Macbeth
Macbeth is the main character in the play, he is a physically powerful man. He is also very brave, and violent during battle. As stated by a captain," For brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name—
Disdaining fortune, with his brandished steel,
Which smoked with bloody execution,
Like valor’s minion carved out his passage
20Till he faced the slave;
Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,
Till he unseamed him from the nave to th' chops,
And fixed his head upon our battlements." (1.2.16-23) Macbeth is also very ambitious, he even kills the King of Scotland in order to become King himself.
Lady Macbeth
Like her husband, Lady Macbeth is very ambitious, she is also manipulative. She is important to the play because she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan. She does this by telling him that it would be cowardly not to, and that he was not a man if he didn't do it. She says: "Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own'esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon “I would'" (1.7.41-44)
The Three Witches
Macbeth describes the three witches as "withered and so wild in their attire,
That look not like th' inhabitants o' th' Earth,
And yet are on ’t?—Live you? Or are you aught
That man may question? You seem to understand me,
By each at once her choppy finger laying
Upon her skinny lips. You should be women,
And yet your beards forbid me to interpret
That you are so." (1.3.40-46) The witches are evil and conniving, they plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies.
Banquo
Banquo is a brave and loyal general whose descendants will become Kings, according to the witches prophecy. He is killed by three murderers sent by Macbeth
King Duncan
King Duncan is virtuous and moral. As Macbeth says to himself in Act 1, Scene 6: "Duncan
Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been
So clear in his great office, that his virtues
Will plead like angels" (1.6.16-19)
Macduff
Macduff is a brave Scotish nobleman who leads the army that against Macbeth after Macbeth kills Macduffs wife and children. After Macbeth kills his family, Macduff seeks revenge in Act 5, Scene 8. He says, "Of all men else I have avoided thee.
But get thee back. My soul is too much charged
With blood of thine already. I have no words.
My voice is in my sword. Thou bloodier villain
Than terms can give thee out!" (5.8.5-8)
Malcolm
Malcolm, King Duncan's son, he is noble and honest. He conspires against Macbeth with Macduff in Act 4 Scene 3.
Fleance
Banquos' son, presumably becomes the King of Scotland after Macbeth is killed. He is weak and cowardly. He escapes from the three murderers instead of attempting to save his father in Act 4, Scene 3.
Lennox
Lenox is a Scottish nobleman, loyal to King Duncan
Ross
Ross is also a Scottish nobleman, loyal to King Duncan
The Murderers
The murderers are told by Macbeth to murder Banquo and Fleance, as well as Macduff and his family. They stabbed Banquo 20 times in the head after killing him. This shows how violent they are. The first murderer says to Macbeth about Banquo: "Ay, my good lord. Safe in a ditch he bides,
With twenty trenchèd gashes on his head,
The least a death to nature." (3.4.27-29) They are also very naive for believing Macbeth when he convinces them to kill Banquo. He says: "Well then, now
Have you considered of my speeches? Know
That it was he, in the times past, which held you
So under fortune, which you thought had been
Our innocent self." (3.1.78-85)
Donalbain
Donalbain is King Duncans other son. He is smart and responsible. In Act 2, Scene 3, he suggests that both he and Malcolm leave Scotland after their father is killed. He probably suspects that Macbeth is the real killer, and he knows that he and his brother will be accused of the murder.
The play Macbeth was written in 1606, however it actually takes place during the 11th century
The majority of the play takes place in northern Scotland, a place that is often dark, dreary, and damp.
Most is set inside Macbeth's castle at Dunsinane.
Macbeth also visits the witches, who live in a marsh.
The Woods of Birnam are also mentioned throughout the play, and it is here that the English troops hide before the battle at the end of the play.
Some scenes are set in England where Malcolm and Macduff flee to escape from Macbeth.
King Duncan's other son Donalbain flees to Ireland after Macbeth murders his father
Power, Corruption and Ambition
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both motivated by their ambition. Their desire for power causes them to disregard moral constraints. In Act 1, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan so that he will become King. She says "To catch the nearest way: thou wouldst be great,
Art not without ambition, but without
The illness should attend it." (1.6.5) But later in the play, Macbeth becomes fearful that he will lose his power, as the witches had prophesied, so he has Banquo killed and attempts to kill his son Fleance. He also has Macduffs family and servants killed, as well as anyone else he viewed as a threat to his power.
Gender Roles and Relationships
Macbeth and Lady Macbeth
At the beginning of the story, Lady Macbeth is both more ambitious, and ruthless than Macbeth himself. She is important to the play because she convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan. She does this by telling him that it would be cowardly not to, and that he was not a man if he didn't do it. She says: "Wouldst thou have that
Which thou esteem’st the ornament of life,
And live a coward in thine own'esteem,
Letting 'I dare not' wait upon “I would'" (1.7.41-44)
Macduff and Lady Macduff
Similarly, Lady Macduff is upset at her husband for acting cowardly. Macduff fled to England to escape Macbeth, and left his wife and children behind. She says: "To leave his wife, to leave his babes,
His mansion and his titles in a place
From whence himself does fly? He loves us not;
He wants the natural touch. For the poor wren,
The most diminutive of birds, will fight,
Her young ones in her nest, against the owl.
