The School for Scandal: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Richard Brinsley Sheridan. 20 speaking roles, 24,495 words, about 175 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Sir Peter has the most to say in The School for Scandal: about 532 lines and 4,382 words, 17.9% of the play. Sheridan’s comedy follows Sir Oliver, who returns from abroad to test his two nephews, the smooth Joseph Surface and the spendthrift Charles Surface. Sir Peter has the most words, about 18%, but the load is spread widely. Charles Surface, the third-largest part, does not speak until Act 3, Scene 3.

Speaking roles: 20
Scenes: 14
Words: 24,495
Speech time: 175 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Sir Peter	532	4,382	17.9%	31.3	8
Joseph Surface	428	3,484	14.2%	24.9	5
Charles Surface	366	3,019	12.3%	21.6	4
Sir Oliver	346	2,782	11.4%	19.9	9
Lady Teazle	254	2,103	8.6%	15.0	5
Rowley	180	1,466	6%	10.5	8
Mrs. Candour	154	1,290	5.3%	9.2	3
Lady Sneerwell	154	1,241	5.1%	8.9	4
Crabtree	126	1,023	4.2%	7.3	3
Sir Benjamin	123	974	4%	7.0	3
Snake	67	578	2.4%	4.1	2
Maria	66	545	2.2%	3.9	4
Careless	64	495	2%	3.5	2
Moses	63	415	1.7%	3.0	5
Trip	34	291	1.2%	2.1	2
Sir Harry	21	194	0.8%	1.4	1
Servant	19	139	0.6%	1.0	3
2nd Gentleman	4	26	0.1%	0.2	1
1st Gentleman	4	25	0.1%	0.2	1
Maid	2	18	0.1%	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	2.1	2.2	2.3	3.1	3.2	3.3	4.1	4.2	4.3	5.1	5.2	5.3
Sir Peter
Joseph Surface
Charles Surface
Sir Oliver
Lady Teazle
Rowley
Mrs. Candour
Lady Sneerwell
Crabtree
Sir Benjamin
Snake
Maria
Careless

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Sir Peter: “When an old bachelor marries a young wife, wha…”	Act 1, Scene 2	194	20
Sir Harry: “Egad, so I have! and I’ll give him the song in…”	Act 3, Scene 3	192	20
Mrs. Candour: “To be sure they are; talebearers are as bad as…”	Act 1, Scene 1	150	15
Sir Peter: “I am sure I wish to think well of her, and to …”	Act 4, Scene 3	145	15
Crabtree: “Why, one evening at Mrs. Ponto’s assembly, the…”	Act 1, Scene 1	144	15
Snake: “I do. Here are two young men, to whom Sir Pete…”	Act 1, Scene 1	139	14
Charles Surface: “Sir Peter, this is one of the smartest French …”	Act 4, Scene 3	132	14
Sir Peter: “You are wrong, Master Rowley. On their father’…”	Act 1, Scene 2	128	13
Lady Teazle: “No, sir; she has recovered her senses, and you…”	Act 4, Scene 3	123	13
Charles Surface: “Pshaw! have done. Sir, my friend Moses is a ve…”	Act 3, Scene 3	108	11

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.

Crabtree and Careless
Crabtree and Moses
Crabtree and Trip
Crabtree and Sir Harry
Crabtree and 2nd Gentleman
Crabtree and 1st Gentleman
Sir Benjamin and Careless
Sir Benjamin and Moses
Sir Benjamin and Trip
Sir Benjamin and Sir Harry
Sir Benjamin and 2nd Gentleman
Sir Benjamin and 1st Gentleman

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The School for Scandal?

Sir Peter, with about 532 lines and 4,382 words, 17.9% of everything spoken in the play. Joseph Surface is next, with about 428 lines (14.2%).

How long is The School for Scandal?

The full text has 24,495 spoken words, about 175 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 School for Scandal?

20 named roles speak in this edition, across 14 scenes. 7 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.