The Tragedy Of Macbeth: The Main Characters, Ranked By Intelligence
Shakespeare's timeless tragedy Macbeth has been adapted multiple times in the past, and Joel Coen is next up with his expressionist reimagining of the play, The Tragedy of Macbeth. Coen's version is a much more minimalist and accessible version of the story, but Shakespeare's iconic words and characters remain exactly the same.
Macbeth is a story of power, and just how far some people will go to obtain it. Whether that's Macbeth's quest to become King or his people's pursuit to overthrow his tyrannical rule, every character in the play has a certain level of intelligence and strategic thinking that they bring to their own personal quest.
10 Banquo
Macbeth's right-hand man since the beginning, Banquo is one of the first characters to suffer an untimely demise as a result of Macbeth's pursuit of power. He was present when Macbeth was given his first prophecy by the witches, and he's the first to suspect that his friend is responsible for the King's death.
The reason Banquo finds himself so low on this list is his lack of action as his suspicions start to grow. Naturally, standing up to Macbeth would have almost definitely cost him his life, but he could have saved countless other lives by sharing his suspicions with somebody else close to the tyrant.
9 King Duncan
Macbeth's assassination of King Duncan was, frankly, too easy. Duncan is a skilled fighter, so it's clear that he could have put up a fight against Macbeth in battle, but leaving himself mostly unprotected as he sleeps was clearly not a smart decision.
To his merit, he did have his guards by his side the entire time he was resting, but they were easily overcome by Macbeth as he entered the King's quarters. Perhaps Duncan should have been less trusting of his inferiors, particularly at a time when the country is going through so much war and conflict.
8 Lady Macduff
The scene that depicts Lady Macduff's murder is just one reason to believe that The Tragedy of Macbeth is one of the best Shakespeare adaptations to date - it's incredibly violent, beautifully shot, and speaks volumes about this character that plays such a small role in the play overall.
Lady Macduff shows her intelligence through her protection of her children. She immediately understands what is happening when the attack begins, and puts all of her efforts into protecting her and Macduff's children - clearly showing her realization that her life is about to end, and there's nothing she can do about it.
7 Fleance
It's hard to blame Fleance for not making it any higher up this list, considering that he's much younger than everybody else. For his age, Fleance displays great intelligence by escaping the murders that Macbeth hires to kill him and his father Banquo, but his presence in the play is limited beyond that.
The prophecy that Banquo received at the beginning of the play stated that his descendants would live on to become Kings, so we can assume that Fleance will return to Scotland at some point in the future and assume the throne after Malcolm succeeds Macbeth. Perhaps this experience will bring him the intelligence that he's capable of having.
6 Malcolm
When his father is announced as dead, Malcolm quickly realizes that the safest thing for him to do is to flee to England, because he and his brothers will likely be the next target. It's a smart move, and it effectively shows Malcolm's and Donalbain's ability to think on their feet and protect themselves.
Unfortunately, this escape to England is misconstrued by many of Duncan's closest advisors as an admission of guilt, and the boys quickly become the lead suspects in their father's murder. This rumor is undoubtedly perpetuated by Macbeth himself, but it may have been smart to stick around and prove their innocence before fleeing silently.
5 Ross
Despite his indisputable suspicions of Macbeth, Ross still remains a member of his court and a close advisor following his appointment as King. After seeing what happens to those who oppose Macbeth, it quickly becomes clear that staying in his good books was an undoubtedly intelligent decision.
When you're dealing with somebody as volatile and unpredictable as Macbeth, it seems smart to stay on his side for as long as possible. Alex Haskell manages to capture all this internal conflict and guilty conscience through his performance of the character, further proving The Tragedy of Macbeth's perfect Shakespeare character casting, even beyond the two leads.
4 Macbeth
In spite of all his (many) flaws, there's no denying that Macbeth had to be incredibly intelligent in order to pull off the murder of King Duncan. His intelligence also allows him to put his emotions aside in order to maintain his position as King, going so far as to kill his best friend Banquo because he knows it's the only way he can uphold the throne.
Macbeth also has a great level of intelligence when it comes to fighting, and he's often commended for his skills and creative tactics on the battlefield. It's this fighting intelligence that allows him to easily overcome anybody who stands in his way when Macduff's army advances upon Dunsinane.
3 Macduff
During the final showdown in the film's final act, it's Macduff's strategic planning and intelligence that allows him to overcome Macbeth's increasing levels of hubris and arrogance. He uses Macbeth's own pride against him, revealing that the witches' prophecy does not apply to him as he was "from his mother's womb untimely ripped."
Macduff's intelligence is also shown in the scene where Ross informs him of his family's murder, and he still manages to keep his composure and think strategically about the attack on Macbeth. It's this focus on achieving his goals that sets him apart from Macbeth's spontaneous, unstable personality.
2 Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth isn't Frances McDormand's first character in a Joel Coen movie, but it may just be her most complex. She's an extremely manipulative and duplicitous character who will do absolutely anything to obtain power, including using her vast levels of intelligence to manipulate her husband Macbeth into murder.
In Shakespeare's plays, it's often the most intelligent and tortured characters that end up going mad and losing their mind - and Lady Macbeth is no different. She even ends up losing her life as a result of exercising such an intelligent and complex plan, unable to cope with the consequences.
1 The Witches
There's an interesting debate surrounding the witches that cinematic adaptations of Macbeth have failed to reach a complete conclusion on for many years - can the witches really see the future, or do their "prophecies" merely persuade people into doing things? The Tragedy of Macbeth doesn't come to a concrete conclusion, but it shows just how intelligent and complicated the witches' abilities really are.
The witches play a huge role in Coen's version of the Scottish play, and the way that he presents them so interestingly and captivatingly makes his film a perfect Shakespeare movie for beginner fans. The witches might be supernatural, or they may just be smart, but one thing's for sure - they have immense levels of intelligence that allow them to influence events and people like no other characters can.