Macbeth is nobleman and a Scottish general in the king's army. At the beginning of the play, he has gained recognition for himself through his defeat of the king of Norway and the rebellious Macdonwald. Shortly after the battle, Macbeth and another of the king's general's, Banquo, encounter three witches (or weird sisters) who greet Macbeth as thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and future king. Macbeth, unaware that King Duncan has bestowed upon him the title thane of Cawdor, appears to be startled by these prophesies. As soon as the witches finish addressing Macbeth, Banquo asks him, "why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do sound so fair?" (I.iii.51-52). The witches vanish after telling Banquo that he will father kings. Shortly thereafter, Rosse and Angus arrive to tell Macbeth that the title of thane of Cawdor has been transferred to him. Upon hearing this, he says to himself that the greatest title, that of king, is yet to come. When Duncan announces that his son Malcolm will be next in line for the throne, Macbeth acknowledges the prince as an obstacle which will either trip him up or one which he must overcome.

After Macbeth sends words to his wife about the witches prophesies, Lady Macbeth hears that the king will be coming to stay at the castle. She then decides that the king will die there. When Macbeth arrives at Inverness, Lady Macbeth discusses with her husband her intentions. Soon after, he reviews in his own mind the reasons for not killing the king. He has many, including his obligations to the king as a kinsman, a loyal subject, and a host. Other reasons listed by Macbeth include the goodness of the king and the general lack of any reason other than ambition. However, when his wife argues with him, attacking his manhood, Macbeth resolves to follow through with the murder.

The extent of Lady Macbeth's power over her husband is debated. Some critics blame Lady Macbeth for precipitating Macbeth's moral decline and ultimate downfall. Others argue that, while Lady Macbeth appears to be increasingly guilt-ridden as the play progresses as evidenced by her sleepwalking episodes, Macbeth becomes increasingly murderous.

After murdering Duncan, then framing and murdering Duncan's attendants, Macbeth, disturbed by the witches' prophesy about Banquo's descendants, orders the murder of Banquo and Banquo's son, Fleance. The son escapes, but Banquo is slain, as the murderers report to Macbeth at the banquet in III.iv. Upon hearing this news, Macbeth is haunted throughout the banquet by Banquo's ghost, who no one else can see. As the scene ends, Macbeth vows to visit the weird sisters again, which he does in IV.i. During this visit, Macbeth receives three messages from apparitions conjured by the witches. The first apparition warns Macbeth to beware the thane of Fife; the second tells him that he cannot be harmed by anyone born of a woman; the third states that Macbeth will not be vanquished until "Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill" rise against him (IV.i.93-4). Next, Macbeth asks whether or not Banquo's descendants will ever rule Scotland, and the witches show him a vision of Banquo, followed by eight kings. The vision and the weird sisters disappear as Lennox arrives with the information that Macduff has gone to England and that Malcolm is there as well. At this point, Macbeth decides to have Macduff's family murdered.

As Act V opens, Lady Macbeth's sleepwalking is revealed, Malcolm and Macduff have gathered an army against Macbeth, and many of Macbeth's own thanes have deserted him. But Macbeth seems to rely on his belief in his interpretation of the witches' prophesies, which he reviews in V.iii. He vows that his heart and mind will not "shake with fear" (V.iii.10). After learning of the his wife's death, however, Macbeth in a famous speech (V.v.16-28) expresses his weariness with life.

Clinging to the witches' words about his not being harmed by any one "of woman born" (IV.ii.80), Macbeth tells Macduff that his life is charmed, only to learn that his opponent was delivered via cesarean birth ("from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd" [V.viii.15-16]). Offstage, Macduff kills Macbeth and returns with his severed head.

Overall assessment of Macbeth's character varies. Some view him as a tragic hero who held every potential for being a good man but was overcome by the evil forces in his world. Others argue that Macbeth completely lacked any moral integrity. Finally, he is viewed most harshly by some who see him as a Satanic figure, in that he knowingly chooses evil and unleashes it upon the world.