All is the fear and nothing is the love,
As little is the wisdom, where the flight
So runs against all reason." (4.2.6-14)
The Negative Effects of Guilt
Both Macbeth and Lady Macbeth experience the negative affects of guilt. In Act 1, Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth to kill King Duncan, although he is very reluctant and feels very guilty afterwards. Lady Macbeth, however, does not appear to feel any guilt at all until Act 4, scene 3, when she begins speaking and walking in her sleep, while rubbing her hands together. "It is an accustomed action with her to seem thus washing her hands. I have known her continue in this a quarter of an hour." (5.1.20) I believe that she feels responsible for the death of King Duncan, and for the deaths of everyone else Macbeth killed. Lady Macbeth feels so guilty that she kills herself at the very end of the play.
While sleepwalking, Lady Macbeth says: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!—One, two. Why, then, ’tis time to do ’t. Hell is murky!—Fie, my lord, fie! A soldier, and afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our power to account?—Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him." (5.1.25-28) and then: "The thane of Fife had a wife. Where is she now?—What, will these hands ne'er be clean?—No more o' that, my lord, no more o' that. You mar all with this starting."
After killing King Duncan, Macbeth's hands are covered in blood, and he says to Lady Macbeth: "What hands are here? Ha! They pluck out mine eyes.
Will all great Neptune’s ocean wash this blood
Clean from my hand? No, this my hand will rather
The multitudinous seas incarnadine,
Making the green one red." (2.2.59-63)
Appearance vs. Reality
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth is respected and trusted by King Duncan, Banquo, and everyone else in Scotland. He appears to be a brave and honorable man. But in reality, Macbeth is a deceptive tyrant willing to do anything to become king. This is evident in Act 2, Scene 4, when Macbeth invites Banquo to a solemn banquet at his house after sending three murderers to kill him. He calls Banquo the "chief guest," although he knows Banquo will be dead before the start of the banquet. He is only hosting the banquet so that the other guests will see him at his castle around the same time as the murder.
Before killing King Duncan, Macbeth says that the "false face must hide what the false heart doth know" (1.7.93)
Macbeth also lies to the three murderers when trying to convince them to kill Banquo. He says to them about Banquo: "Well then, now
Have you considered of my speeches? Know
That it was he, in the times past, which held you
So under fortune, which you thought had been
Our innocent self." (3.1.78-85)
The witches appear to deliver good news to both Banquo and Macbeth, however, they are actually evil, and although their prophecies are true, they are intentionally misleading, and lead to the death of both Macbeth and Banquo. For example, the witches tell Macbeth that he should fear no man born from a women in Act 4, Scene 1, but he is eventually killed by Macduff, who was "from his mother’s womb
Untimely ripped." (5.7.15) At this time, Macbeth realises the witches had deceived him. He says: "And be these juggling fiends no more believed,
That palter with us in a double sense,
That keep the word of promise to our ear,
And break it to our hope. I’ll not fight with thee." (5.8.19-24)
Fate Vs. Free Will
At the beginning of the play, the three witches approach Macbeth with prophecies that will all come true at the end, however they only come true as a result of Macbeth's own actions. For example, in Act 1, Scene 3, the witches tell Macbeth that he will become the Thane of Cawdor, and then the King. He is skeptical at first, but then he is given that position for his bravery in a battle. This causes Macbeth to believe that he is following a predestined path, so he decides to kill King Duncan, as it is the only way he could ever become King himself. He chose to pursue a path that he knew would result in the fulfillment of the prophecies. If he had chosen not to kill King Duncan, he never would've become King.
Man vs Man
Macbeth vs MacDuff
Macbeth becomes suspicious of Macduff when he does not attend his inauguration. Later in the play, the three witches tell Macbeth to beware Macduff, so he has Macduff's entire family killed. Macduff had already fled to England, but he soon returns to Scotland with an army, and kills Macbeth in retaliation.
Macbeth vs Banquo
Banquo and Macbeth both hear the witches prophecy, but only Macbeth attempts to fulfill the prophecies using violence. Macbeth sends three murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance, after the three witches tell him that Banquos' descendants would be Kings, instead of his own. But Fleance escapes to England, and I assume he eventually becomes King, after Macbeth is killed.
Macbeth vs Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth manipulates Macbeth by calling him cowardly and telling him that he is not a man if he doesn't do what she asks.
Macbeth vs King Duncan
Macbeth murders King Duncan and becomes the new King
Man vs Self
Macbeth vs Macbeth
Macbeth struggles with the decision to kill King Duncan, and then feels very guilty afterwards.
Lady Macbeth vs Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth also feels very guilty for persuading Macbeth to Kill King Duncan, and probably feels responsible for the deaths of everyone else Macbeth kills as a result.
Man vs Society
Macbeth vs England and Scotland
At the end of the play an army from England attacks Macbeth's castle, and Scotland's own army does not resist the attack. Even most of the Thanes abandon Macbeth.
Towards the end of the play, Malcom says to Macduff: "I think our country sinks beneath the yoke.
It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash
Is added to her wounds. I think withal
There would be hands uplifted in my right;
And here from gracious England have I offer
Of goodly thousands." (4.3.40-45)