Duncan

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Duncan's kind, but too trusting

Duncan's the King at the start at the play

He's a kind and generous man who rewards loyalty - hands out honours to Macbeth and Malcolm

Nobody has a bad word about Duncan

Even Macbeth says that "his virtues/Will plead like angels"

Duncan's flaw is that he's too trusting

Trusts Macbeth and doesn't suspect he's plotting to kill him, and he describes the treacherous Thane of Cawdor as "a gentleman on whom I built/An absolute truth"

However, Duncan can be firm when needed - he executes the Thane of Cawdor when he betrays him

Duncan is...

Kind - "let me enfold thee/And hold thee to my heart"

Trusting - "There's no art/To find the mind's construction in the face"

A good king - "So clear in his great office"

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He's an example of a good king

Shakespeare presents Duncan as a model king

He's kind, honest and fair

Macbeth says that one of the reasons that he shouldn't kill Duncan is because he's a good leader with many "virtues"

Macduff also calls him "a most sainted king", reminding the audience that kings were thought to be chosen by God

Duncan is kind, generous and trusting and puts Scotland's needs ahead of his own

Contrasts with Macbeth, who is a bad king - he's a tyrant who's feared and hated

Macbeth puts his own selfish desires ahead of his country

Writer's Techniques - Symbolism

Duncan uses a lot of plant imagery - he says he will "plant" Macbeth and make sure he is "full of growing"

Shows how he nurtures his subjects

Theme - Kingship

In Act 4, Scene 3, Malcolm talks about what a good king should be like

He says a ruler should have "stableness", "mercy" and "justice" - qualities that Duncan has

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Duncan isn't like the other men

Duncan isn't a soldier like Macbeth or Macduff

He's gentle and less aggressive

He doesn't fight himself, but sensibly sends his best soldiers to fight for him

He's not afraid to be emotional

Shows "drops of sorrow" because he's so happy and talks about his "gentle senses" - could be seen as unmanly

Writer's Techniques - Symbolism

Duncan doesn't have the qualities that other characters associate with manliness, but Shakespeare shows that he's kind, fair and generous

Leads the audience to question whether a good leader really needs to be a violent warrior