Arms and the Man: every role by lines, words, and stage time

George Bernard Shaw. 10 speaking roles, 14,528 words, about 104 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Bluntschli has the most to say in Arms and the Man: about 445 lines and 3,735 words, 25.7% of the play. Arms and the Man is Shaw’s comedy about a romantic young woman and the practical Swiss soldier who hides in her bedroom during a Bulgarian war. Bluntschli, listed as Man in Act 1, is the largest part with about a quarter of the words, and Raina follows with about a fifth. Sergius and Petkoff speak only in Acts 2 and 3.

Speaking roles: 10
Scenes: 3
Words: 14,528
Speech time: 104 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Bluntschli	445	3,735	25.7%	26.7	3
Raina	389	2,985	20.5%	21.3	3
Sergius	262	2,028	14%	14.5	2
Petkoff	205	1,667	11.5%	11.9	2
Catherine	191	1,471	10.1%	10.5	3
Louka	183	1,407	9.7%	10.1	3
Nicola	125	1,083	7.5%	7.7	2
The Officer	10	77	0.5%	0.6	1
A man’s voice	8	71	0.5%	0.5	1
Male voice outside	1	4	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	Act 1	Act 2	Act 3
Bluntschli
Raina
Sergius
Petkoff
Catherine
Louka
Nicola

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Bluntschli: “He did it like an operatic tenor—a regular han…”	Act 1	175	18
Nicola: “Never you mind my soul; but just listen to my …”	Act 3	175	18
Sergius: “Not a bit. They all slashed and cursed and yel…”	Act 3	148	15
Nicola: “Come: don’t be so contrary with me. I’ve some …”	Act 3	142	15
Nicola: “Discharge you for untruthfulness. Who would be…”	Act 2	140	14
Catherine: “Yes, here, as soon as possible. Be quick! Oh, …”	Act 2	138	14
Sergius: “Oh, yes, quite a romance. He was serving in th…”	Act 2	123	13
Petkoff: “I don’t believe in going too far with these mo…”	Act 2	115	12
Raina: “Well, it came into my head just as he was hold…”	Act 1	114	12
Nicola: “Yes, me. Who was it made you give up wearing a…”	Act 3	110	11

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.

The Officer and Male voice outside
A man’s voice and Male voice outside

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Arms and the Man?

Bluntschli, with about 445 lines and 3,735 words, 25.7% of everything spoken in the play. Raina is next, with about 389 lines (20.5%).

How long is Arms and the Man?

The full text has 14,528 spoken words, about 104 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 Arms and the Man?

10 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 3 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.