Additional Character Analysis
Macbeth commits a trio of heinous crimes in the course of the play: the regicide of Duncan, the murder of his closest friend, Banquo (and attempted murder of Fleance), and the wanton slaughter of innocents in the persons of Macduff's wife and child. Given all this, we may tend to forget that prior to his encounter with the weird sisters, Macbeth is a hero, a loyal warrior in service of the legitimate king of Scotland, Duncan. His decision to accelerate or to manifest the witches' prophecy that he will rule is marked by pangs of guilt at the thought of the sin entailed in the act of killing a king who had amply rewarded his courage and fidelity. Shamed into sin by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth assumes a practical orientation toward the crime at hand. When thoughts of slaying Duncan to obtain the crown first enter Macbeth's mind, his chief concern is that they not be detected. He proclaims, "Stars, hide your fires / Let not light see my black and deep desires" (I.iv.50-52); on the cusp of crime, he again calls on nature to mask his motives, entreating the earth, "Hear not my steps which way they walk" (II.i.57). As a man of action, Macbeth is convinced that, if only he can hide his crime and further the prophecy given to him by the witches, his ill feelings will naturally dissipate. This belief underlies his reaction to the murderer's news that Fleance has escaped the fate that Macbeth planned for him. Learning of this flaw in the execution of his scheme, Macbeth laments: "Then comes my fit again. I had else been perfect; Whole as the marble" (III.iv.19-21). From Macbeth's standpoint, the reason that the ghost of Banquo appears at the feast is that the loose end of Fleance's remaining alive has left him "cabin'd, cribb'd, confin'd, bound in to saucy doubts and fears" (III.iv.23-24).

Those doubts and fears lead Macbeth back to the witches and toward still more evil deeds. Having dispatched Banquo to prevent one prophecy from coming true, he is later warned about Macduff and then seemingly reassured that no harm can befall him unless miraculous conditions occur—the marching of a wood, the appearance of a man not born by woman. These things, of course, do take place, making Macbeth a victim of his own understanding. Macbeth reaches tragic heights in the soliloquy on the meaninglessness of life that he speaks after learning of Lady Macbeth's death. But even after it is plain that the prophecies of the witches are working toward his destruction, Macbeth displays his mettle. In their final encounter, Macbeth tells Macduff that "The mind I sway by, and the heart I bear / Shall never sag with doubt, nor shake with fear" (V.iii.9-10). He is then told by Macduff that his adversary is not "of woman born." Yet even after the last prop has fallen, Macbeth tells Macduff to "Lay on." Macbeth sinks into a slough of evil, his mind becomes disordered, yet in the final step, his warrior's instinct returns to him.

Lady Macbeth is Macbeth's wife. When the audience first sees her in I.v, she is reading a letter from Macbeth about his encounter with the weird sisters and about his new title. Lady Macbeth promises to provide Macbeth with the courage he needs to make the prophecy come true, fearing that his nature is too soft to take the direct route to the throne.

There is some controversy over the role Lady Macbeth plays in the murders that follow. Some critics maintain that responsibility for the deaths of Duncan and Banquo rests solely with Macbeth, whose own ambition and nature are the cause of his deeds. Others cite Macbeth's reluctance prior to Duncan's murder and argue that Lady Macbeth goads her husband into the action. Lady Macbeth does, however, set the time and the place of Duncan's murder, claims that she would kill a baby at her breast to honor a vow, and argues that when Macbeth first conceived of killing Duncan, then he was a man.

In contrast to Lady Macbeth's forceful disposition on the first three acts of the play, her actions in the last two acts are much less confident or ambitious. Lady Macbeth in the sleepwalking scene appears to be tormented by her knowledge of Macbeth's actions. In V.i, Lady Macbeth reviews the various crimes her husband has committed and appears to be attempting to wash blood from her hands. This scene contains Lady Macbeth's famous "Out damn'd spot!" (V.i.35) speech. The doctor diagnoses her mind as "infected" (V.i.72) and says she needs spiritual counsel more than she needs a doctor. Later she commits suicide.

Additional Character Analysis

The very name of Lady Macbeth conjures a legion of evil associations, for the female protagonist of Shakespeare's Scottish Tragedy has come to represent feminine treachery. Lady Macbeth's ambition, her duplicity, and, the unnatural absence, indeed, the outright rejection, of such female values as compassion and nurturance mark her as a heartless villain, more monster than woman. It is, of course, Lady Macbeth herself who spawns the plot to kill Duncan, who determines the setting and the specific actions through which this bloody deed will take place. The speech in which she "de-sexes" herself (Act I, scene v) is one of the most frightening expressions of unnatural evil in all of Shakespeare's works, ranking alongside the evil speeches of Iago, Richard III and the bastard Edmund of King Lear.

