She Stoops to Conquer: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Oliver Goldsmith. 22 speaking roles, 20,313 words, about 145 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Marlow has the most to say in She Stoops to Conquer: about 474 lines and 4,014 words, 19.8% of the play. Goldsmith’s comedy turns on a night of mistakes, when young Marlow takes the Hardcastle home for an inn. Marlow has the most words, about a fifth, with Hardcastle close behind. The load is shared widely: six roles each hold between 11% and 20%, which makes this a true ensemble comedy.

Speaking roles: 22
Scenes: 8
Words: 20,313
Speech time: 145 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Marlow	474	4,014	19.8%	28.7	6
Hardcastle	426	3,598	17.7%	25.7	7
Tony	339	2,912	14.3%	20.8	7
Miss Hardcastle	311	2,590	12.8%	18.5	6
Mrs. Hardcastle	274	2,333	11.5%	16.7	6
Hastings	291	2,327	11.5%	16.6	7
Miss Neville	163	1,355	6.7%	9.7	6
Sir Charles	39	305	1.5%	2.2	2
Diggory	24	188	0.9%	1.3	2
Servant	17	142	0.7%	1.0	3
Landlord	18	135	0.7%	1.0	1
Second Fellow	12	106	0.5%	0.8	1
Maid	12	95	0.5%	0.7	1
Third Fellow	6	59	0.3%	0.4	1
Jeremy	5	49	0.2%	0.4	1
First Fellow	3	24	0.1%	0.2	1
Second Servant	3	22	0.1%	0.2	1
Fourth Fellow	2	20	0.1%	0.1	1
Omnes	5	15	0.1%	0.1	2
First Servant	2	11	0.1%	0.1	1
Roger	1	9	0%	0.1	1
Third Servant	1	4	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	Act 2	Act 3	Act 4	5.1	5.2	5.3
Marlow
Hardcastle
Tony
Miss Hardcastle
Mrs. Hardcastle
Hastings
Miss Neville

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Mrs. Hardcastle: “Fine spoken, madam; you are most miraculously …”	Act 4	131	14
Mrs. Hardcastle: “Oh, sir, you’re only pleased to say so. We cou…”	Act 2	113	12
Hardcastle: “Ay, there goes a pair that only spoil each oth…”	Act 1, Scene 1	111	12
Hardcastle: “Nor I, confound me if ever I did! To come to m…”	Act 4	102	11
Marlow: “So, then, all’s out, and I have been damnably …”	Act 4	89	9
Tony: “A damned cramp piece of penmanship, as ever I …”	Act 4	89	9
Miss Hardcastle: “Ha! ha! ha! Was there ever such a sober, senti…”	Act 2	87	9
Marlow: “By Heaven! she weeps. This is the first mark o…”	Act 4	85	9
Marlow: “Never; unless, as among kings and princes, my …”	Act 2	84	9
Hardcastle: “And I say so too. And, Mr. Marlow, if she make…”	Act 5, Scene 3	82	9

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.

Sir Charles and Diggory
Sir Charles and Landlord
Sir Charles and Second Fellow
Sir Charles and Maid
Sir Charles and Third Fellow
Sir Charles and Jeremy
Sir Charles and First Fellow
Sir Charles and Second Servant
Sir Charles and Fourth Fellow
Sir Charles and Omnes
Sir Charles and First Servant
Sir Charles and Roger

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in She Stoops to Conquer?

Marlow, with about 474 lines and 4,014 words, 19.8% of everything spoken in the play. Hardcastle is next, with about 426 lines (17.7%).

How long is She Stoops to Conquer?

The full text has 20,313 spoken words, about 145 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 She Stoops to Conquer?

22 named roles speak in this edition, across 8 scenes. 15 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.