Macbeth

Macbeth is the tragic protagonist of the play. A brave Scottish general and Thane of Glamis, he begins as a valiant and loyal subject of King Duncan. Early in the play, he is lauded for his courage in battle: "For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)" (1.2.16). However, Macbeth's ambition and susceptibility to influence lead him down a dark path.

His encounter with the Witches triggers his moral decline. Their prophecy plants the seed of ambition: "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Glamis! / All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, Thane of Cawdor! / All hail, Macbeth! That shalt be king hereafter!" (1.3.48-50).

Macbeth struggles with his conscience: "If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well / It were done quickly" (1.7.1-2), revealing his awareness of the moral consequences of killing Duncan. Despite his hesitations, he succumbs to persuasion and ambition.

As the play progresses, Macbeth becomes increasingly tyrannical and detached. After Banquo's murder, he reflects, "O, full of scorpions is my mind, dear wife!" (3.2.36), showing his mental torment. By Act 5, he has become numb: "I have supped full with horrors; / Direness, familiar to my slaughterous thoughts, / Cannot once start me" (5.5.13-15).

Macbeth's famous soliloquy following Lady Macbeth's death reveals his existential despair: "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow... / Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player... / It is a tale / Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, / Signifying nothing" (5.5.19-28).

Lady Macbeth

Lady Macbeth is Macbeth's wife and one of the most powerful female characters in Shakespeare. She is ambitious and manipulative, pushing Macbeth to murder Duncan.

She fears her husband is too kind to seize power: "Yet do I fear thy nature; / It is too full o' the milk of human kindness" (1.5.15-16).

In her famous soliloquy, she calls upon dark spirits: "Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here" (1.5.38-39), asking to be stripped of feminine weakness.

After Duncan's murder, she remains calm and practical: "A little water clears us of this deed" (2.2.66). However, guilt eventually overwhelms her. Her sleepwalking scene reveals deep psychological torment: "Out, damned spot! Out, I say!" (5.1.30).

She descends into madness, her earlier resolve unravelled. Her death, possibly by suicide, is announced in Act 5, Scene 5.

Banquo

Banquo is a noble general and Macbeth's friend. Unlike Macbeth, he does not act on the Witches' prophecies. When he hears them say his descendants will be kings, he is sceptical: "But 'tis strange: / And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths" (1.3.122-124).

Banquo is a figure of moral contrast to Macbeth. He remains loyal to Duncan and suspicious of Macbeth. Before his murder, he reflects: "Thou hast it now: king, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / Thou play'dst most foully for't" (3.1.1-3).

Even after death, Banquo’s presence haunts Macbeth, especially in the banquet scene (3.4), where his ghost appears silently.

Macduff

Macduff is a Scottish nobleman who becomes Macbeth's nemesis. He is loyal to Scotland and suspicious of Macbeth from early on. After Duncan's murder, he refuses to attend Macbeth's coronation: "Lest our old robes sit easier than our new" (2.4.38).

Macduff's loyalty to his country is clear when he joins Malcolm in England to raise an army. His reaction to the murder of his family is deeply emotional: "All my pretty ones? / Did you say all? O hell-kite! All?" (4.3.216-217).

He ultimately kills Macbeth in the final act. His revelation that he was born by Caesarean section fulfils the Witches’ prophecy: "Macduff was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped" (5.8.15-16).

The Witches (Weird Sisters)

The Three Witches are mysterious and malevolent figures who open the play and drive the action with their prophecies. They embody fate and supernatural evil.

Their chant, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair" (1.1.11), sets the tone of moral inversion. They meet Macbeth and Banquo and hail Macbeth with three titles: "Thane of Glamis," "Thane of Cawdor," and "King hereafter" (1.3.48-50).

They also prophesize that Banquo's descendants will be kings: "Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none" (1.3.67).

In Act 4, they conjure apparitions to further deceive Macbeth: a helmeted head, a bloody child, and a child crowned with a tree. Their riddling prophecies give Macbeth false confidence.

Though they speak relatively few lines, their influence pervades the play. They represent chaos, temptation, and the corrupting power of knowledge.

King Duncan

Duncan is the benevolent and trusting king of Scotland. He values loyalty and bravery: "What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won" (1.2.69). He is generous and kind, which makes Macbeth’s betrayal more heinous.

Duncan’s murder is the catalyst for Macbeth’s descent and the disruption of natural and political order.

Malcolm

Malcolm is Duncan’s eldest son and rightful heir. After his father’s murder, he flees to England: "There's daggers in men's smiles" (2.3.140). He tests Macduff’s loyalty before trusting him, showing his maturity and caution.

In the final act, he leads the English army against Macbeth, and is proclaimed king at the end of the play.

Ross

Ross is a Scottish nobleman who acts as a messenger throughout the play. He informs Macbeth of his new title: "He bade me, from him, call thee Thane of Cawdor" (1.3.105).

Ross moves between allegiances but ultimately supports Malcolm. He also delivers the tragic news to Macduff: "Your wife and babes / Savagely slaughter’d" (4.3.205-206).

Lennox

Lennox is another nobleman who witnesses Macbeth’s rise and fall. He becomes increasingly suspicious and sarcastic in his speech, especially in Act 3, Scene 6, where he ironically comments on recent events: "Things have been strangely borne."

The Porter

The Porter appears briefly in Act 2, Scene 3, providing comic relief. He pretends to be the gatekeeper of Hell: "Here's a knocking indeed! If a man were porter of hell-gate..." (2.3.1-2). His speech ironically reflects the moral hell within Macbeth’s castle.