But this appraisal of Lady Macbeth's evil character, while certainly accurate, requires qualification if not some revision. There is, to begin, her affection toward Macbeth—a genuine, if distorted, bond of love holding the two together. More important, Lady Macbeth is humanized by her own decline into guilt-ridden madness. Until the death of Duncan, Lady Macbeth seems, in the words of A. C. Bradley, to be "invincible and inhuman." But when she reappears in Act V, Lady Macbeth has been reduced to a wretched state, and (presumably) to the taking of her own life. Touchingly, the "mad" Lady Macbeth turns to her function of protecting her husband even though Macbeth has quit all domestic concerns to defend his ill-gotten throne. As the doctor and others observe her actions, Lady Macbeth seems caught in the routine of assuring Macbeth that he has no cause for fear, as she speaks the lines: "Wash your hands, put on your night gown / Look not so pale. I tell you yet again / Banquo's buried. He cannot come out on's grave" (V.i.62-64). Here Lady Macbeth is speaking to both her absent consort and to herself. But the union between Lady Macbeth and her husband has disintegrated under the weight of the evil that they have done and of the further evil that Macbeth does for their sake.

Banquo is a Scottish general in the king's army and Macbeth's friend. With Macbeth, Banquo helps Duncan's forces claim victory over the king of Norway and the thane of Cawdor. Following the battle, Banquo and Macbeth encounter the witches, who make several prophesies about Macbeth. They then speak to Banquo about his own future, saying that Banquo's descendants will be kings. Unlike Macbeth, who appears to be fascinated by the weird sisters, Banquo expresses doubts about the witches and their prophesies. He comments to Macbeth, for example, that ''oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray [us]" (I.iii.123-25).

This unwillingness to subscribe wholeheartedly to the visions of the witches, in addition to Banquo's demonstrated valor in battle, contribute to the view that Banquo is a virtuous man. Yet Banquo's virtue is an area of some controversy. A common view is that Shakespeare intended Banquo to be seen as a virtuous character who was not responsible in any way for Macbeth's murderous actions, despite the fact that the source material from which Shakespeare drew depicts Banquo as a co-conspirator in Duncan's death. This line of thinking is supported by the popular belief that Macbeth was performed (perhaps even written) for King James I in 1606. Historically, Banquo was an ancestor of King James, and some critics argue that because of this, Shakespeare would not portray him in an unfavorable way. Other observers argue that Banquo's inaction makes him in part morally responsible for the king's murder. These critics cite Banquo's soliloquy following Duncan's death as evidence of his knowledge of (and therefore at least partial responsibility for) Macbeth's actions. In this speech Banquo acknowledges to himself his suspicions about Macbeth's actions: "Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promis'd, and I fear / Thou play'dst most foully for't" (III.i.1- 3).

Shortly after Macbeth kills Duncan, he remembers the witches' prophesy regarding Banquo: that Banquo's descendants would be kings. Macbeth then arranges to have Banquo and his son Fleance murdered. Fleance escapes the attack; Banquo does not.

The witches in Macbeth are present in only four scenes in the play, but Macbeth's fascination with them motivates much of the play's action. When they meet with Banquo and Macbeth, they address Macbeth with three titles: thane of Glamis, thane of Cawdor, and king hereafter. Next, they predict that Banquo will father kings, though he will not be king himself. Refusing to answer questions, they vanish.

Later in III.v, Hecat lectures the witches for talking to Macbeth without involving her. In IV.i, when Macbeth pays another visit to the witches, Hecat has briefly appeared to the witches but leaves before Macbeth's arrival. Though the Riverside edition has her accompanied by three other witches, most editions do not. In this scene, the witches make a thick gruel in a cauldron, using animal and human body parts. Many of the animals are reptilian or associated with night. The human body parts come from people who were considered outsiders to the Christian world of the English Renaissance: Jews, Turks, Tartars. The witches refer to their activity as a "deed without a name" (IV.i.49). They sense that Macbeth is coming; one says she can tell "By the pricking of my thumbs, / Something wicked this way comes" (IV.i.44-45). This time, the witches submit to some of Macbeth's questions. They pour in sow's blood and a murderer's blood into the cauldron, and produce apparitions. When Macbeth has seen the apparitions (see Apparitions) and heard their messages, he demands to know about Banquo. The weird sisters then produce a show of eight kings followed by Banquo. As the witches produce this display, they say "Show his eyes, and grieve his heart" (IV.i.110). When Macbeth grows enraged, they dance and depart with great cheer.

