A Midsummer Night’s Dream: every role by lines, words, and stage time

William Shakespeare. 22 speaking roles, 15,992 words, about 114 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Bottom has the most to say in A Midsummer Night’s Dream: about 255 lines and 2,031 words, 12.7% of the play. A true ensemble play: no role holds more than about an eighth of the words. Bottom becomes the largest part once his Pyramus lines in the last act are counted, and the four lovers, the fairies, and the court each get their own world.

Speaking roles: 22
Scenes: 9
Words: 15,992
Speech time: 114 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Bottom	255	2,031	12.7%	14.5	5
Helena	229	1,812	11.3%	12.9	5
Theseus	233	1,723	10.8%	12.3	3
Oberon	225	1,608	10.1%	11.5	5
Lysander	178	1,397	8.7%	10.0	5
Puck	206	1,367	8.5%	9.8	6
Hermia	165	1,282	8%	9.2	4
Titania	141	1,084	6.8%	7.7	5
Demetrius	138	1,067	6.7%	7.6	6
Quince	116	954	6%	6.8	4
Flute	57	349	2.2%	2.5	4
Egeus	41	295	1.8%	2.1	2
Hippolyta	33	250	1.6%	1.8	3
Fairy	30	196	1.2%	1.4	2
Philostrate	24	183	1.1%	1.3	1
Snug	18	138	0.9%	1.0	4
Snout	18	137	0.9%	1.0	3
Starveling	13	87	0.5%	0.6	4
Mustardseed	5	8	0.1%	0.1	2
Cobweb	4	5	0%	0.0	2
Peaseblossom	4	5	0%	0.0	2
Moth	2	3	0%	0.0	1

Who speaks in which scene

Darker cells mean more words in that scene. Use it to plan rehearsal calls, or to see how long an actor waits between entrances.

Role	1.1	1.2	2.1	2.2	3.1	3.2	4.1	4.2	5.1
Bottom
Helena
Theseus
Oberon
Lysander
Puck
Hermia
Titania
Demetrius
Quince
Flute

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Titania: “These are the forgeries of jealousy:”	Act 2, Scene 1	277	37
Oberon: “Welcome, good Robin. See’st thou this sweet si…”	Act 4, Scene 1	232	30
Puck: “My mistress with a monster is in love.”	Act 3, Scene 2	220	29
Helena: “Lo, she is one of this confederacy!”	Act 3, Scene 2	215	28
Helena: “How happy some o’er other some can be!”	Act 1, Scene 1	208	26
Quince: “Gentles, perchance you wonder at this show;”	Act 5, Scene 1	195	25
Bottom: “When my cue comes, call me, and I will answer:…”	Act 4, Scene 1	191	20
Oberon: “Thou see’st these lovers seek a place to fight:”	Act 3, Scene 2	180	24
Egeus: “Full of vexation come I, with complaint”	Act 1, Scene 1	172	24
Oberon: “I pray thee, give it me.”	Act 2, Scene 1	158	20

Small roles that can be doubled

These pairs of small roles never speak in the same scene, so one actor could play both. Check entrances and silent appearances in your script before you cast it this way.

Flute and Egeus
Flute and Fairy
Egeus and Fairy
Egeus and Philostrate
Egeus and Snug
Egeus and Snout
Egeus and Starveling
Egeus and Moth
Hippolyta and Fairy
Hippolyta and Moth
Fairy and Philostrate
Fairy and Snug

Roles and monologues in depth

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

Bottom, with about 255 lines and 2,031 words, 12.7% of everything spoken in the play. Helena is next, with about 229 lines (11.3%).

How long is A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

The full text has 15,992 spoken words, about 114 minutes at 140 words a minute before pauses, scene changes, and cuts. Most productions cut the text, so running times vary.

How many speaking roles are in A Midsummer Night’s Dream?

22 named roles speak in this edition, across 9 scenes. 11 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.