaging about 164 lines per scene.
How Act 1 of Richard II compares to other histories
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Richard III | 1,080 | 4 |
| Henry VIII | 732 | 4 |
| Henry VI, part 2 | 670 | 4 |
| Richard II (this act) | 656 | 4 |
| Henry IV, part 1 | 627 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 1 | 611 | 6 |
| Henry IV, part 2 | 586 | 3 |
| Henry VI, part 3 | 585 | 4 |
| Henry V | 451 | 3 |
| King John | 278 | 1 |
About Act 1 of Richard II
How many lines are in Act 1 of Richard II?
656 lines spread across 4 scenes.
Who dominates Act 1?
King Richard Ii delivers 26% of the act’s dialogue (172 lines).
Which scene is the heaviest in Act 1?
Scene 3, at 310 lines — well above the act’s scene average.