| Duncan | Well-liked King who is brutally murdered by Macbeth while staying at Macbeth’s castle |
| Macbeth | Nobleman of Scotland; Thane of Glamis who becomes Thane of Cawdor; eventually becomes king to fulfill the witches’ prophesy |
| Lady Macbeth | Wife of Macbeth who urges her husband to kill King Duncan so that he could be king; later loses her courage and begins to sleepwalk because of the stress of the crime; later commits suicide |
| Banquo | Friend of Macbeth whose sons the witches prophesy will eventually be kings of Scotland; later murdered by Macbeth; his ghost haunts Macbeth. |
| Macduff | Enemy of Macbeth who suspects Macbeth of Duncan’s murder; kills Macbeth because he was not “born of a woman” (Act IV, Scene 1, Line 80) |
| Malcolm | First son of Duncan and heir to the throne; escapes to England after his father’s murder; later leads the revolt against Macbeth |
| Donalbain | Second son of Duncan; escapes to Ireland after his father’s murder |
| Lennox | Urges Macduff to bring Malcolm back from England as the rightful heir to the throne |
| Ross | Nobleman who helps Malcolm in his attempt to reclaim the throne |
| Fleance | Banquo’s son; escapes murder attempt by Macbeth |
| Siward | Earl of Northumberland who helps Malcolm regain the throne |
| Young Siward | Son of Siward who is killed by Macbeth |
| Lady Macduff | Macduff’s wife who is brutally murdered under Macbeth’s orders |
| Three Murderers | Enlisted by Macbeth to kill Banquo & Fleance |
| Gentlewoman | Lady Macbeth’s assistant; observes her strange somnambulatory behavior and enlists the help of the doctor |
| Hecate | protector of witches; concocts the potion that will lead Macbeth to his ruin |
| Witches | the weird sisters who prophesy Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and King of Scotland; also predict Banquo’s sons will be heirs to the throne; help Hecate concoct a potion that will lead Macbeth to his ruin |
Macbeth Characters
September 1, 2019