The Tragedy of Macbeth: Character Descriptions
Duncan- The elderly King of Scotland. He is very virtuous but too trusting if those he allows close to him. His first mistake was making Macbeth the Thane of Caudor leading to his eventual murder by Macbeth.
Malcolm- The eldest son of King Duncan, he flees to England after the King’s mysterious murder in Macbeth’s castle. In England he shows his cleverness and fitness for rule by testing Macduff to make sure he is not a Macbeth spy and by suggesting the soldiers disguise their attack by all holding branches cut from Birnam Wood in front of them. He becomes King at the end of the play.
Donalbain- The youngest son of King Duncan, he flees Macbeth castle after his father’s assassination, going to Ireland.
Macbeth- He is the Thane of Cawdor, then Thane of Glamis, then King of Scotland. He’s a war hero and a good husband to seductive and manipulative women who convinces Macbeth to murder Duncan. He succumbs to temptation and becomes a murderous tyrant in order to be King. He shares his sensitive and introverted thoughts through soliloquy even as he represses his sensitivity so as to become a cold-blooded murderer.
Banquo- A general of the King’s army, Banquo is Macbeth’s partner in battle and shares the experience of the witches’, prophecy with him. Banquo, who unlike Macbeth, maintains his morality and loyalty to the King, ends up murdered by Macbeth, returning as a ghost.
Macduff— The Thane of Fife, a Scottish nobleman, he flees Scotland to join Malcolm in England. Macbeth then kills Macduff’s wife and children at their castle in Fife, causing Macduff to promise revenge, which he gets by cutting Macbeth’s head off.
Lennox—A Scottish nobleman, he becomes more and more sarcastic about Macbeth’s virtue and more and more fearful for Scotland’s fate.
Ross— A Scottish nobleman and cousin of Macduff’s who primarily acts as a messenger in the play.
Fleance—Banquo’s son, he escapes the murderers who kill his father and although his whereabouts are unknown at the end of the play, his survival suggests that his