There is a frustrating duplicity about the witches' nature as there is about their prophecies and predictions to Macbeth. They are interpreted variously as custodians of evil, spinners of the future, and as something slightly more neutral, creatures with knowledge of the future but with limited powers.

Macduff, the thane of Fife, is a Scottish nobleman. He travels with Duncan to Macbeth's castle, and with Lennox, arrives the morning after the king has been murdered to awaken Duncan, but instead finds him dead. Macduff announces to the gathered nobleman, including the king's sons, that Duncan has been killed.

Macduff's words in the next scene are considered significant by some observers who argue that Macduff is the first character to suggest his suspicion regarding Macbeth's ascension to the throne. Macduff tells Rosse that he will not be attending Macbeth's coronation but will instead be returning home to Fife. After Rosse states that he will be going to the coronation, Macduff replies: "Well, may you see things well done there: adieu, / Lest our old robes dit easier than our new" (II.iv.37-8). Additionally, Macduff is not present at the banquet during which Macbeth sees Banquo's ghost. This absence is noted by Macbeth directly after the banquet, at which time Macbeth vows to see the weird sisters again. When he does, the apparition they conjure tells him to beware the thane of Fife; and just after the witches vanish, Lennox approaches with the news that Macduff has fled to England. Macbeth then vows to have Macduff's family killed.

Meanwhile, Macduff has met with Malcolm in England. The two return to Scotland, having gathered an army with which to challenge Macbeth. At this time, Macduff learns of his family's death. Although many readers view Macduff, and Malcolm as well, as Scotland's saviors, Macduff is often harshly criticized for deserting his family. At the same time, critics have praised Macduff for not being ashamed to show his emotion when he learns that his family has been murdered.

In V.viii, Macduff and Macbeth confront each other. Macbeth appears to be convinced by the witches' prophesy that "none of woman born" can harm him. When he reveals this to Macduff, Macduff replies that he wasn't born of woman; rather, he was "from his mother's womb / Untimely ripp'd" (V.viii.15-16). Macduff then kills and beheads Macbeth, clearing the way for Malcolm's ascension to the throne.

Additional Character Commentary

Macduff slays Macbeth and is in this functional sense the hero of the play. Macduff recognizes that Macbeth is behind the death of Duncan after Banquo is also slain, and he appoints himself to head the legitimate cause of the king's eldest son, Malcolm. It is interesting to consider how Macduff deals with the guilt that he feels over his indirect role in causing the slaughter of his family by Macbeth's henchmen. He first remonstrates with himself, acknowledging that he has been sinful in the sense that his innocent wife and children were slain for his opposition to Macbeth. Urged by Malcolm to "dispute it like a man" (IV.iii.219), Macduff agrees on the need to exact vengeance upon Macbeth, but tells the prince, "I shall do so; / But I must also feel it as a man" (IV.iii.220-221). In this natural frame of action, Macduff is able to move toward the final confrontation with Macbeth in a deliberate and highly focused manner, refusing to strike down the reluctant soldiers in Macbeth's force and seeking his revenge on Macbeth alone.

Malcolm is one of King Duncan's sons, the other being Donalbain. In the early part of the play, he is scarcely present, but overall he has one of the three main speaking parts, the other two being Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Early in the play, Malcolm introduces to King Duncan the sergeant who saved Malcolm from capture. When the king's assassination is discovered, Malcolm agrees with his brother's suggestion to flee for their lives, and he goes to England, where he is later said to be living at the court of King Edward the Confessor, an English king noted for his holiness. The sudden departure of the king's sons casts some suspicion on their complicity in his murder.

In IV.iii, Macduff goes to England to seek Malcolm's help in restoring rightful rule in Scotland. In the interview that then takes place, Malcolm acknowledges his doubts about Macduff's motives quite directly to Macduff. He wonders whether Macduff is a paid agent of Macbeth, and he also questions why Macduff suddenly left his family unprotected to come to England. In order to test his suspicions about Macduff, Malcolm tells Macduff that he himself loves women, land and jewels, and discord among people. In sum, he accuses himself of lacking all kingly graces. When Macduff responds with a cry of hopelessness and despair for his country, Malcolm reveals that this is the first lie he has ever told. Later, Malcolm encourages Macduff to use the sudden news of his family's slaughter as a motive to fight Macbeth.

In the final scene of the play, Malcolm shows himself assuming the role of kingship with grace and dignity, expressing his concern for the soldiers who are not present, and urging Siward to take time to mourn for his son. In his final speech, he states his plans to inaugurate a new era in Scotland, rewarding the soldiers, calling home exiles, and serving by the grace of God.

