| Duncan | the king of Scotland who Macbeth murders in order to become king himself |
| Malcolm | one of Duncan’s sons who is thought to have murdered Duncan, flees to England |
| Donalbain | one of Duncan’s sons who is thought to have murdered Duncan, flees to Ireland |
| Macbeth | protagonist who receives a prophecy from the witches that tells him that he will be Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and king |
| the 3 witches | give Macbeth the prophecy and are examples of the theme “appearances can be misleading” |
| Hecate | overseer of the witches who is associated with the moon, tells them to give Macbeth false security and scorns them for intervening in his affairs |
| 3 apparitions | an armed head (beware Macduff), a bloody child (no one born of a woman can harm you), and a child holding a tree (you will reign until Birnam forest moves to Dunsinane |
| Seyton | Macbeth’s servant |
| Lady Macbeth | Macbeth’s wife who is the true mastermind behind Duncan’s murder. she accuses him of not being a man |
| Fleance | Banquo’s son |
| Banquo | also receives a prophecy from the witches but does not change his actions because of it, Macbeth murders him and his ghost returns to haunt Macbeth |
| Three murderers | hired by Macbeth to kill Fleance and Banquo |
| Macduff | finds Macbeth suspicious, leaves his family to go to England, eventually slays Macbeth because he is not technically born of a woman |
| Macduff’s son | is killed when Macduff’s castle is attacked, warns his mother to run |
| Lady Macduff | Macduff’s wife who will not forgive him for leaving the castle and his family vulnerable |
| Ross | a messenger throughout the play who tries to convince Lady Macduff that Macduff didn’t leave because he wanted to leave his family |
| Angus, Menteith, and Caithness | Scottish nobles who are opposed to Macbeth |
| Siward | leads the English army against Macbeth |
| Young Siward | Siward’s son who is slain by Macbeth |
| Macdonwald | Macbeth unseams him from the nave to the chops |
| Conflict | The struggle within Macbeth between his ambition and his sense of right and wrong; the struggle between the murderous evil represented by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth and the best interests of the nation, represented by Malcolm and Macduff |
| Climax | Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in Act 2 represents the point of no return, after which Macbeth is forced to continue butchering his subjects to avoid the consequences of his crime. |
| Theme | The corrupting nature of unchecked ambition; the relationship between cruelty and masculinity; the difference between kingship and tyranny |
| Resolution | Macbeth is killed by Macduff because they figure out everything he has done. Macduff is the crowned king and the kingdom is back to a peaceful time. |
| Plot summary | Macbeth and Banquo’s encounter with the witches initiates both conflicts; Lady Macbeth’s speeches goad Macbeth into murdering Duncan and seizing the crown. Macbeth’s murder of Duncan in Act 2 represents the point of no return, after which Macbeth is forced to continue butchering his subjects to avoid the consequences of his crime. Macbeth’s increasingly brutal murders (of Duncan’s servants, Banquo, Lady Macduff and her son); Macbeth’s second meeting with the witches; Macbeth’s final confrontation with Macduff and the opposing armies. Macbeth is killed by Macduff as his past catches up with him. |
| Foreshadowing | The bloody battle in Act 1 foreshadows the bloody murders later on; when Macbeth thinks he hears a voice while killing Duncan, it foreshadows the insomnia that plagues Macbeth and his wife; Macduff’s suspicions of Macbeth after Duncan’s murder foreshadow his later opposition to Macbeth; all of the witches’ prophecies foreshadow later events. |
| Symbolism | Blood; the dagger that Macbeth sees just before he kills Duncan in Act 2; the weather |
Shea Per 1 Macbeth
January 5, 2020