Much Ado About Nothing: every role by lines, words, and stage time
William Shakespeare. 23 speaking roles, 20,707 words, about 148 minutes of speech.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Benedick has the most to say in Much Ado About Nothing: about 441 lines and 3,736 words, 18% of the play. Much Ado About Nothing pairs two plots: the sparring Benedick and Beatrice, tricked into love, and the young lovers Claudio and Hero, parted by a slander. Benedick is the largest part, at about 18% of the words, while Beatrice has about 11%, slightly less than Leonato and Don Pedro. Hero has under 5% despite being at the center of the Claudio plot.
- Speaking roles
- 23
- Scenes
- 17
- Words
- 20,707
- Speech time
- 148 min
Every role, largest first
| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benedick | 441 | 3,736 | 18% | 26.7 | 8 |
| Leonato | 333 | 2,630 | 12.7% | 18.8 | 9 |
| Don Pedro | 316 | 2,456 | 11.9% | 17.5 | 8 |
| Beatrice | 284 | 2,359 | 11.4% | 16.9 | 8 |
| Claudio | 267 | 1,952 | 9.4% | 13.9 | 8 |
| Dogberry | 174 | 1,525 | 7.4% | 10.9 | 4 |
| Borachio | 120 | 992 | 4.8% | 7.1 | 6 |
| Hero | 132 | 981 | 4.7% | 7.0 | 6 |
| Don John | 110 | 898 | 4.3% | 6.4 | 6 |
| Friar | 81 | 590 | 2.8% | 4.2 | 2 |
| Margaret | 65 | 545 | 2.6% | 3.9 | 4 |
| Antonio | 55 | 424 | 2% | 3.0 | 4 |
| Ursula | 48 | 362 | 1.7% | 2.6 | 4 |
| Conrade | 35 | 247 | 1.2% | 1.8 | 3 |
| Messenger | 29 | 227 | 1.1% | 1.6 | 3 |
| Verges | 25 | 183 | 0.9% | 1.3 | 4 |
| Balthasar | 28 | 181 | 0.9% | 1.3 | 2 |
| Sexton | 14 | 105 | 0.5% | 0.8 | 1 |
| Watch | 16 | 101 | 0.5% | 0.7 | 1 |
| First Watch | 11 | 80 | 0.4% | 0.6 | 2 |
| Second Watch | 9 | 62 | 0.3% | 0.4 | 2 |
| A Lord | 10 | 61 | 0.3% | 0.4 | 1 |
| Boy | 2 | 6 | 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 | 1.1 | 1.2 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.3 | 5.4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benedick | |||||||||||||||||
| Leonato | |||||||||||||||||
| Don Pedro | |||||||||||||||||
| Beatrice | |||||||||||||||||
| Claudio | |||||||||||||||||
| Dogberry | |||||||||||||||||
| Borachio | |||||||||||||||||
| Hero | |||||||||||||||||
| Don John | |||||||||||||||||
| Friar | |||||||||||||||||
| Margaret | |||||||||||||||||
| Antonio |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedick: “I know that; but I would have thee hence, and …” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 310 | 31 |
| Friar: “Marry, this well carried shall on her behalf” | Act 4, Scene 1 | 267 | 34 |
| Benedick: “This can be no trick: the conference was sadly…” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 259 | 26 |
| Leonato: “I pray thee, cease thy counsel,” | Act 5, Scene 1 | 235 | 30 |
| Benedick: “O, she misused me past the endurance of a bloc…” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 211 | 22 |
| Leonato: “Wherefore! Why, doth not every earthly thing” | Act 4, Scene 1 | 199 | 24 |
| Borachio: “Go, then; find me a meet hour to draw Don Pedr…” | Act 2, Scene 2 | 153 | 16 |
| Benedick: “And therefore will come.” | Act 5, Scene 2 | 139 | 14 |
| Dogberry: “Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not …” | Act 4, Scene 2 | 138 | 14 |
| Margaret: “Moral! no, by my troth, I have no moral meanin…” | Act 3, Scene 4 | 134 | 14 |
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.
- Borachio and Friar
- Borachio and Messenger
- Borachio and A Lord
- Borachio and Boy
- Hero and Conrade
- Hero and Verges
- Hero and Sexton
- Hero and Watch
- Hero and First Watch
- Hero and Second Watch
- Hero and A Lord
- Hero and Boy
Roles and monologues in depth
- How many lines does Benedick have?
- How many lines does Beatrice have?
- How many lines does Leonato have?
- How many lines does Don Pedro have?
- How many lines does Dogberry have?
Questions actors ask
Who has the most lines in Much Ado About Nothing?
Benedick, with about 441 lines and 3,736 words, 18% of everything spoken in the play. Leonato is next, with about 333 lines (12.7%).
How long is Much Ado About Nothing?
The full text has 20,707 spoken words, about 148 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 Much Ado About Nothing?
23 named roles speak in this edition, across 17 scenes. 11 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.
Keep reading
- As You Like It: every role by lines, words, and stage timeWilliam Shakespeare. Line counts, scenes, and the longest speeches.
- Henry V: every role by lines, words, and stage timeWilliam Shakespeare. Line counts, scenes, and the longest speeches.
- How many lines does Dogberry have in Much Ado About Nothing?Lines, words, scenes, the longest speeches, and a plan to learn the part.
- Beats in Acting: How to Find and Mark the Shifts in a SceneWhat a beat is, where the word comes from, the signals that tell you a beat has changed, and a walk through a scene from Much Ado About Nothing, marked beat by beat. Plus how to rehearse the transitions so they survive once you’re off book.