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

Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett. 17 speaking roles, 19,524 words, about 140 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Ivanov has the most to say in Ivanov: about 548 lines and 4,911 words, 25.2% of the play. Chekhov’s first full-length play to reach the stage follows Ivanov, a landowner sunk in debt and despair whose wife Anna Petrovna is dying of consumption. Ivanov holds about a quarter of the words and has the play’s longest speeches, including a 450-word soliloquy of self-disgust in Act 3. Lebedyev, Shabelsky, and Sasha each have 10% to 16%, and Anna Petrovna, at about 7%, is gone after Act 3.

Speaking roles: 17
Scenes: 4
Words: 19,524
Speech time: 140 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Ivanov	548	4,911	25.2%	35.1	4
Lebedyev	358	3,128	16%	22.3	3
Shabelsky	249	2,125	10.9%	15.2	4
Sasha	243	2,074	10.6%	14.8	3
Borkin	204	1,809	9.3%	12.9	4
Lvov	166	1,440	7.4%	10.3	4
Anna Petrovna	168	1,437	7.4%	10.3	3
Kossih	73	638	3.3%	4.6	3
Zinaida	70	569	2.9%	4.1	2
Madame Babakin	66	536	2.7%	3.8	2
Avdotya	59	476	2.4%	3.4	2
Third Guest	20	179	0.9%	1.3	1
First Guest	22	171	0.9%	1.2	1
Zinaida Savishna	2	14	0.1%	0.1	1
Yegorushka	2	4	0%	0.0	1
Young Ladies	2	4	0%	0.0	1
Second Guest	2	2	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	Act 4
Ivanov
Lebedyev
Shabelsky
Sasha
Borkin
Lvov
Anna Petrovna
Kossih
Zinaida
Madame Babakin
Avdotya

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Ivanov: “I am a bad, abject, worthless man. One has to …”	Act 3	454	46
Ivanov: “Listen, poor fellow. … I am not going to tell …”	Act 4	315	32
Borkin: “No, seriously! Would you like me to marry Marf…”	Act 1	267	27
Sasha: “There is a great deal men don’t understand. An…”	Act 3	257	26
Lebedyev: “One can only throw up one’s hands in amazement…”	Act 4	233	24
Ivanov: “It’s all true, quite true. … I expect I am ter…”	Act 1	226	23
Ivanov: “No, I am not whining now. Jeering? Yes, I am j…”	Act 4	222	23
Ivanov: “Do you think so? No, I am not mad. Now I see t…”	Act 4	218	22
Lvov: “It’s past four. I suppose it is just time for …”	Act 4	217	22
Ivanov: “I don’t know myself. I fancy it is either … bu…”	Act 3	199	20

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.

Avdotya and Zinaida Savishna
Third Guest and Zinaida Savishna
First Guest and Zinaida Savishna
Zinaida Savishna and Yegorushka
Zinaida Savishna and Young Ladies
Zinaida Savishna and Second Guest

Roles and monologues in depth

Ivanov: “I am a bad, abject, worthless man” (Ivanov’s soliloquy)

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Ivanov?

Ivanov, with about 548 lines and 4,911 words, 25.2% of everything spoken in the play. Lebedyev is next, with about 358 lines (16%).

How long is Ivanov?

The full text has 19,524 spoken words, about 140 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 Ivanov?

17 named roles speak in this edition, across 4 scenes. 6 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.