Candida: every role by lines, words, and stage time

George Bernard Shaw. 7 speaking roles, 14,430 words, about 103 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Morell has the most to say in Candida: about 501 lines and 3,991 words, 27.7% of the play. Candida is Shaw’s comedy about a clergyman, his wife, and the young poet who falls in love with her. The three leads share the play: Morell has the most words, Marchbanks has a quarter, and Candida about a fifth. With only seven speaking roles, all six main parts speak in every act.

Speaking roles: 7
Scenes: 3
Words: 14,430
Speech time: 103 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Morell	501	3,991	27.7%	28.5	3
Marchbanks	452	3,611	25%	25.8	3
Candida	374	3,056	21.2%	21.8	3
Burgess	242	2,043	14.2%	14.6	3
Proserpine	150	1,093	7.6%	7.8	3
Lexy	79	596	4.1%	4.3	3
A Woman’s Voice	4	40	0.3%	0.3	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
Morell
Marchbanks
Candida
Burgess
Proserpine
Lexy

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Candida: “Never mind that just at present. Now I want yo…”	Act 3	322	33
Morell: “Then help to kindle it in them—in me—not to ex…”	Act 1	164	17
Candida: “Yes, I must be talked to sometimes. Now you’re…”	Act 2	163	17
Morell: “That’ll do; I’ll go to the Hoxton Group of Fre…”	Act 1	162	17
Morell: “Yes, I did. Well, that did not prevent our get…”	Act 1	151	16
Morell: “Eugene: listen to me. Some day, I hope and tru…”	Act 1	150	15
Burgess: “Yes, times ’as changed mor’n I could a believe…”	Act 1	146	15
Marchbanks: “Yes, it does. You think because I shrink from …”	Act 1	143	15
Marchbanks: “It’s the gift of the gab, nothing more and not…”	Act 1	114	12
Marchbanks: “Hush! I go about in search of love; and I find…”	Act 2	114	12

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Candida?

Morell, with about 501 lines and 3,991 words, 27.7% of everything spoken in the play. Marchbanks is next, with about 452 lines (25%).

How long is Candida?

The full text has 14,430 spoken words, about 103 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 Candida?

7 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 1 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.