# Antony and Cleopatra: every role by lines, words, and stage time

> William Shakespeare. 52 speaking roles, 23,669 words, about 169 minutes of speech.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/plays/antony-and-cleopatra
- Last updated: 2026-10-08

**Antony** has the most to say in Antony and Cleopatra: about 837 lines and 5,943 words, 25.1% of the play. Shakespeare’s tragedy follows the Roman general Antony and his love for Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Antony carries a quarter of the words across 22 scenes, and Cleopatra about a fifth. Antony’s last scene is Act 4, Scene 15, so Cleopatra faces the final act without him.

- Speaking roles: 52
- Scenes: 42
- Words: 23,669
- Speech time: 169 min

## Every role, largest first

| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Antony | 837 | 5,943 | 25.1% | 42.5 | 22 |
| [Cleopatra](https://www.offbook.com/plays/antony-and-cleopatra/cleopatra) | 675 | 4,682 | 19.8% | 33.4 | 16 |
| Caesar | 417 | 2,863 | 12.1% | 20.5 | 14 |
| Enobarbas | 347 | 2,416 | 10.2% | 17.3 | 12 |
| Pompey | 136 | 906 | 3.8% | 6.5 | 3 |
| Charmian | 104 | 624 | 2.6% | 4.5 | 10 |
| Messenger | 79 | 444 | 1.9% | 3.2 | 6 |
| Menas | 62 | 407 | 1.7% | 2.9 | 3 |
| Lepidus | 66 | 388 | 1.6% | 2.8 | 6 |
| Agrippa | 60 | 353 | 1.5% | 2.5 | 7 |
| Dolabella | 49 | 286 | 1.2% | 2.0 | 3 |
| Eros | 47 | 283 | 1.2% | 2.0 | 6 |
| Scarus | 40 | 266 | 1.1% | 1.9 | 4 |
| Clown | 29 | 251 | 1.1% | 1.8 | 1 |
| Octavia | 36 | 231 | 1% | 1.7 | 4 |
| Soldier | 38 | 228 | 1% | 1.6 | 4 |
| Mecaenas | 37 | 219 | 0.9% | 1.6 | 5 |
| Ventidius | 30 | 218 | 0.9% | 1.6 | 1 |
| Soothsayer | 32 | 210 | 0.9% | 1.5 | 2 |
| Alexas | 32 | 203 | 0.9% | 1.5 | 3 |
| Proculeius | 32 | 200 | 0.8% | 1.4 | 2 |
| Thyreus | 31 | 182 | 0.8% | 1.3 | 2 |
| Canidius | 25 | 164 | 0.7% | 1.2 | 2 |
| Dercetas | 21 | 155 | 0.7% | 1.1 | 2 |
| Iras | 26 | 155 | 0.7% | 1.1 | 4 |
| First Soldier | 25 | 149 | 0.6% | 1.1 | 2 |
| Diomedes | 19 | 125 | 0.5% | 0.9 | 2 |
| Philo | 17 | 125 | 0.5% | 0.9 | 1 |
| Mardian | 19 | 118 | 0.5% | 0.8 | 3 |
| First Guard | 19 | 113 | 0.5% | 0.8 | 2 |
| Euphronius | 16 | 106 | 0.4% | 0.8 | 2 |
| Second Soldier | 15 | 67 | 0.3% | 0.5 | 2 |
| Silius | 11 | 67 | 0.3% | 0.5 | 1 |
| First Servant | 9 | 65 | 0.3% | 0.5 | 1 |
| Second Servant | 8 | 58 | 0.2% | 0.4 | 1 |
| Third Soldier | 13 | 51 | 0.2% | 0.4 | 2 |
| Menecrates | 6 | 38 | 0.2% | 0.3 | 1 |
| Egyptian | 6 | 37 | 0.2% | 0.3 | 1 |
| Demetrius | 5 | 35 | 0.1% | 0.3 | 1 |
| Fourth Soldier | 5 | 27 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| Varrius | 4 | 27 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| Seleucus | 5 | 26 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| Second Messenger | 4 | 22 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| Guard | 4 | 21 | 0.1% | 0.2 | 1 |
| First Attendant | 3 | 16 | 0.1% | 0.1 | 2 |
| Second Guard | 4 | 15 | 0.1% | 0.1 | 2 |
| Gallus | 2 | 13 | 0.1% | 0.1 | 1 |
| Attendant | 2 | 10 | 0% | 0.1 | 2 |
| Captain | 1 | 7 | 0% | 0.1 | 1 |
| Second Attendant | 1 | 5 | 0% | 0.0 | 1 |
| Third Guard | 1 | 3 | 0% | 0.0 | 1 |
| Taurus | 1 | 2 | 0% | 0.0 | 1 |

