The Two Gentlemen of Verona: every role by lines, words, and stage time

William Shakespeare. 17 speaking roles, 16,784 words, about 120 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Proteus has the most to say in The Two Gentlemen of Verona: about 439 lines and 3,260 words, 19.4% of the play. The Two Gentlemen of Verona follows two friends, Proteus and Valentine, whose friendship is tested when both fall for Silvia. Proteus is the largest part and speaks in 11 of 20 sections, while Valentine’s slightly smaller share is packed into just 6. Julia, who follows Proteus disguised as a page, has about twice as many words as Silvia.

Speaking roles: 17
Scenes: 20
Words: 16,784
Speech time: 120 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Proteus	439	3,260	19.4%	23.3	11
Valentine	385	2,819	16.8%	20.1	6
Julia	321	2,415	14.4%	17.3	7
Launce	214	1,842	11%	13.2	4
Duke	200	1,529	9.1%	10.9	5
Speed	197	1,456	8.7%	10.4	6
Silvia	155	1,138	6.8%	8.1	8
Lucetta	74	558	3.3%	4.0	2
Thurio	56	382	2.3%	2.7	5
Panthino	43	311	1.9%	2.2	3
Antonio	35	262	1.6%	1.9	1
Third Outlaw	26	203	1.2%	1.5	2
Eglamour	28	192	1.1%	1.4	2
Host	23	158	0.9%	1.1	1
First Outlaw	21	153	0.9%	1.1	2
Second Outlaw	15	100	0.6%	0.7	2
Outlaws	1	6	0%	0.0	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	3.1	3.2	4.1	4.2	4.3	4.4	5.1	5.2	5.3	5.4
Proteus
Valentine
Julia
Launce
Duke
Speed
Silvia
Lucetta
Thurio

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Launce: “When a man’s servant shall play the cur with h…”	Act 4, Scene 4	400	40
Launce: “Nay, ’twill be this hour ere I have done weepi…”	Act 2, Scene 3	340	34
Proteus: “To leave my Julia, shall I be forsworn;”	Act 2, Scene 6	325	43
Duke: “How shall I fashion me to wear a cloak?”	Act 3, Scene 1	284	35
Julia: “And she shall thank you for’t, if e’er you kno…”	Act 4, Scene 4	226	27
Julia: “Nay, would I were so anger’d with the same!”	Act 1, Scene 2	202	26
Silvia: “O Eglamour, thou art a gentleman—”	Act 4, Scene 3	199	26
Proteus: “I will.”	Act 2, Scene 4	189	24
Launce: “I am but a fool, look you; and yet I have the …”	Act 3, Scene 1	171	18
Julia: “How many women would do such a message?”	Act 4, Scene 4	162	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.

Lucetta and Thurio
Lucetta and Panthino
Lucetta and Antonio
Lucetta and Third Outlaw
Lucetta and Eglamour
Lucetta and Host
Lucetta and First Outlaw
Lucetta and Second Outlaw
Lucetta and Outlaws
Thurio and Panthino
Thurio and Antonio
Thurio and Third Outlaw

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Two Gentlemen of Verona?

Proteus, with about 439 lines and 3,260 words, 19.4% of everything spoken in the play. Valentine is next, with about 385 lines (16.8%).

How long is The Two Gentlemen of Verona?

The full text has 16,784 spoken words, about 120 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 Two Gentlemen of Verona?

17 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.