Foundation to Mastery
Macbeth characters
Characters are people first and techniques second. Learn who they are, then how Shakespeare builds them.
Macbeth
Tragic heroA respected Scottish general who becomes king by murdering the man he serves.
What they do
- • Wins a battle and is rewarded by Duncan.
- • Murders Duncan and takes the throne.
- • Has Banquo killed, then Macduff's family.
- • Dies fighting Macduff.
How they change
- • Act 1: brave, admired, uneasy about what he is imagining.
- • Act 2: horrified by what he has done, barely able to speak about it.
- • Act 3: secretive, ruthless, hunted by his own guilt.
- • Act 4–5: numb, cruel, then finally defiant.
Relationships
- Lady Macbeth: Equal partners, then strangers. He stops telling her anything.
- Banquo: A friend who becomes a threat, then a ghost.
- Duncan: A king who trusts him completely — which is what makes the murder monstrous.
- Macduff: The man who will not accept him, and the man who kills him.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • Soliloquies let us hear his conscience arguing with itself.
- • His imagery is full of blood, sleep and darkness — his guilt shapes his language.
- • Shakespeare gives him doubt before every crime, so we never lose sympathy completely.
“Vaulting ambition, which o'erleaps itself”“Macbeth does murder sleep”“Blood will have blood”“Signifying nothing”
Your challenge
Choose one quotation and explain what it shows about how Macbeth feels.
Build this as a PRTEE paragraphLady Macbeth
Driver of the plot, then its victimMacbeth's wife, who decides on the murder before he does.
What they do
- • Reads the letter and plans Duncan's death.
- • Persuades Macbeth when he refuses.
- • Covers for him at the banquet.
- • Sleepwalks, and dies offstage.
How they change
- • Act 1: controlled, commanding, willing to become cruel.
- • Act 2: practical about blood, dismissive of guilt.
- • Act 3: excluded from her husband's plans.
- • Act 5: sleepless, broken, destroyed by the guilt she denied.
Relationships
- Macbeth: She leads, then loses him entirely.
- The witches: Not connected, but her language borrows their darkness.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • Imperatives and commands make her sound powerful early on.
- • Shakespeare shifts her from verse to prose in Act 5 — her control collapses in the form itself.
- • Her Act 5 lines echo her Act 2 lines, so the play punishes her with her own words.
“Unsex me here”“Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't”“A little water clears us of this deed”“Out, damned spot”
Your challenge
Find one quotation that shows her power, and one that shows her guilt.
Build this as a PRTEE paragraphBanquo
The alternative MacbethA general who hears the same prophecy and does nothing about it.
What they do
- • Hears his children will be kings.
- • Suspects Macbeth after Duncan's death but stays silent.
- • Is murdered; his son Fleance escapes.
- • Returns as a ghost at the banquet.
How they change
- • Curious but cautious in Act 1.
- • Suspicious and quiet in Act 3.
- • A silent, accusing presence after death.
Relationships
- Macbeth: A friend Macbeth must destroy to feel safe.
- Fleance: The future Macbeth cannot kill.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • He proves the prophecy did not force Macbeth's hand — he heard it too and waited.
- • Shakespeare flatters King James, who claimed descent from Banquo's line.
“The instruments of darkness tell us truths”
Your challenge
Why is it important that Banquo hears the prophecy as well?
Build this as a PRTEE paragraphMacduff
The avengerA Scottish nobleman who refuses to accept Macbeth as king.
What they do
- • Discovers Duncan's body.
- • Leaves for England, and his family is murdered in his absence.
- • Grieves openly, then joins Malcolm.
- • Kills Macbeth.
How they change
- • Loyal servant of the crown.
- • A man broken by grief who chooses to feel it before he fights.
- • The instrument that restores order.
Relationships
- Macbeth: Suspicion, then hatred, then the final fight.
- Malcolm: He tests Macduff before trusting him.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • His grief offers a different model of manhood from Lady Macbeth's.
- • Shakespeare makes his family's murder senseless, so the audience wants Macbeth defeated.
“I must also feel it as a man”
Your challenge
How does Macduff react to the news, and what does that show?
Build this as a PRTEE paragraphKing Duncan
The good kingThe rightful king of Scotland, generous and trusting.
What they do
- • Rewards Macbeth.
- • Visits Macbeth's castle as a guest.
- • Is murdered in his sleep.
How they change
- • He does not change — he is a fixed standard that Macbeth is measured against.
Relationships
- Macbeth: Absolute trust, badly placed.
- Malcolm: Names him heir, which is what blocks Macbeth's path.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • His kindness makes the crime worse: guest, kinsman and king in one victim.
- • Killing him breaks the natural order, which is why the play fills with storms and darkness afterwards.
“Golden opinions from all sorts of people”
Your challenge
How does Shakespeare make Duncan likeable before he dies?
Build this as a PRTEE paragraphMalcolm
The rightful heirDuncan's older son, who flees to England and returns with an army.
What they do
- • Is named heir, which frustrates Macbeth's ambition.
- • Escapes after his father's murder.
- • Tests Macduff's loyalty.
- • Becomes king at the end.
How they change
- • Frightened young man to careful, calculating king.
Relationships
- Macduff: Tests him with lies before trusting him.
- Duncan: Inherits both the throne and the standard of good kingship.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • His caution shows he has learned what trusting the wrong man costs.
- • The play ends with him, so order is restored — the ending James I would want.
The Witches
The temptationThree figures who predict Macbeth's future in words with more than one meaning.
What they do
- • Greet Macbeth with three titles.
- • Give Banquo a prophecy about his children.
- • Return in Act 4 with predictions that sound like protection.
How they change
- • They do not change. What changes is how much Macbeth needs them.
Relationships
- Macbeth: They never command him — they only tell him what he already wants.
- Banquo: He calls them untrustworthy and does nothing.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • Their rhythm is different from everyone else's, so they sound unnatural on stage.
- • Their language is deliberately double-edged: true and misleading at the same time.
“Fair is foul, and foul is fair”“The instruments of darkness tell us truths”
Fleance
The escapeBanquo's son, who survives the ambush.
What they do
- • Escapes into the dark while his father is killed.
How they change
- • He barely appears — his importance is that he lives.
Relationships
- Banquo: The future promised to his father's line.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • One survivor is enough to make Macbeth's crimes pointless.
- • His escape keeps the prophecy alive and Macbeth afraid.
Donalbain
The other sonDuncan's younger son, who flees to Ireland.
What they do
- • Leaves Scotland immediately after his father's murder.
How they change
- • Almost none — he leaves and does not return.
Relationships
- Malcolm: They separate deliberately, so both cannot be killed.
How Shakespeare presents them
- • His flight makes the brothers look guilty, which conveniently protects Macbeth.
- • Shakespeare uses him to show how fast fear spreads once a king is killed.