Macbeth (Shakespeare) Character Description of King Duncan and Macbeth.

Macbeth is seen as a “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” (I, ii, 24). He is a brave warrior who is well respected in his community, until the witches prophesied to him that he would one day be king (I, iii, 50). Macbeth interprets that he must act to fulfill the prophecy. He sends a letter to lady Macbeth asking what to do. She suggests that he should kill Duncan. Macbeth follows the plan and kills Duncan (II, ii, 15). Directly following the murder Macbeth can no longer say amen

King Duncan was an honest king favored by many. His generosity is shown when he titles Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. King Duncan proclaims, “No more that thane of Cawdor shall deceive our bosom interest: go pronounce his present death, and with his former title greet Macbeth” (Shakespeare 8). King Duncan is munificent, but gave Macbeth this title because he cares for the people of Cawdor. He is a fair KingKing since he did this for the better of the people. Morality is proven in the play after King Duncan is rewarded for his great actions. After King Duncan’s death Macbeth states, “So clear in his great office, that his virtues will plead like angels, trumpet-tongued, against the deep damnation of his taKing-off” (Shakespeare 20). King Duncan was virtuous and was rewarded by being honored and well respected by everyone including his murderer. He was very

Macbeth was a virtuous man. There can be no greater recommendation than the king himself. He covered him with praise "O valiant cousin! Worthy gentleman!" after Macbeth rid the country of rebels within the ranks and the "multiplying villainies of nature". The king 's trust

Duncan’s character backed up his status– he was very generous, such as in giving Macbeth the title of the Thane of Cawdor. But his naivety was his fault as a King, and it is partially what led to his downfall. When Macbeth defends him on the battlefield, he describes Macbeth as a “Valiant cousin…Worthy gentleman” (Act 1 Scene 2 L.24). He praises Macbeth in a regal way – “More is thy due than more than all can pay…I have begun to plant thee, and will labour to make thee full of growing” (Act 1 Scene 4 L.21, 28). By nurturing Macbeth in this way, he builds up his confidence, and gives him the confidence to carry out his ambitions. Horror is built up here through Macbeth taking advantage of the King’s solitary weakness – naivety.

Macbeth’s character has developed significantly up to the second act. We are first introduced to Macbeth character in a way that we view him as powerful and Nobel. We get this idea from the quote “oh valiant cousin, worthy gentleman” which is what he is described as by Duncan, who at the time is the king. From this quote Macbeth is portrayed as a loyal and heroic figure who has done much for many, however as we know this was not a smart move for Duncan to make as it makes him come across and weak and seems like Duncan should be giving Macbeth a higher title, which is what the witches had told him before. In addition, this idea of the king complementing Macbeth about all the good that he has done seems to trigger the belief that Macbeth has the ability to be king, even in the eyes of Duncan who is so ecstatic what he has done for the county.

Macbeth’s character begins as an extremely respectable and an extraordinary soldier. All the men respected him and praised him, the Captain told King Duncan of his valor in battle:

The characterisation of Macbeth in the beginning of the play constructs him as as a meritorious and noble person, who returns from war as a hero, and has the title of Thane of Cawdor bestowed upon him. These traits are established as part of Macbeth’s character before his first appearance, positioning the audience to view him in a positive light, as the protagonist of the play. He is described by King Duncan as his “valiant cousin, worthy gentleman! (1:2:26)”. Macbeth is commended by many others, for he is “brave Macbeth—well he deserves that name— (1:2:18)”. The build up of praise for Macbeth serves to provide a shock factor for the audience, leaving them

The onset of this tragedy, Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as a loyal and respected soldier. For instance, Malcolm states, "Who like a good and hardy soldier, fought 'gainst my captivity- hail brave friend! For brave Macbeth." (Act I, Scene iii) This quote renders that Macbeth was looked up upon as a hero or as a person who preached in the name of the king as an acquiescent subject. Also through many different dialogues, it was shown the number of admiration people had for him. Duncan, the King of Scotland, wanted "to pronounce Macbeth with his former title" and greet him with a superior name.  As a result, Duncan trusted Macbeth with open arms and believed he was the apt person to carry the title of Thane of Cawdor. However, after Banquo and Macbeth stumbled upon the three witches they excited a dark ambition inside of Macbeth to reach his objective and later called upon his wife, Lady Macbeth, to become his partner on his journey.

Macbeth knew that Duncan was a kind man, and Duncan thought that others were like him (as noble and

In the play Macbeth, the character Macbeth is seen as a loyal warrior. In Act one scene 4, Macbeth is very friendly with King Duncan. "performing my duty to you is reward enough. Your highness' only obligation is to accept our services. By protecting you, we carry out our responsibility to the throne, the country and your children" pg 19. Macbeth explains that he was doing the duties of a warrior by doing everything he can to protect country. This shows his loyalty to his king, his people and Scotland.

King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a super hero and faithful to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald, and he helps the king to solve a great problem that is won the war.

     King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a super hero and faithful to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald, and he helps the king to solve a

         King Duncan trusts Macbeth too much. Macbeth appears as a superhero and faithful to King Duncan. He fights against the traitor Macdonwald, and he helps the king to solve a great problem that wins the war. Duncan trusts Macbeth very much because of Macbeth’s heroic efforts and he gives Macbeth the

First, by the fact that he is his kinsman and his subject, and should always protect him. Second, he is his host, so he should be closing the door on even the idea of murdering him. Macbeth goes on to say that King Duncan has been such a respectful and honorary leader, that the legacy he holds will carry on even after his death. “Pity, like an innocent newborn baby, will ride the wind with winged angels on invisible horses through the air to spread news of the horrible deed to everyone everywhere.” By this, he means that no one will get away with committing such a brutal and heartless act like this, especially with how kind and good to people King Duncan is. This depicts how much Macbeth does cares about the king and not just his own selfish reasoning.

Macbeth develops into a pernicious king as the play advances, as he commits horrendous actions that result in his own wrecking. Nevertheless, he has differentiated himself during the battle against the treacherous Thane of Cawdor, and the King of Norway. He is the brave soldier who leads King 's Duncan force to victory through his strength and skill level. King Duncan addresses Macbeth as his "…valiant cousins (and) / (A) worthy gentleman" (I.ii.25). This shows, how the King recognizes Macbeth 's skill on the battlefield, and therefore rewards Macbeth with a higher title, the Thane of Cawdor. Macbeth displays these characteristics once again in Act IV, as he ignores the witches ' prophecies, don 's his armour and fights against a heavily armed army, which is a greater size than his own Scottish infantry. This performance displays that Macbeth still holds the attributes of bravery as he did initially. For the first time, he makes a decision by setting aside the prophecies. In the play, the townsfolk see their malicious