Act 1 of Winter's Tale runs 584 lines across 2 scenes with 6 speaking characters — about 17.4% of the full play.
Opens (Scene 1) — Archidamus: “If you shall chance, Camillo, to visit Bohemia, on”
Closes (Scene 2) — Camillo: “To take the urgent hour. Come, sir, away.”
The 2 scenes of Act 1
Who speaks in Act 1
Leading voice: Leontes with 37% of Act 1’s dialogue (215 lines).
| Character | Lines in act | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Leontes ♂ | 215 | 36.8% |
| Camillo ♂ | 146 | 25.0% |
| Polixenes ♂ | 129 | 22.1% |
| Hermione ♀ | 68 | 11.6% |
| Archidamus ♂ | 22 | 3.8% |
| Mamillius ♂ | 4 | 0.7% |
Who carries the voice in Act 1
Act 1 is male-dominant even by the play’s standards — female share drops to 12%, compared to 23% overall.
Act 1
Male 516 · Female 68
How Act 1 of Winter's Tale compares to other romances
| Play | Act 1 lines | Scenes |
|---|---|---|
| Cymbeline | 807 | 6 |
| The Tempest | 660 | 2 |
| Winter's Tale (this act) | 584 | 2 |
| Pericles, Prince of Tyre | 459 | 4 |
About Act 1 of Winter's Tale
How many lines are in Act 1 of Winter’s Tale?
584 lines spread across 2 scenes.
Who dominates Act 1?
Leontes delivers 37% of the act’s dialogue (215 lines).