Troilus and Cressida, Act 2
612Lines
3Scenes
14Speakers
97% / 3%Male / Female Lines
Act 2 of Troilus and Cressida runs 612 lines across 3 scenes with 14 speaking characters — about 17.7% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Thersites: “Agamemnon, how if he had boils? full, all over,”
Closes (Scene 3) — Agamemnon: “Light boats sail swift, though greater hulks draw deep.”
The 3 scenes of Act 2
Who speaks in Act 2
Leading voice: Thersites with 21% of Act 2’s dialogue (126 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Thersites ♂ | 126 | 20.6% |
| Troilus ♂ | 87 | 14.2% |
| Ulysses ♂ | 78 | 12.7% |
| Hector ♂ | 75 | 12.3% |
| Agamemnon ♂ | 58 | 9.5% |
| Ajax ♂ | 49 | 8.0% |
| Achilles ♂ | 35 | 5.7% |
Characters first heard in Act 2
| Character | Lines in play |
|---|---|
| Thersites ♂ | 284 |
| Hector ♂ | 213 |
| Achilles ♂ | 190 |
| Diomedes ♂ | 104 |
| Paris ♂ | 98 |
| Ajax ♂ | 84 |
| Patroclus ♂ | 65 |
| Cassandra ♀ | 37 |
| Priam ♂ | 20 |
Pacing across the 3 scenes
Scene lengths in Act 2 range from Scene 1 (126 lines, the shortest) to Scene 3 (265 lines, the longest), averaging about 204 lines per scene.
Who carries the voice in Act 2
Act 2 reflects the play’s overall balance — 3% female dialogue (play average: 11%).
Act 2
Male 595 · Female 17
How Act 2 of Troilus and Cressida compares to other problem plays
| Play | Act 2 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| All's Well That Ends Well | 740 | 5 |
| Measure for Measure | 739 | 4 |
| Troilus and Cressida (this act) | 612 | 3 |
About Act 2 of Troilus and Cressida
How many lines are in Act 2 of Troilus and Cressida?
612 lines spread across 3 scenes.
Who dominates Act 2?
Thersites delivers 21% of the act’s dialogue (126 lines).