Richard II: every role by lines, words, and stage time

William Shakespeare. 33 speaking roles, 21,800 words, about 156 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

King Richard has the most to say in Richard II: about 755 lines and 5,988 words, 27.5% of the play. Richard II follows a king who loses his crown to his cousin Bolingbroke, in a play written entirely in verse. King Richard is the largest part, with more than a quarter of the words, and Bolingbroke has about half his share. Gaunt’s part ends in Act 2, Scene 1, and Mowbray speaks only in the two scenes of the opening quarrel.

Speaking roles: 33
Scenes: 19
Words: 21,800
Speech time: 156 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
King Richard	755	5,988	27.5%	42.8	9
Bolingbroke	413	3,116	14.3%	22.3	8
York	289	2,236	10.3%	16.0	8
Gaunt	192	1,517	7%	10.8	4
Duchess	151	1,194	5.5%	8.5	3
Northumberland	143	1,104	5.1%	7.9	6
Mowbray	135	1,060	4.9%	7.6	2
Queen	115	912	4.2%	6.5	4
Aumerle	86	676	3.1%	4.8	7
Carlisle	63	485	2.2%	3.5	2
Gardener	52	411	1.9%	2.9	1
Percy	46	352	1.6%	2.5	5
Scroop	37	284	1.3%	2.0	1
Bushy	39	271	1.2%	1.9	3
Green	32	242	1.1%	1.7	3
Fitzwater	27	218	1%	1.6	2
Marshal	25	202	0.9%	1.4	1
Exton	21	178	0.8%	1.3	3
Ross	22	177	0.8%	1.3	2
Bagot	22	169	0.8%	1.2	2
Salisbury	20	156	0.7%	1.1	2
Captain	15	120	0.6%	0.9	1
Servant	17	120	0.6%	0.9	3
Willoughby	12	102	0.5%	0.7	2
Groom	12	90	0.4%	0.6	1
Surrey	10	75	0.3%	0.5	1
Abbot	10	72	0.3%	0.5	1
Berkeley	8	69	0.3%	0.5	1
First Herald	6	48	0.2%	0.3	1
Second Herald	7	48	0.2%	0.3	1
Another Lord	5	43	0.2%	0.3	1
Keeper	5	37	0.2%	0.3	1
Lady	6	27	0.1%	0.2	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	1.4	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.4	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4	4.1	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.5	5.6
King Richard
Bolingbroke
York
Gaunt
Duchess
Northumberland
Mowbray
Queen
Aumerle
Carlisle

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
King Richard: “I have been studying how I may compare”	Act 5, Scene 5	542	66
Gaunt: “Methinks I am a prophet new inspired”	Act 2, Scene 1	285	38
Bolingbroke: “Noble lords,”	Act 3, Scene 3	279	37
Carlisle: “Marry, God forbid!”	Act 4, Scene 1	273	36
King Richard: “No matter where; of comfort no man speak:”	Act 3, Scene 2	271	34
King Richard: “What must the king do now? must he submit?”	Act 3, Scene 3	265	33
Bolingbroke: “Bring forth these men.”	Act 3, Scene 1	236	30
Duchess: “Finds brotherhood in thee no sharper spur?”	Act 1, Scene 2	229	28
King Richard: “We are amazed; and thus long have we stood”	Act 3, Scene 3	226	29
King Richard: “Discomfortable cousin! know’st thou not”	Act 3, Scene 2	217	28

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.

Mowbray and Queen
Mowbray and Carlisle
Mowbray and Gardener
Mowbray and Percy
Mowbray and Scroop
Mowbray and Bushy
Mowbray and Green
Mowbray and Fitzwater
Mowbray and Exton
Mowbray and Ross
Mowbray and Bagot
Mowbray and Salisbury

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Richard II?

King Richard, with about 755 lines and 5,988 words, 27.5% of everything spoken in the play. Bolingbroke is next, with about 413 lines (14.3%).

How long is Richard II?

The full text has 21,800 spoken words, about 156 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 Richard II?

33 named roles speak in this edition, across 19 scenes. 23 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.