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.