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MACBETH
"Macbeth is a typical Shakespearean tragic hero - a great man dragged inevitably towards his own destruction by a fatal flaw in his character."
MACDUFF
"Barely noticed in the first two Acts of the play, Macduff emerges later as the noble, upright man who is fated to kill Macbeth."
PORTER
"A comic character who stars for a few minutes in Act II, scene 3 with his ribald humour."
LENNOX
"A Scottish nobleman, Lennox plays a small but important part in the play. His character serves to fill in background information and provide comment on the action."
ROSS
"A Scottish Thane, Ross serves as a messenger and to comment upon the action."
ANGUS
"A Scottish Thane, Angus serves as a messenger and to comment upon the action."
WITCHES
"The Witches represent the power of evil. They are physically and morally repulsive and delight in causing mischief."
DUNCAN
"The murdered King of Scotland. Duncan is seen to be a gentle and worthy King, although too trusting in those around him."
MALCOLM
"Duncan's eldest son, and rightful heir to the throne. A shrewd man who is shown to be worthy to inherit kingship."
DONALBAIN
"Duncan's younger son. He is cautious and shrewd, but plays no part in the later Acts of the play."
BANQUO
"A brave Scottish Thane and general, later murdered on the orders of Macbeth. Banquo retains his integrity in contrast to Macbeth."
MENTEITH
"A Scottish nobleman. A minor character."
CAITHNESS
"A Scottish nobleman. A minor character."
CAPTAIN
"A brave soldier in Duncan's army, who appears briefly in Act I to report on Macbeth's bravery in the battle against the rebels."
SEYTON
"A servant attending Macbeth. He appears in Act V."
HECATE
"The 'mistress' of the Witches. Traditionally, Hecate is the triple goddess of moon,earth and underworld. She appears in Act III,scene 5 and Act IV, scene 1."
SIWARD
"The commander of the English army which supports Malcolm against Macbeth. His son, Young Siward, is killed by Macbeth in the final battle."
DOCTOR
"Two doctors appear in the play; a Scottish one who observes Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking and an English one who reports to Malcolm and Macduff about King Edward's 'curing' ability in Act IV, scene 3."
EDWARD
"King Edward the Confessor of England does not appear personally in the play, but supports Malcolm by giving him an army, and represents a rightful monarch in contrast with Macbeth."
SCOTLAND
"The throne of Scotland is the temptation that Macbeth cannot resist. Only one scene of the play (Act IV,scene 3) is not set in Scotland."
ENGLAND
"Malcolm flees to England to escape Macbeth. He receives support from England's King Edward, and returns with an English army to oust Macbeth."
BLOOD
"One of the most powerful sets of imagery in the play. There are many references to blood, creating an atmosphere of evil around Macbeth."
SLEEP
"Sleep is referred to as natural and restful. Macbeth believes that he has murdered sleep after his crime of killing Duncan."
CLOTHING
"An important set of images in the play. The idea of Macbeth not fitting the new 'clothing' of Kingship is especially strong."
CAWDOR
"The title which Macbeth is awarded from a traitorous Thane. Ironically, he descends into even worse treachery than his predecessor."
FIFE
"An area of Scotland. Macduff is the Thane of Fife."
GLAMIS
"The title which Macbeth holds at the beginning of the play."
FORRES
"A town where King Duncan holds court after the victory over the rebels and the Norwegian army (Act I,scene 4)."
INVERNESS
"Macbeth's castle is at Inverness."
SWENO
"The King of Norway who invades Scotland prior to the beginning of the play. He is defeated by armies under the leadership of Macbeth and Banquo."
THANE
"A title of the nobles of Scotland. Macbeth is Thane of Glamis and Cawdor; Macduff is Thane of Fife."
AMBITION
"The driving force that motivates Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into their terrible crime. Macbeth refers to his 'vaulting ambition' (Act I,scene 7)."
DAGGER
"The weapon with which Macbeth murders Duncan. Before the murder, he sees a bloody dagger which leads him towards Duncan's chamber."
MURDER
"Macbeth's ambition leads him to the first murder, that of Duncan. Other murders seem an inevitable consequence of that first crime."
DECEPTION
"An important theme of the play. Often, characters or words are not what they seem."
APPEARANCE
"Appearance is contrasted with reality. Too frequently they are not the same e.g. 'Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under't (Act I,scene 5)."
SCONE
"The ancient capital of Scotland. Macbeth goes there for his coronation as King."
GHOST
"The ghost of Banquo appears to Macbeth and unnerves him, revealing his guilt in Act III, scene 4, the Banquet Scene."
FLEANCE
"Banquo's son, who escapes when his father is murdered, and later becomes ancestor of a line of Kings, believed to extend to James I (Shakespeare's King when the play was written)."
APPARITION
"Three Apparitions are conjured up by Macbeth and the Witches in Act IV,scene 1; an Armed Head, a Bloody Child, a Child Crowned with a Tree in his Hand."
BIRNAM
"The name of the wood featuring in one of the Witches' prophecies. Malcolm's soldiers cut off branches to disguise their numbers, and the wood seems to move towards Dunsinane."
DUNSINANE
"The site of Macbeth's castle near Inverness."
GENTLEWOMAN
"A maid who attends on Lady Macbeth, and who witnesses her sleepwalking in Act , scene 1."