The Seagull: every role by lines, words, and stage time
Anton Chekhov, translated by Constance Garnett. 12 speaking roles, 15,221 words, about 109 minutes of speech.
The Offbook team
Oct 8, 2026
Treplev has the most to say in The Seagull: about 341 lines and 2,960 words, 19.4% of the play. The Seagull gathers writers and actors at a lakeside country estate, where young ambitions collide with established ones. Treplev has the largest part, close to a fifth of the words, but Nina, Madame Arkadin, and Trigorin are not far behind at about 15% each. All four speak in every act, so the weight is shared widely.
- Speaking roles
- 12
- Scenes
- 4
- Words
- 15,221
- Speech time
- 109 min
Every role, largest first
| Role | Lines | Words | Share | Minutes | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treplev | 341 | 2,960 | 19.4% | 21.1 | 4 |
| Nina | 279 | 2,393 | 15.7% | 17.1 | 4 |
| Madame Arkadin | 293 | 2,300 | 15.1% | 16.4 | 4 |
| Trigorin | 256 | 2,247 | 14.8% | 16.1 | 4 |
| Sorin | 173 | 1,423 | 9.3% | 10.2 | 4 |
| Dorn | 164 | 1,227 | 8.1% | 8.8 | 3 |
| Masha | 129 | 936 | 6.1% | 6.7 | 4 |
| Shamraev | 72 | 599 | 3.9% | 4.3 | 4 |
| Medvedenko | 70 | 570 | 3.7% | 4.1 | 4 |
| Polina | 66 | 518 | 3.4% | 3.7 | 4 |
| Yakov | 7 | 32 | 0.2% | 0.2 | 2 |
| The Cook | 2 | 16 | 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 | Act 1 | Act 2 | Act 3 | Act 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Treplev | ||||
| Nina | ||||
| Madame Arkadin | ||||
| Trigorin | ||||
| Sorin | ||||
| Dorn | ||||
| Masha | ||||
| Shamraev | ||||
| Medvedenko | ||||
| Polina |
The longest speeches
| Speech | Scene | Words | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trigorin: “What is there particularly nice in it? I must …” | Act 2 | 607 | 61 |
| Nina: “Why do you say that you kissed the earth on wh…” | Act 4 | 311 | 32 |
| Treplev: “We need new forms of expression. We need new f…” | Act 1 | 240 | 24 |
| Nina: “I am alone. Once in a hundred years I open my …” | Act 1 | 218 | 22 |
| Treplev: “Loves me, loves me not; loves me, loves me not…” | Act 1 | 210 | 21 |
| Trigorin: “What success? I have never liked myself; I dis…” | Act 2 | 203 | 21 |
| Treplev: “I have talked so much about new forms and now …” | Act 4 | 200 | 20 |
| Nina: “Men, lions, eagles and partridges, horned deer…” | Act 1 | 187 | 19 |
| Nina: “No, no. … Don’t see me off, I will go by mysel…” | Act 4 | 183 | 19 |
| Treplev: “This began from that evening when my play came…” | Act 2 | 177 | 18 |
Questions actors ask
Who has the most lines in The Seagull?
Treplev, with about 341 lines and 2,960 words, 19.4% of everything spoken in the play. Nina is next, with about 279 lines (15.7%).
How long is The Seagull?
The full text has 15,221 spoken words, about 109 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 Seagull?
12 named roles speak in this edition, across 4 scenes. 2 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.
Keep reading
- Three Sisters: every role by lines, words, and stage timeAnton Chekhov. Line counts, scenes, and the longest speeches.
- The Cherry Orchard: every role by lines, words, and stage timeAnton Chekhov. Line counts, scenes, and the longest speeches.
- Subtext in Acting: How to Play What Your Character Doesn’t SayWhat subtext is, how to find it in a script by reading the gap between the line and the want, a worked example from Chekhov’s The Seagull, exercises that put it in your voice, and how to keep it from turning into a wink at the audience.
- Uncle Vanya: every role by lines, words, and stage timeAnton Chekhov. Line counts, scenes, and the longest speeches.