Macbeth is a Scottish general and the thane of Glamis who is
led to wicked thoughts by the prophecies of the three witches, especially after
their prophecy that he will be made thane of Cawdor comes true. Macbeth is a
brave soldier and a powerful man, but he is not a virtuous one. He is easily
tempted into murder to fulfill his ambitions to the throne, and once he commits
his first crime and is crowned King of Scotland, he embarks on further
atrocities with increasing ease. Ultimately, Macbeth proves himself better
suited to the battlefield than to political intrigue, because he lacks the
skills necessary to rule without being a tyrant. His response to every problem
is violence and murder.
“Life ... is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”
Lady
Macbeth:
Macbeth’s wife is a
deeply ambitious woman who has a lust for power and position. Early in the play
she seems to be the stronger and more ruthless of the two, as she urges her
husband to kill Duncan and seize the crown. After the bloodshed begins,
however, Lady Macbeth becomes a victim to guilt and madness to an even greater
degree than her husband. Her conscience affects her to such an extent that she
eventually commits suicide. Interestingly, she and Macbeth are presented as
being deeply in love, but, many of Lady Macbeth’s speeches imply that her
influence over her husband is primarily sexual.
“Yet do I fear thy
nature; It is too full o' the milk of human kindness To catch the nearest way”
Banquo:
Banquo is the brave, noble general whose children, according
to the witches’ prophecy, will inherit the Scottish throne. Like Macbeth,
Banquo thinks ambitious thoughts, but he does not translate those thoughts into
action. In a sense, Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he
represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition does
not lead to betrayal and murder. This is why, when banquo's ghost appeared at the feast, macbeth was taken back with guilt beyond belief. Banquo's character serves as a dual function: to make Macbeth's character change clearer, and to make macbeth feel the guilt of his murderous deeds.
“Good sir, why do you
start; and seem to fear Things that do sound so fair? I' the name of truth”
King
Duncan:
King Duncan is the good
King of Scotland whom Macbeth, in his ambition for the crown, murders. Duncan
is the model of a virtuous, benevolent, and farsighted ruler. His death
symbolizes the destruction of an order in Scotland that can be restored only
when Duncan’s line, in the person of Malcolm, once more occupies the throne. The murder of duncan brings out the dark side of both macbeth and lady macbeth, and kicks the play into gear. Duncan's character is crucial to the play because his death is arguably the climax, and it signifies the "death" of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's innocence, which ULTIMATELY drives Macbeth mad.
“No more that thane
of Cawdor shall deceive Our bosom interest: go pronounce his present
death, And with his former title greet
Macbeth”
The
Three Witches (The three weird sisters):
The three witches are evil witches who plot mischief against
Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. THeir presence adds a unique mysterious aspect to the play as they bring the supernatural world into the natural world. Through their rhyming chants, they ULTIMATELY cause macbeth to be overcome with a yearning for power. Their predictions prompt him to
murder Duncan, to order the deaths of Banquo and his son, and to blindly
believe in his own immortality. The witches' characters arouse a psychological questioning, not only within the play, but also within the AUDIENCE, of how the supernatural can alter fate.
"They met me in the day of success: and I have learned
by the perfects report, they have more in them than mortal knowledge"