Mitarai Digital Folio
Comedy • c. 1592

Taming of the Shrew

2,637Lines 5Acts 14Scenes 37Characters 88% / 12%Male / Female Lines

Taming of the Shrew (c. 1592) fields a crowded stage: 37 named speakers share 2,637 lines across 5 acts and 14 scenes.

Opens (Act 0, Scene 1) — Sly: “Ye are a baggage: the Slys are no rogues; look in”

Closes (Act 5, Scene 2) — Lucentio: “'Tis a wonder, by your leave, she will be tamed so.”

Full cast of Taming of the Shrew by line count

# Character Lines Share Acts Scenes
1 Petruchio ♂ 587 22.3% 5 8
2 Tranio ♂ 293 11.1% 5 8
3 Katharina ♀ 216 8.2% 5 8
4 Hortensio ♂ 206 7.8% 5 8
5 Lucentio ♂ 190 7.2% 4 8
6 Baptista ♂ 175 6.6% 5 6
7 Grumio ♂ 171 6.5% 3 4
8 Gremio ♂ 170 6.4% 4 6
9 Lord ♂ 138 5.2% 1 2
10 Biondello ♂ 102 3.9% 4 7
11 Bianca ♀ 71 2.7% 5 7
12 Sly ♂ 63 2.4% 2 3
13 Pedant ♂ 50 1.9% 2 3
14 Vincentio ♂ 47 1.8% 2 3
15 Curtis ♂ 25 0.9% 1 1
16 Tailor ♂ 17 0.6% 1 1
17 Page ♂ 16 0.6% 2 2
18 First Servant ♂ 16 0.6% 3 3
19 Second Servant ♂ 12 0.5% 1 1
20 Third Servant ♂ 12 0.5% 1 1
21 Widow ♀ 11 0.4% 1 1
22 First Huntsman ♂ 9 0.3% 1 1
23 Messenger ♂ 8 0.3% 1 1
24 Servant ♂ 5 0.2% 2 2
25 A Player ♂ 4 0.2% 1 1
…12 additional speaking roles with fewer than 4 lines

Line counts act by act

Act Scenes Lines Speakers Density
Act 0 2 282 14
Act 1 2 542 14
Act 2 1 423 7
Act 3 2 349 12
Act 4 5 708 20
Act 5 2 333 12

How male and female voices share Act 1 through Act 5

Act Male lines Female lines Female share Balance
Act 0 278 4 1%
Act 1 526 16 3%
Act 2 354 69 16%
Act 3 285 64 18%
Act 4 632 76 11%
Act 5 257 76 23%

Female voices peak in Act 5 (23% of the act’s dialogue) and are quietest in Act 0 (1%).

Scene length across the play

Across 14 scenes: 7 short (50–149 lines), 6 mid-length (150–299 lines), 1 long (300+ lines).

The shortest scene runs 80 lines, the longest 423 lines, with a mean of about 188 lines per scene.

When each speaker first enters

  • Act 1 — 11 new speakers enter: Petruchio, Tranio, Katharina, Hortensio, Lucentio, Baptista, Grumio, Gremio, Biondello, Bianca (+1 more)
  • Act 3 — 1 new speaker enter: Katarina
  • Act 4 — 10 new speakers enter: Pedant, Vincentio, Curtis, Tailor, Nathaniel, Peter, Philip, Haberdasher, Nicholas, Joseph
  • Act 5 — 1 new speaker enter: Widow

Line-length signature

Of 2,637 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 Taming of the Shrew

Scene Lines Speakers
Act 2, Scene 1 423 7
Act 1, Scene 2 284 7
Act 1, Scene 1 258 12
Act 3, Scene 2 256 10
Act 5, Scene 2 201 11

How Taming of the Shrew compares to Shakespeare’s other comedies

Play Year Lines Acts Scenes Speakers
Taming of the Shrew (this play) c. 1592 2,637 5 14 37
The Merry Wives of Windsor c. 1601 2,615 5 23 25
The Merchant of Venice c. 1597 2,665 5 19 23
As You Like It c. 1599 2,676 5 22 27
Much Ado About Nothing c. 1599 2,583 5 17 23

Common questions

How long is Taming of the Shrew?

2,637 lines of dialogue across 5 acts and 14 scenes — roughly 188 lines per scene.

Who speaks the most in Taming of the Shrew?

Petruchio with 587 lines — about 22% of the play.

Which act of Taming of the Shrew is longest?

Act 4 runs 708 lines across 5 scenes — noticeably heavier than the play’s other acts.

Which female character has the most lines in Taming of the Shrew?

Katharina with 216 lines — about 8% of the play’s dialogue.
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