Duncan

Duncan: King of Scotland at the opening of Macbeth, Duncan is murdered in 2.1. Shakespeare's account of the murder is actually taken from the death of Scotland's King Duff, as reported in Shakespeare's source, Chronicles of England, Scotland, and Ireland by Holinshed.

Character Analysis: Duncan is Macbeth's first victim en route to obtaining the crown for himself. As is evident here and in all of the history plays, Shakespeare was, at least in the public arena, a firm believer in the divine right of kings.

Usurping a divinely appointed ruler was always the most serious of crimes, but to usurp a valiant and benevolent monarch was wicked beyond comprehension. Thus, for reasons both dramatic and political, Shakespeare had to make notable changes to the historical Duncan. The real King Duncan, according to Shakespeare's sources, was your regular nasty warlord; nastier, it appears, than the actual historical Macbeth. If Shakespeare's Macbeth planned to kill this Duncan he would be justified, and hence there would be no play. So Duncan morphs into a delightful and much beloved ruler, kind to the point of annoyance. With his 'silver skin' and 'golden blood' (2.3.97), Shakespeare's Duncan epitomizes the perfect ruler. Shakespeare’s changes to Duncan’s character are also in keeping with other changes he made to his sources, all seemingly intended to cater to his king and patron, James I.