Which of shakespeares plays had the largest single role?

Answer 1

Hamlet is listed as having 1495 lines. However, this is using a text which includes parts of both the Second Quarto and First Folio texts which are different.

The next longest role of anyone in a single play in the form it was originally published is Richard III in the play of the same name with 1171 lines.

After Hamlet and Richard come Iago (1098 lines), Henry V (1028 lines) and Coriolanus (897 lines). The longest female role is Cleopatra at 686.

The characters who have the highest percentage of lines in the plays they play in are Hamlet again (37%), Timon (34%), Henry V (32%) and Richard III (31%)

In addition, some characters appear in multiple plays and if you could count their lines from all of their plays they would have a lot more, particularly Falstaff (both parts of Henry IV and Merry Wives), Henry V (both parts of Henry IV and Henry V) and Richard III (Henry VI Part 3 and Richard III)