How many lines does Celia have in As You Like It?
The size of the part, every scene it speaks in, its longest speeches, and how long it takes to learn.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Celia has about 263 lines in As You Like It: 2,105 words in 108 speeches, 10% of the play, and the 4th-largest part. The role speaks in 7 of the 23 scenes, and its longest wait is 4 scenes in a row without a line.
Celia carries more than half her words in the first act, where she stands by Rosalind at court and plans their escape to Arden. In the forest she becomes a quick, teasing partner in many short exchanges, and her longest speech is reading out Orlando’s love verses. She has no lines in the fifth act.
- Lines
- 263
- Words
- 2,105
- Share of play
- 10%
- Speech time
- 15 min
22% of the words are verse. 108 speeches means about 108 cues to learn.
Scene by scene
| Scene | Words | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1, Scene 2 | 650 | 4.6 |
| Act 1, Scene 3 | 506 | 3.6 |
| Act 2, Scene 4 | 52 | 0.4 |
| Act 3, Scene 2 | 427 | 3.0 |
| Act 3, Scene 4 | 226 | 1.6 |
| Act 4, Scene 1 | 83 | 0.6 |
| Act 4, Scene 3 | 161 | 1.1 |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words |
|---|---|---|
| “Why should this a desert be? For it is unpeopled? …” | Act 3, Scene 2 | 155 |
| “No, hath not? Rosalind lacks then the love” | Act 1, Scene 3 | 87 |
| “Herein I see thou lovest me not with the full weig…” | Act 1, Scene 2 | 68 |
| “You know my father hath no child but I, nor none i…” | Act 1, Scene 2 | 66 |
| “I did not then entreat to have her stay;” | Act 1, Scene 3 | 66 |
| “Young gentleman, your spirits are too bold for you…” | Act 1, Scene 2 | 62 |
| “O, that’s a brave man! he writes brave verses, spe…” | Act 3, Scene 4 | 58 |
| “He’ll go along o’er the wide world with me;” | Act 1, Scene 3 | 55 |
How many lines a day to learn
New lines a day to be off book in time, learning five days a week. Review what you already know on the other days.
| Time until off book | New lines a day |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks | 27 |
| 3 weeks | 18 |
| 4 weeks | 14 |
| 6 weeks | 9 |
More from As You Like It
- How many lines does Rosalind have?
- How many lines does Touchstone have?
- How many lines does Jaques have?
- Every role in As You Like It, by size
Questions actors ask
How many lines does Celia have in As You Like It?
About 263 lines: 61 lines of verse and 1,632 words of prose. That is 2,105 words in 108 speeches, 10% of the play and the 4th-largest part.
How long is Celia’s longest speech?
155 words, in Act 3, Scene 2, beginning “Why should this a desert be? For it is unpeopled? No: Tongues I’ll hang on every tree, That shall civil sayings show: Some, how brief the life of man Runs his erring pilgrimage, That the stretching of a span Buckles in his sum of age; Some, of violated vows ’Twixt the souls of friend and friend: But upon the fairest boughs, Or at every sentence end, Will I Rosalinda write, Teaching all that read to know The quintessence of every sprite Heaven would in little show. Therefore Heaven Nature charged That one body should be fill’d With all graces wide-enlarged: Nature presently distill’d Helen’s cheek, but not her heart, Cleopatra’s majesty, Atalanta’s better part, Sad Lucretia’s modesty. Thus Rosalind of many parts By heavenly synod was devised, Of many faces, eyes and hearts, To have the touches dearest prized. Heaven would that she these gifts should have, And I to live and die her slave.” At 140 words a minute it runs about 1.1 minutes.
How long does it take to learn Celia?
To be off book in three weeks, learning five days a week, plan on about 18 new lines a day, plus time to review what you already know. Start with your longest speeches and the scenes with the most cues.
Keep reading
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