How many lines does Iago have in Othello?
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
Iago has about 1,081 lines in Othello: 8,410 words in 272 speeches, 32.6% of the play, and the largest part. The role speaks in 13 of the 15 scenes.
Iago is the largest part in Othello, nearly a third of all the words, and he speaks in all but two scenes. He shifts constantly between verse and prose, and between the faces he shows others and the soliloquies he shares with the audience. His longest speech is the “put money in thy purse” prose to Roderigo in Act 1, Scene 3.
- Lines
- 1,081
- Words
- 8,410
- Share of play
- 32.6%
- Speech time
- 60 min
66% of the words are verse. 272 speeches means about 272 cues to learn.
Scene by scene
| Scene | Words | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Act 1, Scene 1 | 825 | 5.9 |
| Act 1, Scene 2 | 196 | 1.4 |
| Act 1, Scene 3 | 762 | 5.4 |
| Act 2, Scene 1 | 1,257 | 9.0 |
| Act 2, Scene 3 | 1,638 | 11.7 |
| Act 3, Scene 1 | 34 | 0.2 |
| Act 3, Scene 2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Act 3, Scene 3 | 1,601 | 11.4 |
| Act 3, Scene 4 | 73 | 0.5 |
| Act 4, Scene 1 | 929 | 6.6 |
| Act 4, Scene 2 | 434 | 3.1 |
| Act 5, Scene 1 | 578 | 4.1 |
| Act 5, Scene 2 | 77 | 0.6 |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words |
|---|---|---|
| “It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission …” | Act 1, Scene 3 | 263 |
| “Lay thy finger thus, and let thy soul be instructe…” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 257 |
| “That Cassio loves her, I do well believe it;” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 220 |
| “And what’s he then that says I play the villain?” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 219 |
| “Touch me not so near:” | Act 2, Scene 3 | 210 |
| “O, sir, content you;” | Act 1, Scene 1 | 204 |
| “Despise me, if I do not. Three great ones of the c…” | Act 1, Scene 1 | 194 |
| “Thus do I ever make my fool my purse:” | Act 1, Scene 3 | 186 |
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 | 109 |
| 3 weeks | 73 |
| 4 weeks | 55 |
| 6 weeks | 37 |
More from Othello
- How many lines does Othello have?
- How many lines does Desdemona have?
- How many lines does Cassio have?
- Every role in Othello, by size
Questions actors ask
How many lines does Iago have in Othello?
About 1,081 lines: 717 lines of verse and 2,896 words of prose. That is 8,410 words in 272 speeches, 32.6% of the play and the largest part.
How long is Iago’s longest speech?
263 words, in Act 1, Scene 3, beginning “It is merely a lust of the blood and a permission of the will. Come, be a man. Drown thyself! drown cats and blind puppies. I have professed me thy friend and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness; I could never better stead thee than now. Put money in thy purse; follow thou the wars; defeat thy favour with an usurped beard; I say, put money in thy purse. It cannot be that Desdemona should long continue her love to the Moor—put money in thy purse—nor he his to her: it was a violent commencement, and thou shalt see an answerable sequestration:—put but money in thy purse. These Moors are changeable in their wills: fill thy purse with money:—the food that to him now is as luscious as locusts, shall be to him shortly as bitter as coloquintida. She must change for youth: when she is sated with his body, she will find the error of her choice: she must have change, she must: therefore put money in thy purse. If thou wilt needs damn thyself, do it a more delicate way than drowning. Make all the money thou canst: if sanctimony and a frail vow betwixt an erring barbarian and a supersubtle Venetian not too hard for my wits and all the tribe of hell, thou shalt enjoy her; therefore make money. A pox of drowning thyself! it is clean out of the way: seek thou rather to be hanged in compassing thy joy than to be drowned and go without her.” At 140 words a minute it runs about 1.9 minutes.
How long does it take to learn Iago?
To be off book in three weeks, learning five days a week, plan on about 73 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
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