# 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. - URL: https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-beggars-opera - Last updated: 2026-10-08 **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 Words each role speaks in each scene (scene: words). Scenes: Act = Act introduction; Act 1 = Act 1; 2.1 = Act 2, Scene 1; 2.2 = Act 2, Scene 2; 2.3 = Act 2, Scene 3; 3.1 = Act 3, Scene 1; 3.2 = Act 3, Scene 2; 3.3 = Act 3, Scene 3; 3.4 = Act 3, Scene 4. - **Peachum**: Act 1 (2,164), 2.1 (95), 2.2 (370), 3.3 (344), 3.4 (71) - **Macheath**: Act 1 (222), 2.1 (923), 2.2 (856), 2.3 (168), 3.2 (281), 3.4 (160) - **Polly**: Act 1 (1,039), 2.2 (456), 3.4 (737) - **Lucy**: 2.2 (596), 2.3 (156), 3.1 (386), 3.4 (573) - **Mrs. Peachum**: Act 1 (1,444) - **Lockit**: 2.2 (529), 3.1 (424), 3.3 (243), 3.4 (103) - **Mrs. Trapes**: 3.3 (596) - **Matt**: 2.1 (355), 3.2 (93) - **Filch**: Act 1 (385), 3.4 (9) ## The longest speeches | Speech | Scene | Words | Lines | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Macheath: “Dear Mrs. Coaxer, you are welcome. You look charmingly today. I hope you don’t want the repairs of quality, and lay on paint.—Dolly Trull! kiss me, you slut; are you as amorous as ever, hussy? You are always so taken up with stealing hearts, that you don’t allow yourself time to steal anything else.—Ah Dolly, thou wilt ever be a coquette! Mrs. Vixen, I’m yours, I always loved a woman of wit and spirit; they make charming mistresses, but plaguy wives—Betty Doxy! Come hither, hussy. Do you drink as hard as ever? You had better stick to good wholesom beer; for in troth, Betty, strong-waters will in time ruin your constitution. You should leave those to your betters.—What! and my pretty Jenny Diver too! As prim and demure as ever! There is not any prude, though ever so high bred, hath a more sanctified look, with a more mischievous heart. Ah! thou art a dear artful hypocrite.—Mrs. Slammekin! as careless and genteel as ever! all you fine ladies, who know your own beauty, affect an undress.—But see, here’s Suky Tawdry come to contradict what I was saying. Everything she gets one way she lays out upon her back. Why, Suky, you must keep at least a dozen tallymen. Molly Brazen! That’s well done. I love a free-hearted wench. Thou hast a most agreeable assurance, girl, and art as willing as a turtle.—But hark! I hear music. The harper is at the door. If music be the food of love, play on. Ere you seat yourselves, ladies, what think you of a dance? Come in. Play the French tune, that Mrs. Slammekin was so fond of.” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 366 | 37 | | Peachum: “But ’tis now high time to look about me for a decent execution against next sessions. I hate a lazy rogue, by whom one can get nothing ’till he is hanged. A register of the gang, reading. Crook-fingered Jack. A year and a half in the service; let me see how much the stock owes to his industry; one, two, three, four, five gold watches, and seven silver ones. A mighty clean-handed fellow! Sixteen snuffboxes, five of them of true gold. Six dozen of handkerchiefs, four silver-hilted swords, half a dozen of shirts, three tye-periwigs, and a piece of broadcloth. Considering these are only the fruits of his leisure hours, I don’t know a prettier fellow, for no man alive hath a more engaging presence of mind upon the road. Wat Dreary, alias Brown Will, an irregular dog, who hath an underhand way of disposing of his goods. I’ll try him only for a sessions or two longer upon his good-behaviour. Harry Paddington, a poor petty-larceny rascal, without the least genius; that fellow, though he were to live these six months, will never come to the gallows with any credit. Slippery Sam; he goes off the next sessions, for the villain hath the impudence to have views of following his trade as a tailor, which he calls an honest employment. Matt of the Mint; listed not above a month ago, a promising sturdy fellow, and diligent in his way; somewhat too bold and hasty, and may raise good contributions on the public, if he does not cut himself short by murder. Tom Tipple, a guzzling soaking sot, who is always too drunk to stand himself, or to make others stand. A cart is absolutely necessary for him. Robin of Bagshot, alias Gorgon, alias Bluff Bob, alias Carbuncle, alias Bob Booty.” | Act 1 | 300 | 30 | | Lockit: “And so, after all this mischief, I must stay here to be entertained with your catterwauling, Mrs. Puss!—Out of my sight, wanton strumpet! you shall fast and mortify yourself into reason, with now and then a little handsome discipline to bring you to your senses.—Go.” | Act 3, Scene 1 | 255 | 26 | | Polly: “Now I’m a wretch, indeed.—Methinks I see him already in the cart, sweeter and more lovely than the nosegay in his hand!—I hear the crowd extolling his resolution and intrepidity!—What vollies of sighs are sent from the windows of Holborn, that so comely a youth should be brought to disgrace!