In terms of the number of acts, which recognised Shakespearean plays are shortest and which are longest? Did the Bard favour a specific number of acts in his dramatic works?
Question #152423. Asked by
psnz.
Last updated Apr 27 2026.
Originally posted Apr 21 2026 7:25 PM.
All of Shakespear's plays, 37 of them, have 5 acts. The shortest in terms of scenes are "Midsummer Night's Dream", "Love Labors Lost" and "Tempest" with 9 scenes. The longest in terms of scenes is "Anthony and Cleopatra" with 42 scenes. In terms of word count, at 14,701 words "Comedy of Errors" is the shortest and, "Hamlet" the longest with a word count of 30,557.
At school, many years ago, I was taught that the five acts of the Shakespeare plays are broken down into the narratives:
Act I (Exposition)
Act II (Rising Action/Complications)
Act III (Climax/Turning Point)
Act IV (Falling Action)
and Act V (Resolution/Denouement)
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