The Well of the Saints: every role by lines, words, and stage time

J. M. Synge. 9 speaking roles, 12,422 words, about 89 minutes of speech.

The Offbook team

Oct 8, 2026

Martin Doul has the most to say in The Well of the Saints: about 603 lines and 5,449 words, 43.9% of the play. Synge’s play follows Martin Doul and Mary Doul, two blind beggars whose sight a wandering saint restores, with unexpected results. Martin Doul dominates the text with over two fifths of the words, more than twice anyone else. Mary Doul and Timmy each hold about a sixth, and the Saint speaks only in Acts 1 and 3.

Speaking roles: 9
Scenes: 3
Words: 12,422
Speech time: 89 min

Every role, largest first

Role	Lines	Words	Share	Minutes	Scenes
Martin Doul	603	5,449	43.9%	38.9	3
Mary Doul	248	2,166	17.4%	15.5	3
Timmy	241	2,074	16.7%	14.8	3
Saint	138	1,262	10.2%	9.0	2
Molly Byrne	132	1,138	9.2%	8.1	3
Mat Simon	18	162	1.3%	1.2	2
Bride	13	85	0.7%	0.6	1
People	9	63	0.5%	0.5	2
Girl	3	23	0.2%	0.2	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
Martin Doul
Mary Doul
Timmy
Saint
Molly Byrne

The longest speeches

Speech	Scene	Words	Lines
Martin Doul: “—The devil mend Mary Doul for putting lies on …”	Act 3	338	34
Saint: “May the Lord who has given you sight send a li…”	Act 1	245	25
Martin Doul: “If I’m a poor dark sinner I’ve sharp ears, God…”	Act 3	183	19
Martin Doul: “And that’s the last thing I’m to set my sight …”	Act 2	180	18
Martin Doul: “That’s Timmy, I know Timmy by the black of his…”	Act 1	165	17
Mary Doul: “Ah, God help me … God help me; the blackness w…”	Act 3	164	17
Martin Doul: “It’s the truth I’m telling you. And you’d do r…”	Act 2	133	14
Martin Doul: “Them is great sights, holy father. … What was …”	Act 3	124	13
Saint: “It’s a hard life you’ve had not seeing sun or …”	Act 1	122	13
Martin Doul: “Keep off now, the yelping lot of you, or it’s …”	Act 3	115	12

Questions actors ask

Who has the most lines in The Well of the Saints?

Martin Doul, with about 603 lines and 5,449 words, 43.9% of everything spoken in the play. Mary Doul is next, with about 248 lines (17.4%).

How long is The Well of the Saints?

The full text has 12,422 spoken words, about 89 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 Well of the Saints?

9 named roles speak in this edition, across 3 scenes. 4 of them have less than 2% of the words, which is why small parts are often doubled.