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Macbeth: Characters

Major Characters in Macbeth

1. Macbeth

Actions

  • Fights bravely for King Duncan against Macdonwald, the Thane of Cawdor, and the King of Norway.
  • Becomes the new Thane of Cawdor.
  • Kills King Duncan, arranges the killings of Banquo and Macduff’s family.
  • Fights against an army led by Macduff and Malcolm.
  • Killed by Macduff.

Character Traits

  • Courageous warrior.
  • Ambitious.
  • Lusts for power and wealth.
  • Weak; needs his wife's influence to kill Duncan.
  • Jealous of Banquo.
  • Impatient; acts instead of waiting for the prophecy to come true.
  • Moral conscience at the beginning of the play; feels guilty about killing Duncan.
  • Self-reflective.

2. Lady Macbeth

Actions

  • Persuades Macbeth to kill Duncan.
  • Plans Duncan’s murder and framing of the guards.
  • Mocks Macbeth for being weak.
  • Returns the daggers to the sleeping guards and smears Duncan’s blood on them.
  • Covers for Macbeth at the banquet when he sees Banquo’s ghost.
  • Commits suicide.

Character Traits

  • Cruel woman with no moral conscience; described as ‘fiend-like’ by Macbeth; a ‘fiend’ is an evil spirit, devil or demon.
  • Ambitious.
  • Lusts for power and wealth.
  • Impatient.
  • Scheming and conniving.
  • Clever; plans Duncan's murder and framing of the guards.
  • Persuasive.
  • Unlike women of her time; goes to the scene of the murder and smears the king’s blood on his guards.

3. Banquo

Actions

  • Receives the witches’ prophecy for his lineage but does not act on it; serves as a foil to Macbeth.
  • Warns Macbeth not to take the witches seriously.
  • Encourages his son Fleance to flee when attacked.
  • Appears as a ghost at Macbeth’s banquet.

Character Traits

  • Loyal to king and country.
  • Brave on the battlefield.
  • Not gullible and mature.
  • Warns Macbeth about the witches.
  • Patient.
  • Prepared to wait to see if the witches’ prophecy for his family will come true.

4. Macduff

Actions

  • Discovers the body of King Duncan.
  • Leaves his family to go to England.
  • Devastated by the murder of his family and decides to kill Macbeth.
  • Persuades Malcolm to get an army and return to Scotland.
  • Kills Macbeth.

Character Traits

  • Fiercely loyal to Scotland.
  • A true patriot.
  • Brave.
  • Willing to make personal sacrifices.
  • Puts his country before his family.
  • Believes in justice.

5. Malcolm

Actions

  • Flees to England after Duncan’s death.
  • Is persuaded by Macduff to return to Scotland with an army.
  • Orders soldiers to carry tree branches to conceal their numbers.
  • Becomes the new King of Scotland after Macbeth’s death.

Character Traits

  • Patient.
  • Mature in his thinking.
  • Careful about whom he trusts.
  • Brave and intelligent on the battlefield.
  • Loyal to his country; will restore order and peace.

Minor Characters in Macbeth

1. The Three Witches

Actions

  • Meet in the opening scene to discuss Macbeth.
  • Tell Macbeth he will be Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland; tell Banquo his sons will be kings.
  • Meet with Hecate.
  • Meet with Macbeth again to show him the three apparitions which prophesise his future.

Traits

  • Manipulative and cunning.
  • Supernatural powers and knowledge.
  • Enjoy causing havoc.

2. King Duncan

  • King of Scotland
  • Father to Malcolm and Donalbain
  • Generous; awards those who do good.
  • Killed by Macbeth

3. Fleance

  • Banquo’s son
  • His existence haunts Macbeth.
  • Has an affectionate relationship with his father.
  • His character emphasizes the rationality of Banquo compared to Macbeth.
  • Banquo cares only for his safety.

4. Other Thanes

  • Examples of trusting, uncomplicated people.
  • Loyal; support Macbeth initially.
  • Defect when they cannot cope with Macbeth’s cruelty.

Roles

  • Lennox reports on unnatural events and Scotland’s state under Macbeth.
  • Ross is often the messenger; informs Macbeth of his promotion and warns Lady Macduff.
  • Angus, Lennox, Menteith, and Caithness join the English army.

5. Lady Macduff

  • Introduced only once.
  • Loving wife and mother.
  • Loyal to her husband.
  • Upset about Macduff’s decision to leave his family.
  • Presents a contrasting character to Lady Macbeth.

6. Porter

  • Humorous scene involving a porter at the gate of hell.
  • Guards the gate of Macbeth’s castle.
  • Represents the porter at the gate of hell; Inverness is hell and Macbeth is the devil.
  • Provides comic relief.
  • Drunk and makes sexual jokes.
  • Mimics the theme of appearance versus reality.

Characterization/Character Analysis

  • Do not list physical attributes but refer to the actions, thoughts, and words of a character.
  • A character can be analyzed by looking at an action or incident and how it affected him/her or how he/she reacted to it.
  • What action did the character take when confronted with a certain situation?
  • Is there an incident in the character’s past that has shaped him/her as a character and affected the way he/she looks at their life? The action or incident determines the way the character develops as the story goes on.
  • When analysing the reactions of others you are looking closely at how other characters in the story react to or treat the character that you are characterizing.
  • Reactions include verbal responses and physical or emotional treatment.
  • The reactions of other characters can tell you if the character you are analysing is liked or disliked, popular, honest, trustworthy etc.…
  • Dialogue is the way in which a character talks and includes the choice of words and syntax of characters. It also includes the tone and diction of the character when he/she speaks.
  • Is the character serious? Sarcastic? Shy? Obnoxious? Ignorant? - All these qualities can be conveyed through the characters’ dialogue.