## Who speaks in which scene

Words each role speaks in each scene (scene: words). Scenes: 1.1 = Act 1, Scene 1; 1.2 = Act 1, Scene 2; 1.3 = Act 1, Scene 3; 1.4 = Act 1, Scene 4; 1.5 = Act 1, Scene 5; 2.1 = Act 2, Scene 1; 2.2 = Act 2, Scene 2; 2.3 = Act 2, Scene 3; 2.4 = Act 2, Scene 4; 2.5 = Act 2, Scene 5; 2.6 = Act 2, Scene 6; 2.7 = Act 2, Scene 7; 3.1 = Act 3, Scene 1; 3.2 = Act 3, Scene 2; 3.3 = Act 3, Scene 3; 3.4 = Act 3, Scene 4; 3.5 = Act 3, Scene 5; 3.6 = Act 3, Scene 6; 3.7 = Act 3, Scene 7; 3.8 = Act 3, Scene 8; 3.9 = Act 3, Scene 9; 3.10 = Act 3, Scene 10; 3.11 = Act 3, Scene 11; 3.12 = Act 3, Scene 12; 3.13 = Act 3, Scene 13; 4.1 = Act 4, Scene 1; 4.2 = Act 4, Scene 2; 4.3 = Act 4, Scene 3; 4.4 = Act 4, Scene 4; 4.5 = Act 4, Scene 5; 4.6 = Act 4, Scene 6; 4.7 = Act 4, Scene 7; 4.8 = Act 4, Scene 8; 4.9 = Act 4, Scene 9; 4.10 = Act 4, Scene 10; 4.11 = Act 4, Scene 11; 4.12 = Act 4, Scene 12; 4.13 = Act 4, Scene 13; 4.14 = Act 4, Scene 14; 4.15 = Act 4, Scene 15; 5.1 = Act 5, Scene 1; 5.2 = Act 5, Scene 2.

- **Antony**: 1.1 (186), 1.2 (420), 1.3 (278), 2.2 (583), 2.3 (181), 2.6 (93), 2.7 (196), 3.2 (124), 3.4 (185), 3.7 (139), 3.9 (30), 3.11 (453), 3.13 (823), 4.2 (301), 4.4 (222), 4.5 (71), 4.7 (24), 4.8 (290), 4.10 (67), 4.12 (346), 4.14 (786), 4.15 (145)
- **Cleopatra**: 1.1 (144), 1.2 (41), 1.3 (515), 1.5 (407), 2.5 (788), 3.3 (229), 3.7 (99), 3.11 (35), 3.13 (274), 4.2 (7), 4.4 (47), 4.8 (28), 4.12 (8), 4.13 (59), 4.15 (511), 5.2 (1,490)
- **Caesar**: 1.4 (468), 2.2 (349), 2.3 (2), 2.6 (77), 2.7 (106), 3.2 (134), 3.6 (581), 3.8 (30), 3.12 (144), 4.1 (102), 4.6 (59), 4.11 (33), 5.1 (389), 5.2 (389)
- **Enobarbas**: 1.2 (327), 2.2 (544), 2.6 (294), 2.7 (105), 3.2 (162), 3.5 (55), 3.7 (192), 3.10 (81), 3.13 (329), 4.2 (64), 4.6 (150), 4.9 (113)
- **Pompey**: 2.1 (300), 2.6 (420), 2.7 (186)
- **Charmian**: 1.2 (287), 1.3 (57), 1.5 (31), 2.5 (54), 3.3 (35), 3.11 (5), 4.4 (6), 4.13 (26), 4.15 (15), 5.2 (108)

## The longest speeches

| Speech | Scene | Words | Lines |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Antony: “All is lost;” | Act 4, Scene 12 | 177 | 23 |
| Antony: “No more light answers. Let our officers” | Act 1, Scene 2 | 167 | 21 |
| Antony: “Unarm, Eros; the long day’s task is done,” | Act 4, Scene 14 | 166 | 20 |
| Antony: “If that thy father live, let him repent” | Act 3, Scene 13 | 159 | 19 |
| Cleopatra: “No more, but e’en a woman, and commanded” | Act 4, Scene 15 | 159 | 19 |
| Cleopatra: “Give me my robe, put on my crown; I have” | Act 5, Scene 2 | 157 | 19 |
| Caesar: “You are too indulgent. Let us grant, it is not” | Act 1, Scene 4 | 152 | 18 |
| Antony: “I have fled myself; and have instructed cowards” | Act 3, Scene 11 | 152 | 18 |
| Antony: “Vanish, or I shall give thee thy deserving,” | Act 4, Scene 12 | 145 | 18 |
| Antony: “We have beat him to his camp: run one before,” | Act 4, Scene 8 | 137 | 16 |

## 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.

- Pompey and Charmian
- Pompey and Messenger
- Pompey and Agrippa
- Pompey and Dolabella
- Pompey and Eros
- Pompey and Scarus
- Pompey and Clown
- Pompey and Octavia
- Pompey and Soldier
- Pompey and Mecaenas
- Pompey and Ventidius
- Pompey and Soothsayer

## Roles and monologues in depth

- [How many lines does Cleopatra have?](https://www.offbook.com/plays/antony-and-cleopatra/cleopatra)

## Questions actors ask

### Who has the most lines in Antony and Cleopatra?

Antony, with about 837 lines and 5,943 words, 25.1% of everything spoken in the play. Cleopatra is next, with about 675 lines (19.8%).

### How long is Antony and Cleopatra?

The full text has 23,669 spoken words, about 169 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 Antony and Cleopatra?

52 named roles speak in this edition, across 42 scenes. 46 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.

## How we count

Counts are computed from the full text of the [Standard Ebooks edition](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/william-shakespeare/antony-and-cleopatra) (public domain; retrieved 2026-10-08). Words are every spoken word, with stage directions removed. Lines are verse lines as printed, plus prose at 10 words a line, because prose has no fixed line breaks; editions differ, so other sources give slightly different line counts. Time is words at 140 words a minute, before pauses and stage business. A role is counted in a scene when it speaks there. To count a script that is not in the library, paste it into the [script line counter](https://www.offbook.com/tools/script-line-counter).