How many lines does Benedick have in Much Ado About Nothing?
The size of the part, every scene it speaks in, its longest speeches, and how long it takes to learn.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Benedick has about 441 lines in Much Ado About Nothing: 3,736 words in 134 speeches, 18% of the play, and the largest part. The role speaks in 8 of the 17 scenes, and its longest wait is 3 scenes in a row without a line.
Benedick is the largest part in Much Ado, nearly a fifth of the words, and almost all of it is prose. The first two acts carry the most: the sparring with Beatrice, and Act 2, Scene 3, where his longest soliloquy comes just before he overhears that she loves him. In Act 4, Scene 1 he must turn serious when Beatrice asks him to kill Claudio.
- Lines
- 441
- Words
- 3,736
- Share of play
- 18%
- Speech time
- 27 min
6% of the words are verse. 134 speeches means about 134 cues to learn.
Scene by scene
| Scene | Words | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1, Scene 1 | 806 | 5.8 |
| Act 2, Scene 1 | 672 | 4.8 |
| Act 2, Scene 3 | 782 | 5.6 |
| Act 3, Scene 2 | 57 | 0.4 |
| Act 4, Scene 1 | 330 | 2.4 |
| Act 5, Scene 1 | 196 | 1.4 |
| Act 5, Scene 2 | 491 | 3.5 |
| Act 5, Scene 4 | 402 | 2.9 |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words |
|---|---|---|
| “I know that; but I would have thee hence, and here…” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 310 |
| “This can be no trick: the conference was sadly bor…” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 259 |
| “O, she misused me past the endurance of a block! a…” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 211 |
| “And therefore will come.” | Act 5, Scene 2 | 139 |
| “I’ll tell thee what, prince; a college of wit-crac…” | Act 5, Scene 4 | 115 |
| “Will your grace command me any service to the worl…” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 82 |
| “That a woman conceived me, I thank her; that she b…” | Act 1, Scene 1 | 81 |
| “Alas, poor hurt fowl! now will he creep into sedge…” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 81 |
How many lines a day to learn
New lines a day to be off book in time, learning five days a week. Review what you already know on the other days.
| Time until off book | New lines a day |
|---|---|
| 2 weeks | 45 |
| 3 weeks | 30 |
| 4 weeks | 23 |
| 6 weeks | 15 |
More from Much Ado About Nothing
- 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?
- Every role in Much Ado About Nothing, by size
Questions actors ask
How many lines does Benedick have in Much Ado About Nothing?
About 441 lines: 29 lines of verse and 3,508 words of prose. That is 3,736 words in 134 speeches, 18% of the play and the largest part.
How long is Benedick’s longest speech?
310 words, in Act 2, Scene 3, beginning “I know that; but I would have thee hence, and here again. I do much wonder that one man, seeing how much another man is a fool when he dedicates his behaviours to love, will, after he hath laughed at such shallow follies in others, become the argument of his own scorn by falling in love: and such a man is Claudio. I have known when there was no music with him but the drum and the fife; and now had he rather hear the tabor and the pipe: I have known when he would have walked ten mile a-foot to see a good armour; and now will he lie ten nights awake, carving the fashion of a new doublet. He was wont to speak plain and to the purpose, like an honest man and a soldier; and now is he turned orthography; his words are a very fantastical banquet, just so many strange dishes. May I be so converted and see with these eyes? I cannot tell; I think not: I will not be sworn but love may transform me to an oyster; but I’ll take my oath on it, till he have made an oyster of me, he shall never make me such a fool. One woman is fair, yet I am well; another is wise, yet I am well; another virtuous, yet I am well; but till all graces be in one woman, one woman shall not come in my grace. Rich she shall be, that’s certain; wise, or I’ll none; virtuous, or I’ll never cheapen her; fair, or I’ll never look on her; mild, or come not near me; noble, or not I for an angel; of good discourse, an excellent musician, and her hair shall be of what colour it please God. Ha! the prince and Monsieur Love! I will hide me in the arbour.” At 140 words a minute it runs about 2.2 minutes.
How long does it take to learn Benedick?
To be off book in three weeks, learning five days a week, plan on about 30 new lines a day, plus time to review what you already know. Start with your longest speeches and the scenes with the most cues.
Keep reading
- How many lines does Beatrice have in Much Ado About Nothing?Lines, words, scenes, the longest speeches, and a plan to learn the part.
- Much Ado About Nothing: 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.
- How many lines does Don Pedro have in Much Ado About Nothing?Lines, words, scenes, the longest speeches, and a plan to learn the part.