Characters


‘Our fears in Banquo Stick deep, and in his royalty of nature Reigns that which would be feared: ‘tis much he dares; And, to that dauntless temper of his mind, He hath a wisdom that doth guide his valour To act in safety. There is none but he Whose being I do fear’ (Act 3, Sc 1)


WhenMacbethwaswritten itwas thought thatKing James Iwas a direct descendent of Banquo. The witches show Macbeth a procession of kings followed by Banquo. This illustrates the notion that Banquo is an ancestor of the British monarchs. Shakespeare was therefore keen to please James I by stressing Banquo’s innate nobility and ‘royalty of nature’.


Banquo:


Afoil (contrast) to Macbeth  Ambitious but not corruptible  Suspicious of Macbeth Virtuous


Macduff


Macduff represents moral fortitude, patriotism and the forces of good within the play. However, because Macduff is undeveloped as a character, his triumph over evil fails to inspire the audience. He is also a flawed character: he makes many unwise choices within the play.


Patriotic and Loyal Fromthe firstmoment he enters the stage,Macduff reveals the intensity of his loyalty to king and country. He is the most visibly distressed by the news of Duncan’s murder. So traumatised is he by the sight ofDuncan’s body that he struggles to articulatewhat he has discovered: ‘Ohorror!Horror! Horror! Tongue nor heart / Cannot conceive nor name thee!’ (Act 2, Sc 3). His reverence for Duncan is displayed when he uses religious terminology to describe Duncan: ‘Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope The Lord’s anointed temple, and stole thence The life o’ the building!’ (Act 2, Sc 3)


Macduff echoes the Elizabethan concept of a king being God’s representative on earth. His patriotism is evident throughout the play. It is he who goes to England to enlist the help of


King Edward andMalcolm.Macduff’s loyalty to Scotland is tested byMalcolmwho falsely presents himself as unfit to be king. This test of Macduff’s loyalty is obvious and transparent. However Macduff lacks the wisdom to see this; his immediate reaction is a passionate outburst lamenting Scotland’s future:


‘O nation miserable, With an untitled tyrant bloody-sceptred, When shalt thou see thy wholesome days again, Since that the truest issue of thy throne By his own interdiction stands accursed, And does blaspheme his breed?’ (Act 4, Sc 3)


As a loyal patriot, his emotions are bound up with the fate of his country. 151


Macbeth


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