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Macbeth
Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem is violence and murder. Unlike Shakespeare’s great villains, such as Iago in
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Lady Macbeth
Macbeth’s wife, a deeply ambitious woman who lusts for power and position. Early in the play, she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins, however, Lady Macbeth falls victim to guilt and madness to an even greater degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she eventually commits suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as being deeply in love, and many of Lady Macbeth’s speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual. Their joint alienation from the world, occasioned by their partnership in crime, seems to strengthen the attachment that they feel to each another.
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The Three Witches
Three “black and midnight hags” who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. Their predictions prompt him to murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly believe in his own immortality. The play leaves the witches’ true identity unclear—aside from the fact that they are servants of Hecate, we know little about their place in the cosmos. In some ways, they resemble the mythological Fates, who impersonally weave the threads of human destiny. They clearly take a perverse delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human beings.
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Banquo
The brave, noble general whose children, according to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth, Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into action. In a sense, Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Appropriately, then, it is Banquo’s ghost—and not Duncan’s—that haunts Macbeth. In addition to embodying Macbeth’s guilt for killing Banquo, the ghost also reminds Macbeth that he did not emulate Banquo’s reaction to the witches’ prophecy.
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King Duncan
The good King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne.
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Macduff
A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s wife and young son.
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Malcolm
The son of Duncan, whose restoration to the throne signals Scotland’s return to order following Macbeth’s reign of terror. Malcolm becomes a serious challenge to Macbeth with Macduff’s aid (and the support of England). Prior to this, he appears weak and uncertain of his own power, as when he and Donalbain flee Scotland after their father’s murder.
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Hecate
The goddess of witchcraft, who helps the three witches work their mischief on Macbeth.
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Fleance
Banquo’s son, who survives Macbeth’s attempt to murder him. At the end of the play, Fleance’s whereabouts are unknown. Presumably, he may come to rule Scotland, fulfilling the witches’ prophecy that Banquo’s sons will sit on the Scottish throne.
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The Murderers
A group of ruffians conscripted by Macbeth to murder Banquo, Fleance (whom they fail to kill), and Macduff’s wife and children.
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Porter
The drunken doorman of Macbeth’s castle.
Lady Macduff
Macduff’s wife. The scene in her castle provides our only glimpse of a domestic realm other than that of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. She and her home serve as contrasts to Lady Macbeth and the hellish world of Inverness.
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Macduff’s Son
The young son of Macduff and Lady Macduff. Clever and resilient, he asks his mother questions about his absent father until three murderers arrive at the castle and kill the family.
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The Three Apparitions
A trio of ghosts summoned by the three witches in order to warn Macbeth of his impending doom. The First Apparition tells him to be weary of Macduff, the Second Apparition explains that “none of woman born” will kill Macbeth, and the Third Apparition reveals that he will not be defeated until the Great Birnam Wood arrives to fight at Dunsinane. Macbeth takes these messages to mean that he is virtually invincible.
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Donalbain
One of King Duncan’s two sons and Malcolm’s younger brother. After Macbeth kills King Duncan, Donalbain flees to safety in Ireland.
Siward
The Earl of Northumberland and the leader of the English army. Known for his strength and honor, Siward fearlessly heads into battle alongside Macduff and Malcolm in order to defeat Macbeth. His desire to remove Macbeth from the throne grows even greater when he learns that he killed his son during the fighting.
Young Siward
Siward’s son who joins him on the battlefield at Dunsinane. He encounters Macbeth during the fight, and despite his attempts to bring his enemy down, Macbeth ultimately kills him.
Seyton
An officer who waits on Macbeth during the play’s final act. Seyton confirms reports of the arriving army, and he delivers the news of Lady Macbeth’s suicide.
Lennox
A nobleman in the Scottish court. As a loyal follower of King Duncan, Lennox expresses dismay regarding his murder and eventually becomes suspicious of Macbeth’s response to it. He joins Macduff and Malcolm in the fight to remove Macbeth from the throne once he realizes how tyrannical he truly is.
Ross
A nobleman in the Scottish court. Ross functions primarily as a messenger, delivering news about events such as Macbeth’s bravery in Act I and the attack on the Macduffs in Act IV.
Angus
A nobleman in the Scottish court. Angus delivers the news of Macbeth’s rise to Thane of Cawdor alongside Ross, and, like many of the other noblemen, partners with Macduff and Malcolm to remove Macbeth from the throne.
King Edward
The king of England. Although he never physically appears in the play, many of the characters describe King Edward as a benevolent leader whose demeanor sharply contrasts with Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. He offers Macduff asylum and aid in deposing Macbeth.
Old Man
A man whom Ross encounters in Act II, Scene 4. The Old Man explains that he has noticed many strange occurrences since King Duncan’s murder, including an owl attacking a falcon and the king’s horses running wild. By calling attention to such unnatural events, the Old Man inevitably highlights the perverseness of Macbeth’s rule.
English Doctor
A doctor whom Malcolm and Macduff encounter during their time in England. The English Doctor tells them the tale of the King of England’s healing powers.
Scottish Doctor
A doctor who tends to Lady Macbeth after she has begun sleepwalking. The Scottish Doctor hears her admit to her role in King Duncan’s murder, but he is powerless to take any action against her. Instead, he continues to observe her and draws Macbeth’s ire when he admits that he cannot cure her.
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