Character guide

Macbeth

major

Also known as Macbeth One, Macbeth Ourself, Macbeth Aside, Macbeth Hark, Macbeth Ay

Macbeth returns from victory crowned Thane of Cawdor, the witches' first prophecy already true, and Duncan's naming of Malcolm as heir plants a step he feels he must either fall from or leap over. He is a man of conscience who hears his own ambition as something black and deep, wanting to win rightly yet drawn to the wrong road. His struggle between loyalty and desire drives the play's central question: how far will a good man go once imagination tastes the crown.

Lady Macbeth

major

Also known as Lady Macbeth Alack, Lady Macbeth Nought, Lady Macbeth Who dares receive it other

Where her husband hesitates, Lady Macbeth calculates, calling on spirits to unsex her and thicken her blood so no compunction can shake her purpose. She fears his nature is too full of the milk of human kindness to catch the nearest way, so she plans to pour her spirits in his ear and take the night's great business into her own dispatch. Her bond with Macbeth is a partnership of greatness that will be tested by every murder it demands.

Banquo

supporting

Also known as Noble Banquo, worthy Banquo, O Banquo, Banquo All, Banquo Ay, the right-valiant Banquo

Banquo shares the prophecy that made Macbeth king, but the witches also promised his own sons would be kings, a hope he keeps hushed and half-believed. He is brave, loyal, and shrewd enough to note that Macbeth played most foully for what he has, yet he stays close to court and to the new king. His presence is a living reminder that the witches' words may not be finished, and his friendship becomes the thing Macbeth cannot afford to keep.

Macduff

major

Also known as the good Macduff, thither Macduff, Sinful Macduff, worthy Macduff, Macduff Confusion, Macduff Turn, Macduff Bleed

Macduff is the loyal thane who discovers Duncan's body, declines to attend Macbeth's investiture at Scone, and quietly returns to Fife rather than wear the new king's favor. His wife and children remain at his castle, and his decision to leave them behind becomes the play's sharpest test of what loyalty costs a family. He is the man who does not bend, and his steady refusal is the first crack in Macbeth's grip on Scotland.

Malcolm

supporting

Also known as Malcolm O, Malcolm Aside, Malcolm It, Malcolm Macduff, Malcolm Well, young Malcolm, Malcolm The worthy thane of Ross

When his father is murdered, Malcolm does not stay to mourn or to be mourned; he reads the danger in men's smiles and rides for England, leaving suspicion to fall on him. He is young, watchful, and already learning that survival requires distance from the very court he should inherit. His absence becomes the rallying point for those who will not accept Macbeth, and his return shapes the play's final movement.

King Duncan

supporting

Also known as Duncan Dismay'd, Duncan True, this Duncan Hath, The unguarded Duncan, Wake Duncan, The gracious Duncan

Duncan is a ruler whose virtues are so clear in his great office that they plead like angels, and whose trust in his host is absolute enough to make him the perfect guest. He rewards Macbeth with the title of Cawdor, names Malcolm Prince of Cumberland, and arrives at Inverness full of joy and gratitude. His warmth is the measure against which every later act of treachery will be judged, and his death is the hinge on which the whole play turns.

Lady Macduff

supporting

Also known as Poor bird, Poor prattler, Lady Macduff Ay, Lady Macduff Why, Lady Macduff Whither, Lady Macduff Sirrah, Lady Macduff Wisdom

She is the lady of Macduff's castle, left behind with her children when her husband slips away to England, and she reads his flight as betrayal rather than prudence. Her scene with her witty son — sparring over traitors, birds, and fathers — shows a woman whose fierce maternal love is matched by a refusal to be comforted by easy answers. Her insistence that Macduff 'loves us not' sharpens the play's question of what a man owes his family when his country is at stake, and her household becomes the moral counterweight to Macbeth's court.

Ross

supporting

Also known as Angus, Ross Sir, Ross Alas, Ross Ay, Ross That now Sweno

Ross is a nobleman and reliable messenger whose appearances stitch together the play's scattered locations, from the king's camp to Macduff's castle to the feast where Banquo's ghost appears. At that banquet he is the first to urge the guests to rise when Macbeth starts raving, a small act of social courage in a room full of frozen lords. His role as bearer of hard news — to Lady Macduff, and later to Macduff himself — makes him a witness to the human cost of Macbeth's reign rather than a participant in its violence.

Lennox

supporting

Also known as Lennox Macbeth

Lennox is a thane whose steady presence at court makes him a useful barometer of what Scotland's nobles are willing to say aloud. On the morning after Duncan's murder he describes the unruly night — chimneys blown down, lamentings in the air, the earth feverish — and then coolly reports that the king's own chamberlains seemed the culprits. His growing distrust of Macbeth, voiced in guarded conversation with another lord, marks the shift from public loyalty to private doubt that will eventually rally the opposition.

Angus

minor

Scottish thane loyal to Malcolm.

Donalbain

minor

Duncan's younger son who flees to Ireland after the murder.

Hecate

minor

Also known as Pale Hecate

Goddess of witchcraft who chides the three witches.

Three Witches

supporting

Also known as Witch Banquo, Witch

They are the play's supernatural instigators, gathering in fog and filthy air to plan a meeting with Macbeth before the battle is even won. Their chant — 'Fair is foul, and foul is fair' — sets the moral weather of the whole tragedy, and their habit of speaking truth in ways that damn is their signature weapon. By hailing Macbeth as thane of Cawdor and king hereafter, they plant the ambition that will consume him, while their masters, Graymalkin and Paddock, hint that they answer to something darker still.

Fleance

minor

Also known as good Fleance, Fly good Fleance

Banquo's son who escapes the murderers.

Siward

minor

Also known as Old Siward, good Siward, old Siward

Earl of Northumberland who leads English forces against Macbeth.

Young Siward

minor

Siward's son, killed by Macbeth in battle.

Seyton

minor

Macbeth's armourer and attendant.

Doctor

minor

Also known as Doctor Hark

Physician who observes Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking.

Gentlewoman

minor

Also known as Gentlewoman Ay

Lady Macbeth's waiting woman who reports her sleepwalking.

Murderers

minor

Also known as Third Murderer Macbeth

Hired killers who assassinate Banquo and attempt to kill Fleance.

Lord

minor

Also known as Lord The son of Duncan

Scottish nobleman who speaks of Malcolm's exile.

Porter

minor

Gatekeeper at Macbeth's castle who delivers a comic monologue.

Macdonwald

minor

Also known as The merciless Macdonwald

Rebel leader defeated by Macbeth before the play begins.

Thane of Cawdor

minor

Traitor executed by Duncan; his title is given to Macbeth.

King of Norway

minor

Also known as Sweno

Invader defeated by Macbeth and Banquo.