—I see him at the Tree! The whole circle are in tears!—even butchers weep!—Jack Ketch himself hesitates to perform his duty, and would be glad to lose his fee, by a reprieve. What then will become of Polly!—As yet I may inform him of their design, and aid him in his escape.—It shall be so—But then he flies, absents himself, and I bar myself from his dear dear conversation! That too will distract me.—If he keep out of the way, my papa and mama may in time relent, and we may be happy.—If he stays, he is hanged, and then he is lost forever!—He intended to lie concealed in my room, ’till the dusk of the evening: If they are abroad I’ll this instant let him out, lest some accident should prevent him.” | Act 1 | 194 | 20 | | Peachum: “Look ye, wife. A handsome wench in our way of business is as profitable as at the bar of a Temple coffeehouse, who looks upon it as her livelihood to grant every liberty but one. You see I would indulge the girl as far as prudently we can. In anything, but marriage! After that, my dear, how shall we be safe? Are we not then in her husband’s power? For a husband hath the absolute power over all a wife’s secrets but her own. If the girl had the discretion of a court-lady, who can have a dozen young fellows at her ear without complying with one, I should not matter it; but Polly is tinder, and a spark will at once set her on a flame. Married! If the wench does not know her own profit, sure she knows her own pleasure better than to make herself a property! My daughter to me should be, like a court-lady to a minister of state, a key to the whole gang. Married! If the affair is not already done, I’ll terrify her from it, by the example of our neighbours.” | Act 1 | 189 | 19 | | Macheath: “Man may escape from rope and gun; Nay, some have outlived the doctor’s pill; Who takes a woman must be undone, That basilisk is sure to kill. The fly that sips treacle is lost in the sweets, So he that tastes woman, woman, woman, He that tastes woman, ruin meets.” | Act 2, Scene 2 | 180 | 18 | | Macheath: “What a fool is a fond wench! Polly is most confoundedly bit.—I love the sex. And a man who loves money, might as well be contented with one guinea, as I with one woman. The town perhaps have been as much obliged to me, for recruiting it with free-hearted ladies, as to any recruiting officer in the army. If it were not for us, and the other gentlemen of the sword, Drury Lane would be uninhabited.” | Act 2, Scene 1 | 176 | 18 | | Peachum: “You know, Polly, I am not against your toying and trifling with a customer in the way of business, or to get out a secret, or so. But if I find out that you have played the fool and are married, you jade you, I’ll cut your throat, hussy. Now you know my mind.” | Act 1 | 173 | 18 | | Polly: “I know as well as any of the fine ladies how to make the most of myself and of my man too. A woman knows how to be mercenary, though she hath never been in a court or at an assembly. We have it in our natures, papa. If I allow Captain Macheath some trifling liberties, I have this watch and other visible marks of his favour to show for it. A girl who cannot grant some things, and refuse what is most material, will make but a poor hand of her beauty, and soon be thrown upon the common.” | Act 1 | 163 | 17 | | Beggar: “This piece I own was originally writ for the celebrating the marriage of James Chaunter and Moll Lay, two most excellent ballad-singers. I have introduced the similes that are in all your celebrated operas: The swallow, the moth, the bee, the ship, the flower, etc. Besides, I have a prison-scene, which the ladies always reckon charmingly pathetic. As to the parts, I have observed such a nice impartiality to our two ladies, that it is impossible for either of them to take offence. I hope I may be forgiven, that I have not made my opera throughout unnatural, like those in vogue; for I have no recitative; excepting this, as I have consented to have neither prologue nor epilogue, it must be allowed an opera in all its forms. The piece indeed hath been heretofore frequently represented by ourselves in our great room at St. Giles’s, so that I cannot too often acknowledge your charity in bringing it now on the stage.” | 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. ## How we count Counts are computed from the full text of the [Standard Ebooks edition](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/john-gay/the-beggars-opera) (public domain; retrieved 2026-10-08). Words are every spoken word, with stage directions removed. Lines are verse lines as printed, plus prose at 10 words a line, because prose has no fixed line breaks; editions differ, so other sources give slightly different line counts. Time is words at 140 words a minute, before pauses and stage business. A role is counted in a scene when it speaks there. To count a script that is not in the library, paste it into the [script line counter](https://www.offbook.com/tools/script-line-counter).