# 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.

- URL: https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-merchant-of-venice
- Last updated: 2026-10-08

**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](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-merchant-of-venice/portia) | 577 | 4,599 | 22.1% | 32.9 | 9 |
| [Shylock](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-merchant-of-venice/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

Words each role speaks in each scene (scene: words). Scenes: 1.1 = Act 1, Scene 1; 1.2 = Act 1, Scene 2; 1.3 = Act 1, Scene 3; 2.1 = Act 2, Scene 1; 2.2 = Act 2, Scene 2; 2.3 = Act 2, Scene 3; 2.4 = Act 2, Scene 4; 2.5 = Act 2, Scene 5; 2.6 = Act 2, Scene 6; 2.7 = Act 2, Scene 7; 2.8 = Act 2, Scene 8; 2.9 = Act 2, Scene 9; 3.1 = Act 3, Scene 1; 3.2 = Act 3, Scene 2; 3.3 = Act 3, Scene 3; 3.4 = Act 3, Scene 4; 3.5 = Act 3, Scene 5; 4.1 = Act 4, Scene 1; 4.2 = Act 4, Scene 2; 5.1 = Act 5, Scene 1.

- **Portia**: 1.2 (791), 2.1 (122), 2.7 (64), 2.9 (150), 3.2 (914), 3.4 (541), 4.1 (1,067), 4.2 (95), 5.1 (855)
- **Shylock**: 1.3 (1,024), 2.5 (302), 3.1 (592), 3.3 (136), 4.1 (820)
- **Bassanio**: 1.1 (398), 1.3 (89), 2.2 (276), 3.2 (1,080), 4.1 (408), 5.1 (338)
- **Launcelot**: 2.2 (967), 2.3 (38), 2.4 (36), 2.5 (103), 3.5 (262), 5.1 (43)
- **Antonio**: 1.1 (363), 1.3 (296), 2.6 (41), 3.3 (135), 4.1 (508), 5.1 (90)
- **Gratiano**: 1.1 (263), 2.2 (123), 2.4 (16), 2.6 (146), 3.2 (235), 4.1 (267), 4.2 (29), 5.1 (291)
- **Lorenzo**: 1.1 (50), 2.4 (190), 2.6 (163), 3.2 (38), 3.4 (93), 3.5 (248), 5.1 (546)
- **Salarino**: 1.1 (327), 2.4 (21), 2.6 (33), 2.8 (247), 3.1 (155), 3.3 (23)
- **Morocco**: 2.1 (241), 2.7 (556)
- **Nerissa**: 1.2 (315), 2.9 (43), 3.2 (40), 3.4 (10), 4.1 (37), 4.2 (35), 5.1 (214)
- **Jessica**: 2.3 (125), 2.5 (29), 2.6 (145), 3.2 (56), 3.4 (7), 3.5 (214), 5.1 (86)
- **Arragon**: 2.9 (497)
- **Salanio**: 1.1 (81), 2.4 (19), 2.8 (166), 3.1 (172)
- **Duke**: 4.1 (418)

## 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 from this Jew my master. The fiend is at mine elbow and tempts me saying to me “Gobbo, Launcelot Gobbo, good Launcelot,” or “good Gobbo,” or “good Launcelot Gobbo, use your legs, take the start, run away.” My conscience says “No; take heed, honest Launcelot; take heed, honest Gobbo,” or, as aforesaid, “honest Launcelot Gobbo; do not run; scorn running with thy heels.” Well, the most courageous fiend bids me pack: “Via!” says the fiend; “away!” says the fiend; “for the heavens, rouse up a brave mind,” says the fiend, “and run.” Well, my conscience, hanging about the neck of my heart, says very wisely to me “My honest friend Launcelot, being an honest man’s son,” or rather an honest woman’s son; for, indeed, my father did something smack, something grow to, he had a kind of taste; well, my conscience says “Launcelot, budge not.” “Budge,” says the fiend. “Budge not,” says my conscience. “Conscience,” say I, “you counsel well;” “Fiend,” say I, “you counsel well:” to be ruled by my conscience, I should stay with the Jew my master, who, God bless the mark, is a kind of devil; and, to run away from the Jew, I should be ruled by the fiend, who, saving your reverence, is the devil himself. Certainly the Jew is the very devil incarnal; and, in my conscience, my conscience is but a kind of hard conscience, to offer to counsel me to stay with the Jew. The fiend gives the more friendly counsel: I will run, fiend; my heels are at your command; I will run.” | 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 else, it will feed my revenge. He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that. If a Jew wrong a Christian, what is his humility? Revenge. If a Christian wrong a Jew, what should his sufferance be by Christian example? Why, revenge. The villany you teach me, I will execute, and it shall go hard but I will better the instruction.” | 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

- [How many lines does Shylock have?](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-merchant-of-venice/shylock)
- [How many lines does Portia have?](https://www.offbook.com/plays/the-merchant-of-venice/portia)

## 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.

## How we count

Counts are computed from the full text of the [Standard Ebooks edition](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/william-shakespeare/the-merchant-of-venice) (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).