The Beggar’s Opera: every role by lines, words, and stage time

John Gay. 28 speaking roles, 14,922 words, about 107 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Peachum has the most to say in The Beggar’s Opera: about 338 lines and 3,044 words, 20.4% of the play. Gay’s ballad opera follows the highwayman Macheath and the thief-taker Peachum through London’s underworld. Peachum has the most words, about a fifth, while Macheath speaks in the most sections, 6 of 9. Polly holds about 15% of the words in just 3 sections, and Mrs. Peachum’s sizable part is all in Act 1.

Speaking roles: 28
Scenes: 9
Words: 14,922
Speech time: 107 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Peachum	338	3,044	20.4%	21.7	5
Macheath	289	2,610	17.5%	18.6	6
Polly	256	2,232	15%	15.9	3
Lucy	201	1,711	11.5%	12.2	4
Mrs. Peachum	165	1,444	9.7%	10.3	1
Lockit	149	1,299	8.7%	9.3	4
Mrs. Trapes	63	596	4%	4.3	1
Matt	52	448	3%	3.2	2
Filch	45	394	2.6%	2.8	2
Beggar	23	222	1.5%	1.6	1
Jenny	24	211	1.4%	1.5	1
Mrs. Coaxer	11	98	0.7%	0.7	1
Player	10	96	0.6%	0.7	1
Mrs. Vixen	11	89	0.6%	0.6	1
Ben	10	84	0.6%	0.6	2
Jemmy	7	60	0.4%	0.4	1
Drawer	6	59	0.4%	0.4	1
Mrs. Slammekin	6	42	0.3%	0.3	1
Brazen	5	41	0.3%	0.3	1
Tawdry	4	37	0.2%	0.3	1
Trull	5	35	0.2%	0.3	1
Crook	2	20	0.1%	0.1	1
Harry	2	11	0.1%	0.1	1
Ned	2	11	0.1%	0.1	1
Servant	1	10	0.1%	0.1	1
Chorus	2	8	0.1%	0.1	1
Robin	1	6	0%	0.0	1
Wat	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	Act	Act 1	2.1	2.2	2.3	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4
Peachum
Macheath
Polly
Lucy
Mrs. Peachum
Lockit
Mrs. Trapes
Matt
Filch

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Macheath: “Dear Mrs. Coaxer, you are welcome. You look ch…”	Act 2, Scene 1	366	37
Peachum: “But ’tis now high time to look about me for a …”	Act 1	300	30
Lockit: “And so, after all this mischief, I must stay h…”	Act 3, Scene 1	255	26
Polly: “Now I’m a wretch, indeed.—Methinks I see him a…”	Act 1	194	20
Peachum: “Look ye, wife. A handsome wench in our way of …”	Act 1	189	19
Macheath: “Man may escape from rope and gun; Nay, some ha…”	Act 2, Scene 2	180	18
Macheath: “What a fool is a fond wench! Polly is most con…”	Act 2, Scene 1	176	18
Peachum: “You know, Polly, I am not against your toying …”	Act 1	173	18
Polly: “I know as well as any of the fine ladies how t…”	Act 1	163	17
Beggar: “This piece I own was originally writ for the c…”	Act introduction	162	17

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.

Mrs. Trapes and Matt
Mrs. Trapes and Filch
Mrs. Trapes and Beggar
Mrs. Trapes and Jenny
Mrs. Trapes and Mrs. Coaxer
Mrs. Trapes and Player
Mrs. Trapes and Mrs. Vixen
Mrs. Trapes and Ben
Mrs. Trapes and Jemmy
Mrs. Trapes and Drawer
Mrs. Trapes and Mrs. Slammekin
Mrs. Trapes and Brazen

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Beggar’s Opera?

Peachum, with about 338 lines and 3,044 words, 20.4% of everything spoken in the play. Macheath is next, with about 289 lines (17.5%).

How long is The Beggar’s Opera?

The full text has 14,922 spoken words, about 107 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 The Beggar’s Opera?

28 named roles speak in this edition, across 9 scenes. 19 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.