Macbeth | Scottish king, protagonist, kills Duncan to become king, Thane of Glammis, Thane of Cawdor, killed by Macduff |
Lady Macbeth | Macbeth’s wife; she urges him to kill King Duncan so that he will have the crown. She later loses her resolve and courage and begins to sleepwalk because of the stress of the crime; commits suicide right before Macduff, Malcolm, and their bunch reach Macbeth’s castle |
Banquo | Macbeth’s friend and nobleman of Scotland. The witches predict that his sons will be the future kings of Scotland; Macbeth murders him because of this divination. His ghost haunts Macbeth at a banquet |
Macduff | Scottish nobleman; enemy of Macbeth. He suspects Macbeth of Duncan’s murder and enlists Malcolm, Siward, and the King of England’s help in overthrowing Macbeth from the throne. He wants revenge because Macbeth killed his whole family. Macduff finally kills Macbeth |
Duncan | murdered by Macbeth so that he can realize the witches’ prophecy and become king. He is killed while staying at Macbeth’s own castle. |
Macdonwald | a Scottish rebel and leader that is killed by Macbeth |
Angus | a dude that shows up with Ross and tell Duncan of Macbeth’s victory; he also accompanies Ross when they meet Macbeth and Banquo at the beginning of Act 1 Scene 3 |
Thane of Cawdor | traitor to Scotland who was executed and whose title was later given to Macbeth. Allies with King of Norway against Scotland in the battle at Fife. |
Sweno | King of Norway |
Sinel | Macbeth’s father |
Malcolm | First son of Duncan and heir to the throne (proclaimed Prince of Cumberland by his father) ; escapes to England after his father’s murder for fear of his life. He is convinced to return to Scotland and claim the throne by Macduff and leads the revolt against Macbeth. |
Donalbain | Second son of Duncan; escapes to Ireland after his father’s murder for fear of his life; does not join Malcolm in revolt against Macbeth. |
Lennox | Nobleman of Scotland; urges Macduff to bring Malcolm back from England as the rightful heir to the throne. |
Ross | a Scottish nobleman that tells Macbeth that he is the Thane of Cawdor, and also tells Macduff later in the play that his family has been murdered (although not at first) |
Menteith and Caithness | Scottish noblemen who eventually help Malcolm with his coup d’etat. |
Fleance | Son to Banquo; Macbeth tries to kill him but he escapes. |
Siward | Earl of Northumberland and general of the English forces; helps Malcolm regain the throne. |
Seyton | One of Macbeth’s officers, and tells Macbeth that Lady Macbeth has died |
Son | to Macduff; brutally murdered under Macbeth’s orders. |
Porter | drunk when we first meet this character; opens the gate for Macduff and Lennox directly after King Duncan’s death. |
Old man | Talks to Ross about the strange events that occurred on the night of Duncan’s murder. |
Murderers | Enlisted by Macbeth to kill Banquo and Fleance; they kill Banquo but Fleance escapes from them. |
Gentlewoman | Attendant to Lady Macbeth; observes her strange somnambulatory behavior and enlists the aid of a doctor. |
Hecate | Protector of witches/enchanters and the weird sisters’ mistress; concocts a potion that will lead Macbeth to his ruin. |
Witches | The weird (weird=fate) sisters; prophesize that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland; also predict that Banquo’s sons will be heirs to the throne although Banquo himself will never be king. Because of their predictions, Macbeth murders many people. They also help Hecate concoct a potion that will lead Macbeth to his ruin. |
Apparitions | Summoned by the weird sisters, they come in three forms: an armed head, a bloody child and a crowned child holding a tree. They respectively tell Macbeth to beware the Thane of Fife (Macduff); not fear any man who was born of a woman and remain courageous until Great Birnam Wood travels to Dunsinane Hill. A fourth apparition shows Macbeth Banquo’s sons as future kings. |
Doctor | Tells the gentlewoman that Lady Macbeth sleepwalks because of some mental/internal suffering and agony. |
Macbeth
September 9, 2019