The cast of Macbeth
The people who make Macbeth move — what they want, who they love, who they hate, and how each one fits the story. Tap any name to read more.
Macbeth
A Scottish general whose ambition and belief in witches' prophecies drive him to murder and tyranny · 30–40 (implied)
Lady Macbeth
Macbeth's wife; catalyst of Duncan's murder and the play's moral descent
Macduff
Scottish thane and the instrument of Macbeth's downfall · Middle-aged
Malcolm
Duncan's elder son; rightful heir who tests loyalty and restores order · Young man, likely in his twenties
Ross
Scottish thane and messenger; loyal to Duncan, then Malcolm
Banquo
Scottish general; loyal soldier whose prophecy becomes the instrument of his doom · Peer of Macbeth; mature soldier
First Witch
A supernatural harbinger of fate; one of three witches who speak prophecies and set Macbeth's tragedy in motion
Lennox
A Scottish thane; witness to Macbeth's rise and observer of Scotland's moral disorder
A Doctor of Physic
Physician to Macbeth; witness to Lady Macbeth's descent into madness
First Murderer
A hired assassin; Macbeth's instrument of paranoid violence
King Duncan
The rightful King of Scotland; virtuous, trusting, and destroyed by his own innocence · Elderly
Lady Macduff
Frightened noblewoman; victim of Macbeth's paranoid violence
Second Witch
One of three supernatural beings who prophesy Macbeth's rise and fall
Son of Macduff
Innocent child, victim of Macbeth's tyranny · child
All (Chorus)
Collective voice of witches, lords, soldiers, and the play's moral witness
Third Witch
One of three supernatural sisters who prophesy Macbeth's rise and fall
Gentlewoman
Lady Macbeth's attendant and witness to her descent into madness
Siward
English general who leads the invasion to overthrow Macbeth · elderly
The Porter
Comic gatekeeper of Macbeth's castle; guardian of the threshold between worlds
Messenger
A herald bringing urgent news of the approaching English army
Second Murderer
Hired assassin, one of two men contracted to murder Banquo and Fleance
Third Murderer
Hired assassin; the unnamed third conspirator in Banquo's murder
Hear every line of Macbeth, narrated.
