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

William Shakespeare. 54 speaking roles, 28,333 words, about 202 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Richard has the most to say in Richard III: about 1,163 lines and 8,929 words, 31.5% of the play. Richard III follows Richard of Gloucester as he plots and murders his way to the throne. Richard holds nearly a third of the words and speaks in 14 of the 25 scenes, more than any other role. Buckingham, his chief ally, has the next-largest share, about a tenth, and does not speak after Act 5, Scene 1.

Speaking roles: 54
Scenes: 25
Words: 28,333
Speech time: 202 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Richard	1,163	8,929	31.5%	63.8	14
Buckingham	364	2,733	9.6%	19.5	10
Queen Elizabeth	273	2,133	7.5%	15.2	6
Queen Margaret	218	1,747	6.2%	12.5	2
Clarence	164	1,292	4.6%	9.2	2
Anne	157	1,187	4.2%	8.5	2
Hastings	149	1,172	4.1%	8.4	8
Duchess	140	1,082	3.8%	7.7	4
Richmond	136	1,065	3.8%	7.6	3
King Edward	64	515	1.8%	3.7	1
Derby	63	476	1.7%	3.4	6
Second Murderer	57	465	1.6%	3.3	1
Catesby	62	449	1.6%	3.2	9
First Murderer	59	430	1.5%	3.1	2
Rivers	53	428	1.5%	3.1	5
Stanley	44	355	1.3%	2.5	4
Prince	43	347	1.2%	2.5	1
York	40	330	1.2%	2.4	2
Brakenbury	41	307	1.1%	2.2	3
Ghost	39	303	1.1%	2.2	1
Tyrrel	38	269	0.9%	1.9	2
Third Citizen	28	229	0.8%	1.6	1
Messenger	30	218	0.8%	1.6	4
Ratcliff	30	196	0.7%	1.4	4
Boy	18	150	0.5%	1.1	1
Mayor	17	130	0.5%	0.9	3
Scrivener	14	117	0.4%	0.8	1
Dorset	15	116	0.4%	0.8	4
Second Citizen	13	103	0.4%	0.7	1
Grey	11	92	0.3%	0.7	3
Archbishop	12	88	0.3%	0.6	1
Fourth Messenger	10	76	0.3%	0.5	1
Cardinal	9	74	0.3%	0.5	1
Norfolk	10	68	0.2%	0.5	1
Blunt	8	67	0.2%	0.5	2
First Citizen	8	65	0.2%	0.5	1
Ghosts	8	65	0.2%	0.5	1
Christopher	8	58	0.2%	0.4	1
Third Messenger	7	49	0.2%	0.4	1
Ely	7	47	0.2%	0.3	1
Page	6	39	0.1%	0.3	1
Girl	6	38	0.1%	0.3	1
Children	3	26	0.1%	0.2	1
Second Messenger	3	23	0.1%	0.2	1
Vaughan	3	23	0.1%	0.2	2
Lovel	3	20	0.1%	0.1	2
Pursuivant	3	20	0.1%	0.1	1
Gentleman	2	13	0%	0.1	1
Oxford	2	13	0%	0.1	1
Another	2	11	0%	0.1	1
Priest	2	11	0%	0.1	1
Sheriff	2	11	0%	0.1	1
Herbert	1	10	0%	0.1	1
Surrey	1	9	0%	0.1	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	3.5	3.6	3.7	4.1	4.2	4.3	4.4	4.5	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.4	5.5
Richard
Buckingham
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Margaret
Clarence
Anne
Hastings
Duchess
Richmond

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Richard: “Look, what is done cannot be now amended:”	Act 4, Scene 4	351	46
Richard: “Now is the winter of our discontent”	Act 1, Scene 1	319	43
Richard: ““Jockey of Norfolk, be not too bold,”	Act 5, Scene 3	311	39
Richard: “No, to White-Friars; there attend my coming.”	Act 1, Scene 2	293	38
Richmond: “Why, then ’tis time to arm and give direction.”	Act 5, Scene 3	287	35
Queen Margaret: “I call’d thee then vain flourish of my fortune;”	Act 4, Scene 4	286	34
Richard: “I would they were, that I might die at once;”	Act 1, Scene 2	277	33
King Edward: “Have I a tongue to doom my brother’s death,”	Act 2, Scene 1	273	32
Richard: “I know not whether to depart in silence,”	Act 3, Scene 7	261	33
Anne: “Set down, set down your honourable load,”	Act 1, Scene 2	249	32

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.

Clarence and Anne
Clarence and Duchess
Clarence and Richmond
Clarence and King Edward
Clarence and Derby
Clarence and Catesby
Clarence and Rivers
Clarence and Stanley
Clarence and Prince
Clarence and York
Clarence and Ghost
Clarence and Tyrrel

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in Richard III?

Richard, with about 1,163 lines and 8,929 words, 31.5% of everything spoken in the play. Buckingham is next, with about 364 lines (9.6%).

How long is Richard III?

The full text has 28,333 spoken words, about 202 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 III?

54 named roles speak in this edition, across 25 scenes. 45 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.