Dream: numbers overall

A Midsummer Night’s Dream

  • 2122 total lines; the second shortest play in the Canon (only The Comedy of Errors is shorter at 1766 lines), much shorter than average play, shorter than average comedy (average play: 2777; average comedy: 2424)
  • At 463 lines, Act Three Scene Two is the longest of its kind in the Canon
  • At 259 lines, Act Four is the shortest of its kind in the Canon
  • Act One: 351 lines; shorter than average (average play: 590, average comedy: 488)
  • Act Two: 424 lines; shorter than average (average play: 568, average comedy: 495)
  • Act Three: 658 lines; longer than average (average play: 576, average comedy: 512)
  • Act Four: 259 lines; shorter than average (average play: 563, average comedy: 460)
  • Act Five: 430 lines; shorter than average (average play: 480, average comedy: 471)
  • 419 lines of prose (19.75% of total lines [as opposed to The Comedy of Errors: 13.31%, Titus Andronicus: 1.39%, The Taming of the Shrew: 20.82%, 1HenryVI: 0.37%, 2HenryVI: 16.64%, 3HenryVI: 0.14%, Richard III: 2.89%, Love’s Labor’s Lost: 35.08%, and The Two Gentlemen of Verona: 26.81%])
  • 923 rhyming lines, by percentage the most of any play thus far (43.5% of total lines [as opposed to Comedy: 20.10%, Titus: 2.42%, Taming: 3.93%, 1HenryVI: 9.79%, 2HenryVI: 3.16%, 3HenryVI: 5.37%, Richard III: 7.55%, LLL: 40.86%, and 2Gents: 35.08%])
  • 9 scenes; less than average (average play: 21; average comedy: 16); tied for fewest in the Canon with LLL and The Tempest
  • only 23 characters (less than average, about average for comedy [average play: 36, average comedy: 22])

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