Who is King Duncan?
King Duncan is the rightful King of Scotland at the start of the play; a senile yet gracious ruler who is highly respected and adored. Quick to reward and quick to trust, Duncan acts as both an exemplar and critique of Kingship.
Although he speaks little, having been murdered early in Act 2, he is a key character for any debate surrounding kingship, appearance versus reality, or power. He represents the God-given order that Jacobeans adhered to, and despite his flaws he is still the centre around which everything good revolves.
King Duncan's role in the play
As the judicious ruler, King Duncan is a foil used to emphasise Macbeth's later tyranny. His virtue is essential: because he is so clearly a good and gracious ruler, killing him is not just political ambition but a violation of the sacred order.
The whole play hinges on Duncan's murder: it unleashes natural chaos, guilt, and a long struggle to restore virtuous order.
How King Duncan changes
King Duncan, as previously mentioned, lives only into the opening of Act 2. As a result, he lacks the 'arc' that any of the other central characters have.
This may, however, be exactly the point. Duncan is a fixed figure of goodness, whose presence transcends his death. Even after his murder we are reminded of him again and again, through Macbeth's tyranny and hallucinations of the dead, with 'twenty mortal murders on their crowns.' The natural world itself is influenced by his absence, devolving into chaos: a falcon is killed by its prey, the owl; and King Duncan's horses turn 'wild in nature'. Even Banquo, before knowing of his murder, remarks that 'There's husbandry in heaven…' Each of these moments illustrates Duncan's authority over the natural world, and the destruction that Macbeth, in murdering him, has unleashed over Scotland.
Key King Duncan quotes
“O valiant cousin, worthy gentleman!”
Where: Act 1 Scene 2The opening scene perfectly demonstrates King Duncan's benevolence: he is quick to reward, flatter, and trust those that are loyal to him.
“There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face.”
Where: Act 1 Scene 4Here we get a glimpse of one of King Duncan's central flaws: his ease in trusting others. He admits that he is easily fooled by appearances, which foreshadows the trust he places in his own murderer, Macbeth.
“I have begun to plant thee and will labour / To make thee full of growing”
Where: Act 1 Scene 4The extended metaphor connects King Duncan with the natural world, emphasising the legitimacy of his kingship. His benevolence and good-will seem to manifest as selflessness, which gives him a God-like persona.
“But signs of nobleness, like stars, shall shine / On all deservers”
Where: Act 1 Scene 4Nobility and the natural world are explicitly connected here. Pair this with Macbeth's infamous 'stars, hide your fires' to explore the expansive consequences of Macbeth's decision.
“this Duncan / Hath borne his faculties so meek, hath been / So clear in his great office …”
Where: Act 1 Scene 7Spoken by Macbeth, yet still relevant in any discussions to be had surrounding King Duncan. Duncan's good-will is so powerful in its reach that even Macbeth, the man debating his murder, is enraptured by it.
King Duncan and the play's themes
Most students forget about King Duncan, yet I argue that he is quite an important character to the play.
Questions centred upon kingship, appearance versus reality, or power would be perfectly suited for a discussion of King Duncan. There is plenty to be said about how he contrasts Macbeth and Malcolm, or how his inability to judge beyond appearances orchestrates his downfall. Alternatively, you could use King Duncan to explore the consequences of Macbeth's guilt, relating his goodness to Macbeth's deliberations in Act 1 Scene 7, or to Macbeth's hallucinations later in the play.
Use the Macbeth themes page to see how he encompasses each theme, how they manifest, and how you can write the perfect essay for any theme.
Context: what King Duncan represents
King Duncan's importance rests upon the Jacobean belief in the Divine Right of Kings and The Great Chain of Being. King James I, who ruled when the play was written, held that a monarch was chosen by God and answerable only to Him, so to murder a king was equally an attack on God's authority. Duncan's murder, therefore, is seen as 'most sacrilegious' because it derails a universal hierarchy of existence (The Great Chain of Being).
During his reign, James I also published 'Basilikon Doron' (translatable to 'Royal Gift'). In this book addressed to his eldest son, James set out to explain what made a good king. Shakespeare's effort to make King Duncan such a judicious and benevolent ruler would most likely have flattered James, and adhered to his own belief surrounding kingship.
How to write about King Duncan in the exam
My advice for writing about King Duncan is to emphasise his role as a foil. Rather than trying to construct one large argument around very little action, I would use King Duncan alongside other characters (mainly Macbeth, Malcolm, or Macduff) to compare and contrast the methods of kingship. While King Duncan relies on benevolence and trust, he is exploited through this naivety; Macbeth's leadership is grounded upon fear and violence, yet he lacks the emotional grounding of Malcolm or Macduff.
Using King Duncan as a foil shows the examiners that you understand the play as a construct, and are paying special attention to Shakespeare's methods and intention.
Connect him to the play's ideas on the Macbeth themes page and secure his quotes with the key quotes page.