MINOR CHARACTERS
Who are the minor characters?
Do you know your Macduffs from your Macdonwalds? Your Seytons and your servents? There are over 37 different characters in Macbeth with a line. And lots more like Macdonwald who are just mentioned. Here is a run down of the Macbeth Comic Universe.
Duncan's Sons
King Duncan (King of Scotland at the start of the play) has two sons and certainly Malcolm becomes a more major character towards the end. After the murder of their father, they both fear they will be next and flee Scotland.
Malcolm
Donalbain
Malcolm is Duncan's first born son. He is named Prince of Cumberland, which means that he will take over as king when his father dies.
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Malcolm flees to England after the death of his father in fear allowing Macbeth to pin suspicion of the murder on him.
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Eventually Malcolm raises an army with Macbeth and support of England to defeat Macbeth and become king. We don't know how this ends for him but he seems to have the good qualities of his father without being so naïve.
Donalbain is Duncan's second son. After his murder it his Donalbain who suggests they quickly leave. Unlike his brother Malcolm, Donalbain flees to Ireland. The idea of splitting up is to make it harder for whoever might be trying to kill them.
After this Donalbain never appears in the play again.
THE THANES AND THEIR FAMILIES
A thane is a man who is granted land and power by the king. It is similar to a lord. Anyone who is a thane in Macbeth is someone we know is powerful
BANQUO
Thane of Lochaber
Macbeth's close friend who ends up getting stabbed twenty times by the assassins he sends. Check out Banquo in main characters
FLEANCE
Banquo's son. The witches say in their prophecy that Banquo's children will be kings and that's enough to put a target on this young lad's head.
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Fleance escapes from Macbeth's assassins and we never hear from him again
MACDUFF
Thane of Fife
The man who chops off Macbeth's head and remains loyal to the crown of Scotland. Born of caesarian section, it is fate that he is the one to kill Macbeth. Check out Macduff in main characters
LADY MACDUFF
Lady Macduff is left vulnerable when Macduff travels to England to raise an army against Macbeth. Macbeth soon sends his minions her way and she and her family are massacred.
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She seems a little upset at her husband and says that even the "tiny mother wren" (a small bird) guards her nest. A dig at her husband leaving them unprotected
MACDUFF'S SON
Macduff's son isn't given a name in the play, but he appears quite young. He is brave and loyal as the murderers arrive at his house. He insults one as a "shag-eared villain".
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Despite this his role in the play is short and he is quickly killed. In one of the more odd lines in the play the murderer says to the son “What, you egg!” before stabbing him
ROSS
Thane of Ross
Ross always brings the news. He tells Duncan about the Thane of Cawdor being defeated and Macduff about his family being murdered.
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Ross doesn't seem to have many views of his own and just acts as a messenger. It's really only after Lady Macduff is murdered (a relative of his) that he stops supporting Macbeth
ANGUS
Thane of Angus
Angus accompanies Ross lots throughout the play. He also deserts Macbeth after Macduff invades. He is a quiet man and often hovers about in scenes not really speaking
LENNOX
Thane of Lennox
Lennox joins Ross and Angus in turning against Macbeth at the end of the play.
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Before that his major role was to join Macduff in finding Duncan murdered. As a character he gives us clues that the great chain of being has been broken when he talks about the stormy weather
Other Minor Characters
Porter
The drunken porter, works for Macbeth. He makes rude jokes about sex and drinking and drunkenly imagines he is working at the gates of hell rather than Macbeth's front gate.
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He provides some comic relief after the murder of Duncan and is used to joke about current events happening in the news in 1606
Siward and Young Siward
Siward is a general in the English forces that the king of England has sent to help Malcolm and Macduff defeat Macbeth.
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Young Siward is his son. We don't know much about him but he is "unrough" so doesn't have beard. Maybe in his early teens, he is straight in there in battle and calls Macbeth an "abhorred tyrant". Macbeth kills him however and Siward grieves for his son's death at the end of the play.
Hecate
Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft or queen of the witches. She does not appear in the opening scene with the witches but later turns up to tell them off for meddling with Macbeth without her permission. She quickly takes control of the situation and is key to the witches second set of prophecies.
The Captain
A captain in Duncan's army. The captain was there at Macbeth's great victory. As the battle happens before the play starts we need the Captain to tell us what has happened.
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The captain telling us how "brave" and "valiant" Macbeth was is also a great way to introduce the character. It's a quick and easy way to show us he's an amazing guy without him saying it himself and seeming arrogant
Gentlewoman and Doctor
They are employed in Macbeth's household and when Lady Macbeth is sleepwalking they hear her when she begins to admit everything she has done.
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Together they decide that Lady Macbeth is going insane and they wonder why she carries a light with her at all times and wants to keep washing her hands.
Murderers
Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo. He plots with them and makes sure they understand they need to kill his son too. They seem to have no moral problem in doing so. Despite this, they mess it up and Banquo is murdered with "twenty trenched gashes" but his son Fleance escapes.
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Interestingly there is a random third murderer when they go to kill Banquo. Who is this? Some speculate it is Macbeth himself