MAIN CHARACTERS IN MACBETH
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MACBETH: A brave general in the king's army and Thane (landowner) of Glamis. He is an ambitious and powerful man but not a virtuous one. Easily tempted into murder in order to fulfill his ambitions.
LADY MACBETH: Macbeth's wife, a deeply ambitious women especially towards her husband. She is capable of extreme behaviour and knows how to persuade others to her point of view. She acknowledges her husband's goodness but is aware that she can make him do as she wants him to do. Macbeth's speeches imply that her influence over her husband is primarily sexual.
DUNCAN: King of Scotland, whom Macbeth , in his ambition for the crown murders. A wise, noble, gracious king who has the admiration of all his subjects. He is generous to those who win his praise. He trust those who have shown incredible loyalty to him and recognises that you cannot tell what is in a man's heart by his facial expression. He is father to Malcolm and Donalbain, and is the Macbeth's cousin (literally kinsman)
BANQUO: Another general in the king's army. Macbeth's equal in every way, as established in the early scenes. He is brave, loyal and wise but not as ambitious as Macbeth. Banquo’s character stands as a rebuke to Macbeth, since he represents the path Macbeth chose not to take: a path in which ambition need not lead to betrayal and murder. Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth.
MACDUFF: A lord of Scotland and friend to Macbeth. He becomes caught up in Macbeth's plot for greatly unknown reasons. He is fierce, passionate and loyal to King Duncan, more importantly, to Scotland.
MALCOLM: King Duncan's oldest son became heir to the Scottish throne when proclaimed Prince of Cumberland. He is wise because he realises when he is in sufficient danger that he has to run and regroup. He admires good Kings and hopes one day to be one.
LENNOX AND ROSS: Scottish noblemen.
THE THREE WITCHES: Three un-human like creatures who plot mischief against Macbeth using charms, spells, and prophecies. The predictions prompt him to murder Duncan. The play leaves the witches true identity unclear. They clearly take delight in using their knowledge of the future to toy with and destroy human beings.
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Here are a few interpretations of what the characters could possibly look like: |