The Merchant of Venice: every role by lines, words, and stage time

William Shakespeare. 22 speaking roles, 20,855 words, about 149 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Portia has the most to say in The Merchant of Venice: about 577 lines and 4,599 words, 22.1% of the play. The Merchant of Venice follows Antonio’s bond with the moneylender Shylock and Bassanio’s courtship of Portia. Portia is the largest part, with more than a fifth of the words. Shylock has the second-largest share but speaks in only 5 of 20 sections, and Antonio, the merchant of the title, has about 7%.

Speaking roles: 22
Scenes: 20
Words: 20,855
Speech time: 149 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Portia	577	4,599	22.1%	32.9	9
Shylock	351	2,874	13.8%	20.5	5
Bassanio	336	2,589	12.4%	18.5	6
Launcelot	164	1,449	6.9%	10.4	6
Antonio	188	1,433	6.9%	10.2	6
Gratiano	177	1,370	6.6%	9.8	8
Lorenzo	179	1,328	6.4%	9.5	7
Salarino	105	806	3.9%	5.8	6
Morocco	103	797	3.8%	5.7	2
Nerissa	85	694	3.3%	5.0	7
Jessica	87	662	3.2%	4.7	7
Arragon	65	497	2.4%	3.6	1
Salanio	55	438	2.1%	3.1	4
Duke	57	418	2%	3.0	1
Gobbo	38	291	1.4%	2.1	1
Salerio	25	174	0.8%	1.2	2
Clerk	14	138	0.7%	1.0	1
Servant	17	126	0.6%	0.9	3
Tubal	14	97	0.5%	0.7	1
Stephano	8	54	0.3%	0.4	1
Leonardo	2	11	0.1%	0.1	1
Balthasar	1	7	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	2.1	2.2	2.3	2.4	2.5	2.6	2.7	2.8	2.9	3.1	3.2	3.3	3.4	3.5	4.1	4.2	5.1
Portia
Shylock
Bassanio
Launcelot
Antonio
Gratiano
Lorenzo
Salarino
Morocco
Nerissa
Jessica
Arragon
Salanio
Duke

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Morocco: “Some god direct my judgment! Let me see;”	Act 2, Scene 7	389	48
Arragon: “And so have I address’d me. Fortune now”	Act 2, Scene 9	280	34
Launcelot: “Certainly my conscience will serve me to run f…”	Act 2, Scene 2	271	28
Bassanio: “So may the outward shows be least themselves:”	Act 3, Scene 2	268	35
Bassanio: “What find I here?”	Act 3, Scene 2	264	35
Shylock: “I have possess’d your grace of what I purpose;”	Act 4, Scene 1	228	28
Portia: “You see me, Lord Bassanio, where I stand,”	Act 3, Scene 2	213	26
Portia: “I pray you, tarry: pause a day or two”	Act 3, Scene 2	206	24
Gratiano: “Let me play the fool:”	Act 1, Scene 1	197	26
Shylock: “To bait fish withal: if it will feed nothing e…”	Act 3, Scene 1	194	20

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.

Salarino and Morocco
Salarino and Nerissa
Salarino and Arragon
Salarino and Duke
Salarino and Gobbo
Salarino and Salerio
Salarino and Clerk
Salarino and Stephano
Salarino and Leonardo
Salarino and Balthasar
Morocco and Nerissa
Morocco and Jessica

Roles and monologues in depth

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Merchant of Venice?

Portia, with about 577 lines and 4,599 words, 22.1% of everything spoken in the play. Shylock is next, with about 351 lines (13.8%).

How long is The Merchant of Venice?

The full text has 20,855 spoken words, about 149 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 Merchant of Venice?

22 named roles speak in this edition, across 20 scenes. 8 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.