Duncan is said by Macbeth to be virtuous and meek in his conduct in office and in his bearing. He seems to be regarded as a good king and, on the battlefield, he appears to be a competent leader who confronts both a rebellion and an invasion. He announces his son Malcolm as the prince of Cumberland, the next in line to the Scottish throne. Duncan does not seem to be a particularly good judge of character, since he misjudged both the former thane of Cawdor and his designated replacement, Macbeth, who murders Duncan in his sleep.

Rosse is a Scottish nobleman who reports to the king on the Macdonwald's rebellion and on the Norwegian king's desire to have a peace treaty. Rosse and Angus bring the news to Macbeth of his new title. He goes to Macbeth's castle with the king. Rosse comments on unusual things happening in nature after the king's assassination, such as the king's horses eating each other. He plans to travel to Scone to see Macbeth crowned. He attends Macbeth's banquet and notices that the king is unwell. Rosse's appearance at Macduff's castle is unclear in intent, but it seems to be only to check on Lady Macduff. He brings the news to Macduff of her death, but appears to have a difficult time stating clearly what happened, saying initially that Macduff's family is well and at peace. He appears with the rebelling Scottish noblemen in Act V, and he is present in the final scene bringing Siward news of his son's death.

Lennox is a Scottish nobleman who appears with the king at his camp near the battlefield. He travels with the king to Macbeth's castle. The morning after Duncan's murder, Lennox arrives with Macduff, intending to awaken the king. Based on his initial survey of the evidence, Lennox speculates that the king's chamberlains were his killers. Lennox appears again in III.iv at Macbeth's banquet. During the hasty departure of the guests from the banquet, he wishes a better health to the king. In the final scene of Act III, he speaks of recent events in Scotland. In the first scene of Act IV, when he brings Macbeth word of Macduff's departure from England, he does not see the weird sisters vanish past him in the air. He is aligned with the Scottish noblemen rebelling against Macbeth in Act V.

Lady Macduff is Macduff’s wife. She loves her children and is not afraid to challenge her husband’s decisions, which is evident when she criticizes Macduff’s decision to flee to England. After the witches tell Macbeth to fear Macduff, Macbeth sends murderers to Macduff’s home. The murderers kill Lady Macduff and all of her children, which gives Macduff great grief when he hears the news in England.

Lady Macduff is most often read as a foil for Lady Macbeth due to her status as a loving wife and mother. Though she is outspokenly critical of her husband’s decisions, she does not mock him or insult him. She also worries for herself and her children in Macduff’s absence, highlighting her compassion and sensibility. In addition to foiling Lady Macbeth, Lady Macduff’s murder is also used to reinforced Macbeth’s villainy and descent into true tyranny.  

Siward's help for the Scottish cause is sought by Malcolm and Macduff at the English court of Edward the Confessor. Siward is described by Malcolm as an experienced and accomplished soldier. Siward and Malcolm enter Macbeth's castle together. Some of Macbeth's own people turn against him and join with the invaders. When Siward learns the news of his son's death in the final scene, he is satisfied that his son received his injuries on the front of his body, facing the battle rather than running away, and declares him now "God's soldier" (V.ix.13).

Young Siward, the general’s courageous son. He dies fighting Macbeth hand to hand.

A Scottish doctor, called in to minister to Lady Macbeth. He witnesses her sleepwalking in which she relives the night of the murder.

A gentlewoman, an attendant to Lady Macbeth. She is with the doctor and observes Lady Macbeth during the sleepwalking scene.

A sergeant (also called captain in the folio text), a wounded survivor of the battle at the beginning of the play. He reports to King Duncan the heroism of Macbeth and Banquo.

A porter, a comical drunkard. Roused by the knocking on the castle door, he pretends to be the gatekeeper of Hell and imagines various candidates clamoring for admission. The audience, knowing of Duncan’s murder, can realize how ironically near the truth is the idea of the castle as Hell.

In ancient Greek mythology, Hecate is the goddess of witchcraft. She is presented as the queen of the witches, and she chastises the three “weird sisters” for speaking to Macbeth without her. The three weird sisters seem to fear Hecate, remarking nervously about her “angerly” expression and hastening to do what she asks. Hecate devises the plan to lull Macbeth into a false sense of security by issuing misleading prophecies in act IV, scene I, claiming that “security is mortals’ chiefest enemy.” 

