King Duncan

King Duncan is a wise and noble king. He seems to have the qualities that an admirable ruler should have. This shows a contrast between him and Macbeth, who (when he becomes King of Scotland) rules like a tyrant.

‘There’s no art...'

‘There’s no art / To find the mind’s construction in the face’ (1,4)
King Duncan says he failed to consider that his close friends could ever betray him – he is a good and trusting king.
When King Duncan arrives at Macbeth’s castle, he greets Lady Macbeth in a polite way and thanks her for her trouble.
The very fact that King Duncan happily stays at his subject’s home shows how much trust he places in those close to him.

‘His faculties so meek'

‘This Duncan / Hath borne in his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office, that his virtues / Will plead like angels’ (1,7).
These are King Duncan`s qualities listed by Macbeth when he thinks about the reasons why he shouldn’t murder the King.
Duncan is a great man with excellent moral standards.
He compares Duncan’s morals to those of an angel, showing how much he admires him.

Quotations - King Duncan

‘Valiant cousin'

‘O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman’. (1,2)
This is how King Duncan refers to Macbeth after a bleeding captain has brought the king news of the battle.
Macbeth has fought well and killed Macdonald (sometimes spelt Macdonwald), who had betrayed King Duncan: ‘unseam’d him from nave to th’ chaps / And fix’d his head upon our battlements’.
- N.B. In some versions of the text, 'chaps' is spelt 'chops'.

‘Noble Macbeth hath won’

‘What he hath lost, noble Macbeth hath won’. (1,2)
With these words, King Duncan sends Ross to tell Macbeth about his new title, Thane of Cawdor.
King Duncan also sentences the Thane of Cawdor to death for his betrayal.

1Literary & Cultural Context

1.1Context

1.1.1Tragedy

1.1.2The Supernatural & Gender

1.1.3Politics & Monarchy

1.1.4End of Topic Test - Context

2Plot Summary

2.1Act 1

2.1.1Scenes 1 & 2

2.1.2Scene 3

2.1.3Scenes 4-5

2.1.4Scenes 6-7

2.1.5End of Topic Test - Act 1

2.2Acts 2-4

2.2.1Act 2

2.2.2Act 3

2.2.3Act 4

2.3Act 5

2.3.1Scenes 1-3

2.3.2Scenes 4-9

2.3.3End of Topic Test - Acts 2-5

2.3.4Diagnostic Misconceptions - Ambiguous Ending

2.3.5Diagnostic Misconceptions - Jacobean

3Characters

4Themes

4.1Themes

4.1.1Power & Ambition

4.1.2Power & Ambition HyperLearning

4.1.3Violence

4.1.4The Supernatural

4.1.5Masculinity

4.1.6Armour, Kingship & The Natural Order

4.1.7Appearances & Deception

4.1.8Madness & Blood

4.1.9Women, Children & Sleep

4.1.10End of Topic Test - Themes

4.1.11End of Topic Test - Themes 2

4.2Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.1Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.2Extract Analysis

5Writer's Techniques

5.1Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques

5.1.1Structure, Meter & Dramatic Irony

5.1.2Pathetic Fallacy & Symbolism

5.1.3End of Topic Test - Writer's Techniques

6Recap: Main Quotes

6.1Characters Quotes

6.1.1Macbeth

6.1.2Macbeth 2

6.1.3Macbeth 3

6.1.4Macbeth 4

6.1.5Lady Macbeth

6.1.6Lady Macbeth 2

6.1.7Banquo

6.1.8Banquo 2

6.1.9The Witches

6.1.10King Duncan

6.1.11Macduff

6.2Text Structure - Quotes

6.2.1Violence

6.2.2The Supernatural

6.2.3Ambition

6.2.4Armour, Kingship & the Natural Order

6.2.5Appearances & Deception

6.2.6Lady Macbeth's Masculinity

6.2.7Madness & Blood

6.2.8Men, Children & Sleep

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