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

William Shakespeare. 26 speaking roles, 25,835 words, about 185 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Iago has the most to say in Othello: about 1,081 lines and 8,410 words, 32.6% of the play. Othello follows a Venetian general who is led by his ensign Iago to believe that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful. Iago, not Othello, is the largest part, with about a third of the words, and he speaks in 13 of 15 sections. Othello adds about a quarter more, so the two men carry more than half of the play between them.

Speaking roles: 26
Scenes: 15
Words: 25,835
Speech time: 185 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Iago	1,081	8,410	32.6%	60.1	13
Othello	883	6,233	24.1%	44.5	12
Desdemona	386	2,752	10.7%	19.7	9
Cassio	273	1,953	7.6%	14.0	9
Emilia	245	1,806	7%	12.9	8
Brabantio	139	1,041	4%	7.4	3
Roderigo	118	860	3.3%	6.1	7
Lodovico	76	528	2%	3.8	4
Duke	70	476	1.8%	3.4	1
Montano	60	414	1.6%	3.0	3
Bianca	35	266	1%	1.9	3
Clown	28	225	0.9%	1.6	2
First Senator	26	180	0.7%	1.3	1
Gratiano	27	160	0.6%	1.1	2
Third Gentleman	17	113	0.4%	0.8	1
Herald	11	101	0.4%	0.7	1
Second Gentleman	12	77	0.3%	0.6	1
Messenger	9	62	0.2%	0.4	1
Second Senator	5	38	0.1%	0.3	1
First Officer	5	28	0.1%	0.2	2
Sailor	4	24	0.1%	0.2	1
First Musician	5	23	0.1%	0.2	1
First Gentleman	3	19	0.1%	0.1	1
Fourth Gentleman	2	19	0.1%	0.1	1
Second Gentlemen	2	11	0%	0.1	1
Gentlemen	1	5	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	4.1	4.2	4.3	5.1	5.2
Iago
Othello
Desdemona
Cassio
Emilia
Brabantio
Roderigo
Lodovico

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Othello: “Her father loved me; oft invited me;”	Act 1, Scene 3	344	43
Iago: “It is merely a lust of the blood and a permiss…”	Act 1, Scene 3	263	27
Iago: “Lay thy finger thus, and let thy soul be instr…”	Act 2, Scene 1	257	26
Iago: “That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it;”	Act 2, Scene 1	220	27
Iago: “And what’s he then that says I play the villain?”	Act 2, Scene 3	219	28
Iago: “Touch me not so near:”	Act 2, Scene 3	210	27
Iago: “O, sir, content you;”	Act 1, Scene 1	204	26
Iago: “Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of t…”	Act 1, Scene 1	194	26
Othello: “It is the cause, it is the cause, my soul—”	Act 5, Scene 2	191	22
Iago: “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:”	Act 1, Scene 3	186	22

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.

Brabantio and Lodovico
Brabantio and Montano
Brabantio and Bianca
Brabantio and Clown
Brabantio and Gratiano
Brabantio and Third Gentleman
Brabantio and Herald
Brabantio and Second Gentleman
Brabantio and First Musician
Brabantio and First Gentleman
Brabantio and Fourth Gentleman
Brabantio and Second Gentlemen

Roles and monologues in depth

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Othello?

Iago, with about 1,081 lines and 8,410 words, 32.6% of everything spoken in the play. Othello is next, with about 883 lines (24.1%).

How long is Othello?

The full text has 25,835 spoken words, about 185 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 Othello?

26 named roles speak in this edition, across 15 scenes. 18 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.