King Duncan is a fictional character from
William Shakespeare’s
Macbeth. He is a rather stupid man who creates
dramatic,
verbal, and
situational irony through his trusting nature. Upon arriving at
Dunsinane,
Macbeth’s
castle, he announces that: “
this castle has a pleasant air.” In fact, the inhabitants of the castle are planning to kill him and steal his crown.
He is particularly gullible since he has been
hoodwinked before by
MacDonwald, the traitor who
Macbeth kills. When
Macbeth kills him, he inherets his position. Since clothing is a
symbol for
social status in
Macbeth, it is telling that
Macbeth calls these honours "
borrowed robes."
After
MacDonwald's betrayal,
Duncan tells
Macbeth: “
There is no art to find the mind’s construction in the face. He (MacDonwald) was a gentleman in whom I placed an absolute trust.” After this
verbally ironic phrase,
Duncan places an absolute trust in
Macbeth, who kills him.