The Second Mrs. Tanqueray: every role by lines, words, and stage time

Arthur Wing Pinero. 12 speaking roles, 18,214 words, about 130 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Paula has the most to say in The Second Mrs. Tanqueray: about 733 lines and 5,544 words, 30.4% of the play. The Second Mrs. Tanqueray follows a widower who marries Paula, a woman with a past, and the strain that follows. Paula is the largest role at about 30% of the words, with Aubrey close behind at about a quarter. Both speak in all four acts, while Ellean, his daughter, does not speak until Act 2.

Speaking roles: 12
Scenes: 4
Words: 18,214
Speech time: 130 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Paula	733	5,544	30.4%	39.6	4
Aubrey	674	4,655	25.6%	33.3	4
Drummle	370	2,870	15.8%	20.5	4
Ellean	200	1,438	7.9%	10.3	3
Mrs. Cortelyon	152	1,226	6.7%	8.8	2
Lady Orreyed	106	827	4.5%	5.9	2
Hugh	83	597	3.3%	4.3	1
Misquith	65	366	2%	2.6	1
Jayne	59	329	1.8%	2.4	1
Sir George	39	252	1.4%	1.8	2
Morse	10	64	0.4%	0.5	1
Servant	6	34	0.2%	0.2	3

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
Paula
Aubrey
Drummle
Ellean
Mrs. Cortelyon
Lady Orreyed
Hugh
Misquith

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Aubrey: “That shocks you! So it does me. I assure you I…”	Act 2	266	27
Paula: “Hah! That’s where we’ve made the mistake, my f…”	Act 2	202	21
Paula: “I’m not sneering; I’m speaking the truth. I sa…”	Act 2	179	18
Drummle: “You don’t—? Oh, of course not. Miss Hervey—Lad…”	Act 1	165	17
Aubrey: “Look here; I daresay you two old friends think…”	Act 1	150	15
Aubrey: “You say that; very likely you believe it. But …”	Act 3	141	15
Aubrey: “My dear Paula, I have no curiosity—I know what…”	Act 3	138	14
Paula: “Of course I’m pretty now—I’m pretty still—and …”	Act 4	128	13
Paula: “You’ll see me then, at last, with other people…”	Act 4	127	13
Drummle: “A mistake, not in regarding your Ellean as an …”	Act 2	116	12

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.

Lady Orreyed and Misquith
Lady Orreyed and Jayne
Lady Orreyed and Morse
Hugh and Misquith
Hugh and Jayne
Hugh and Morse
Misquith and Sir George
Misquith and Servant
Jayne and Sir George
Jayne and Servant
Sir George and Morse
Morse and Servant

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Second Mrs. Tanqueray?

Paula, with about 733 lines and 5,544 words, 30.4% of everything spoken in the play. Aubrey is next, with about 674 lines (25.6%).

How long is The Second Mrs. Tanqueray?

The full text has 18,214 spoken words, about 130 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 Second Mrs. Tanqueray?

12 named roles speak in this edition, across 4 scenes. 4 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.