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

George Bernard Shaw. 15 speaking roles, 26,476 words, about 189 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Tarleton has the most to say in Misalliance: about 696 lines and 5,883 words, 22.2% of the play. Misalliance is Shaw’s one-act comedy set in a country house where an airplane crash brings unexpected visitors. It plays as one continuous scene. Tarleton, the talkative host, is the largest role, with more than a fifth of the words. Hypatia, Lord Summerhays, Mrs. Tarleton, and Johnny each hold about a tenth, so the rest of the load is widely shared.

Speaking roles: 15
Scenes: Continuous
Words: 26,476
Speech time: 189 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Tarleton	696	5,883	22.2%	42.0	1
Hypatia	413	3,423	12.9%	24.5	1
Lord Summerhays	390	3,209	12.1%	22.9	1
Mrs. Tarleton	333	2,809	10.6%	20.1	1
Johnny	310	2,752	10.4%	19.7	1
Percival	257	2,087	7.9%	14.9	1
Bentley	234	1,912	7.2%	13.7	1
Lina	207	1,673	6.3%	12.0	1
Gunner	179	1,547	5.8%	11.1	1
The Man	129	1,113	4.2%	8.0	1
The Aviator	5	38	0.1%	0.3	1
Bentley’s Voice	2	15	0.1%	0.1	1
John Tarleton’s Voice.	1	8	0%	0.1	1
The Passenger	1	5	0%	0.0	1
Hypatia’s Voice Outside	1	2	0%	0.0	1

The longest speeches

Speech	Words	Lines
Lina: “Then you, Lord Summerhays, come to me; and all…”	558	56
Tarleton: “I don’t mean his books. Read his letters to hi…”	313	32
Tarleton: “Well, who denies it? You’re quite right, my bo…”	310	31
Hypatia: “Oh, lots. That’s part of the routine of life h…”	308	31
Mrs. Tarleton: “Drainage!! She’d tried three systems in her ca…”	302	31
Lord Summerhays: “Smash it. Don’t hesitate: it’s an ugly thing. …”	288	29
The Man: “No. That’s just it: I’ve no business to do. Do…”	259	26
Johnny: “If Kipling wants to remember, let him remember…”	245	25
Gunner: “Don’t you be alarmed, ma’am. I know what is du…”	244	25
Percival: “Well, but does that matter, do you think? Pats…”	212	22

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Misalliance?

Tarleton, with about 696 lines and 5,883 words, 22.2% of everything spoken in the play. Hypatia is next, with about 413 lines (12.9%).

How long is Misalliance?

The full text has 26,476 spoken words, about 189 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 Misalliance?

15 named roles speak in this edition, in one continuous text with no scene breaks. 5 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.