There is controversy surrounding whether Hecate was included in the original manuscript of the play or whether she was added in a later edition. Some Shakespearean scholars believe that a different poet is responsible for the scenes featuring Hecate, citing their incongruous tone and verse structure as evidence.

Seyton is Macbeth's only trusted subordinate at the end of the play. He brings Macbeth confirmation of battle reports. He also brings news of the death of Lady Macbeth. Although Macbeth calls for him impatiently, he does not scream at him the way he does at other messengers. It has often been noticed that his name resembles Satan.

Menteith,

Angus is a Scottish nobleman. He travels with Rosse to bring King Duncan news of the battle and to bestow upon Macbeth the title thane of Cawdor. Angus also accompanies Duncan on the journey to Macbeth's castle. Finally, he appears in Act V with the Scottish rebels.

Caithness, Scottish noblemen who join Malcolm against Macbeth.

Macduff’s son, a brave and precocious child. He faces Macbeth’s hired murderers without flinching and dies calling to his mother to save herself.

The murderers are hired by Macbeth to kill Banquo and Fleance. He speaks to two of them, who say they are willing to perform as ordered. At the site of the murder, a third appears, apparently unknown to the other two, making the first two murderers think that Macbeth does not trust them. The first one goes with blood on his face to the door of Macbeth's banquet hall to tell him about the deed. Macbeth is happy about Banquo's death but shaken by the news that Fleance escaped. He plans to meet the murderers again. These may be the murderers who kill Lady Macduff also.

In IV.i, three apparitions come from the witches' cauldron after animal and human blood is poured in on top of a variety of other ingredients. The first apparition, described in the stage directions as "an armed head," tells Macbeth to beware the thane of Fife (Macduff). The second apparition is a bloody child who tells Macbeth that "none of woman born" (IV.ii.80) can harm Macbeth. The third apparition is a child wearing a crown and carrying a tree in his hand. He tells Macbeth that he will not be vanquished until "Great Birnan wood to high Dunsinane hill" rise against him (IV.i.93-4).

Doctor and Gentlewoman—Servants that witness Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking

Captain—Soldier in Duncan’s military that reports on Macbeth’s success in the battle against Macdonwald

The king is surrounded by attendants who can carry out such tasks as helping the bleeding sergeant to find surgeons. They travel with the king. His personal attendants are supposed to guard him in his sleep. Macbeth stabs them in the confused moments following the discovery of the murdered king. Macbeth has his own attendants. They help with Macbeth's banquet and are with him in the castle in the last act of the play.

Macduff's son is a young boy. When the murderers sent by Macbeth arrive at the Macduff residence, the child tries to defend his father's honor and calls the murderer a name. After he is stabbed, he tells his mother to run away.

The English doctor comments to Malcolm on the healing touch of the saintly Edward, the English king. Edward's healing stands in contrast to Macbeth's murderous touch.

Unnamed gentlemen are addressed by Rosse at Macbeth's banquet.

Some unnamed lords attend Macbeth's banquet. One lord speaks to Lennox after the banquet about recent events in Scotland, the whereabouts of Malcolm and lately of Macduff, and the anger of Macbeth at Macduff's absence from the banquet. He prays for better times in Scotland.

One messenger brings news to Lady Macbeth that the king is coming to stay at their castle. Another messenger tries to warn Lady Macduff that her family is in danger at Macduff's castle. In the last act, as Malcolm's army advances under cover of branches cut from trees, another messenger brings Macbeth word that the woods seem to be moving.

Nonspeaking parts. These would be appropriate to battle scenes, camp scenes, and Duncan's arrival at Macbeth's castle.

The anonymous old man represents experience and memory, and is at least 70 years old ("Threescore and ten I can remember well" he says in II.iv.1). He comments on the disturbances in nature on the night of Duncan's murder, unprecedented in his recollection. He is referred to by Rosse several times as father. He wishes a blessing on Rosse as he travels to Scone.

In V.iii, a servant brings Macbeth news of the ten thousand English invaders approaching the castle.

The sewer is a butler who waits on Macbeth and his guests at the castle. A supper goes on in the other room while Macbeth deliberates about Duncan's murder. This is not a speaking part.

The soldiers marching with Malcolm and the rebelling Scottish nobles in Act V suggest the numbers massing against Macbeth. The Scottish have their soldiers, and Siward arrives with ten thousand English soldiers.

In addition to the characters above, Shakespeare’s Macbeth includes a supporting cast of minor roles. For more information about these characters, read more about them on their own page.