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

Henrik Ibsen, translated by William Archer. 5 speaking roles, 17,715 words, about 127 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Mrs. Alving has the most to say in Ghosts: about 701 lines and 5,194 words, 29.3% of the play. Ghosts follows a widow whose efforts to honor her late husband’s memory bring buried family secrets to the surface. With only five speaking roles, it is a dense chamber play. Mrs. Alving and Manders share the lead almost exactly, each with about 29% of the words, and Oswald has about a fifth.

Speaking roles: 5
Scenes: 3
Words: 17,715
Speech time: 127 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Mrs. Alving	701	5,194	29.3%	37.1	3
Manders	656	5,193	29.3%	37.1	3
Oswald	468	3,635	20.5%	26.0	3
Engstrand	288	2,414	13.6%	17.2	3
Regina	192	1,279	7.2%	9.1	3

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
Mrs. Alving
Manders
Oswald
Engstrand
Regina

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Mrs. Alving: “I had to bear it for my little boy’s sake. But…”	Act 1	151	16
Manders: “I was but a poor instrument in a Higher Hand. …”	Act 1	136	14
Engstrand: “All the same, I bear myself witness as I’ve br…”	Act 2	128	13
Mrs. Alving: “Ghosts! When I heard Regina and Oswald in ther…”	Act 2	123	13
Engstrand: “But there must be a petticoat in the house; th…”	Act 1	117	12
Manders: “All—and in perfect order. I can tell you it wa…”	Act 1	111	12
Mrs. Alving: “I could never have borne it if I had not had m…”	Act 1	111	12
Mrs. Alving: “That has been my ceaseless struggle, day after…”	Act 1	110	11
Engstrand: “When Johanna had got into trouble through that…”	Act 2	106	11
Manders: “I know very well what rumours there were about…”	Act 1	100	10

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Ghosts?

Mrs. Alving, with about 701 lines and 5,194 words, 29.3% of everything spoken in the play. Manders is next, with about 656 lines (29.3%).

How long is Ghosts?

The full text has 17,715 spoken words, about 127 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 Ghosts?

5 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 0 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.