Who are the key characters in Macbeth?
Published on 31 March 2025
William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a dark and thrilling tale of ambition, power, and fate. First performed in the early 1600s, this tragedy has captivated audiences for centuries with its haunting supernatural elements and relentless descent into madness. Its characters are among the most famous in theatre history, bringing to life the treacherous world of medieval Scotland, where loyalty is a fragile thing and destiny is written in blood.
Macbeth
Once a valiant and noble Scottish general, Macbeth is the play’s tragic hero - or, depending on how you see it, its ultimate villain. At the start of the play, he is a loyal subject of King Duncan, admired for his bravery in battle. But after receiving a prophecy from three mysterious witches that he will become king, ambition consumes him. Encouraged by his equally ruthless wife, he takes matters into his own hands, murdering Duncan and seizing the throne. However, the crown weighs heavy on his head, and paranoia drives him into a spiral of further violence and madness. Macbeth’s journey from war hero to tyrannical ruler is one of Shakespeare’s most compelling portrayals of ambition gone wrong.
Famous faces who have played Macbeth include; Laurence Olivier, David Tennant, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy and Daniel Craig.
Lady Macbeth
If Macbeth is ambitious, Lady Macbeth is downright relentless. She is the mastermind behind Duncan’s murder, pushing her husband to act when he hesitates. Her iconic speech where she calls upon spirits to “unsex” her, stripping her of any perceived feminine weakness, reveals her determination to seize power at any cost. However, while she starts off as the driving force behind Macbeth’s rise, she is ultimately undone by her own guilt. The once-fearless queen becomes haunted by her actions, leading to her famous sleepwalking scene where she tries to wash imaginary blood from her hands. Her descent into madness is as tragic as it is chilling.
Famous faces who have played Lady Macbeth include; Helen McCrory, Dame Judi Dench, Cush Jumbo, Vivien Leigh, Frances McDormand and Saoirse Ronan.
The Three Witches
Few characters in literature are as eerily captivating as the Weird Sisters. These three witches, with their cryptic prophecies and sinister rhymes (“Double, double, toil and trouble…”), set the entire play in motion. Whether they are merely messengers of fate or actively manipulating events is up for debate, but their influence on Macbeth is undeniable. Their predictions fuel his ambition, and their final warnings - delivered in deliberately misleading riddles - lull him into a false sense of security, sealing his doom.
Banquo
Banquo is Macbeth’s fellow general and, for a brief time, his closest ally. Unlike Macbeth, Banquo is wary of the witches’ prophecies, suspecting they may lead to trouble. He is promised that his descendants will one day rule Scotland, a fact that unnerves Macbeth. Though Banquo remains noble and loyal, his fate is sealed when Macbeth sees him as a threat. His murder is one of the play’s most chilling moments - but even in death, he refuses to be silenced, returning as a ghost to haunt his former friend.
King Duncan
The unfortunate King Duncan is the very picture of a good ruler - kind, just, and trusting to a fault. His murder at the hands of Macbeth is the play’s turning point, shattering any semblance of order and plunging Scotland into chaos. While he doesn’t have much stage time, his presence looms large over the play as a symbol of the rightful order that Macbeth has disrupted.
Macduff
If Macbeth is the play’s tragic hero, Macduff is its avenger. A nobleman of Scotland, he quickly becomes suspicious of Macbeth’s reign and flees to England to rally support against him. His story takes a brutal turn when Macbeth orders the slaughter of his entire family - a crime that cements the audience’s hatred for the tyrant. Macduff’s revenge is swift and poetic, as he ultimately kills Macbeth in the play’s climactic battle. His iconic revelation that he was “from his mother’s womb untimely ripped” (i.e., born via C-section) fulfills the witches’ final prophecy, proving that Macbeth was never safe from fate after all.
Malcolm
Malcolm is King Duncan’s son and the rightful heir to the Scottish throne. At first, he seems hesitant to take on the role of king, fleeing to England after his father’s murder. However, by the end of the play, he emerges as a strong leader, leading the charge to overthrow Macbeth and restore peace to Scotland. His return to power marks the restoration of order - though, given the witches’ influence, one can’t help but wonder if Scotland is truly free from chaos.
Fleance
The son of Banquo, Fleance doesn’t have many lines, but his survival is crucial to the play’s themes. The witches predict that Banquo’s descendants will rule Scotland, making Fleance a key figure in this prophecy. Although he escapes Macbeth’s attempt to have him killed, his fate remains unknown by the play’s end. Shakespeare leaves the audience wondering - does Fleance go on to fulfill the prophecy, or does the cycle of bloodshed continue?
Why Macbeth Rules
From the ambitious Macbeth to the enigmatic witches, the characters of Macbeth bring Shakespeare’s darkest tragedy to life. It’s a tale of power, prophecy, and paranoia, where even the bravest warriors can fall and the supernatural always has the last word.
