King duncan

• King Duncan symbolizes stability and just leadership
• Duncan's level-headed and kindly nature sets him up for an untimely demise
• Duncan's character offers a contrast to other characters who engage in threats and sabotage to seek his titleship
• In folk or fairy tales, long-standing peaceful traditions are often represented by an old or dying king
• Duncan's moral compass contrasts with those who wish to see him usurped
• Duncan's death signifies the end of peace and the onset of a corrupt regime
• Duncan's decency and trust in Cawdor and Macbeth lead to a dramatically ironic betrayal
• Duncan's trust in others speaks to the precariousness of power in a world where power corrupts
• Duncan stands as an immovable force representing stability
• The structure that Duncan provides forces the status quo to either remain or be destroyed
• The prophecies by the three witches foreshadow Duncan's death at the hands of Macbeth