Of the many different character traits that the King Duncan shows in the play Shakespeare's Macbeth the three most prevalent are his obliviousness to what people think, he is a very trusting person, and he is very emotional. In Macbeth's report to the king that the Thane of Cawdor was dead, the king shows how oblivious he is by saying, "There's no art/To find the mind's construction in the face."(I. i, 11-12) By suggesting that he cannot read a persons face he shows that he is very oblivious to how they may really be feeling because the face is an easy part of the body to read to find out if someone is really loyal or honest to you or not. This character trait is linked very closely to the fact the he is a very trusting person, which is revealed when Duncan and Macbeth are talking about the Thane of Cawdor, Duncan says that, "He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust."(I. i, 13-14) This proves that he is a very trusting person because he had total trust with the Thane of Cawdor even though in actual fact the Thane was plotting to fight against him with the King of Norway. This final characteristic is relative to the rest of them because usually if you are trusting and oblivious you can easily be emotional by being hurt or through joy. It is shown that the Duncan is very emotional when he is talking to Macbeth and Banquo about how noble and loyal they are to Duncan, "My plenteous joys/Wanton in fullness, seek to hide themselves/In drops of sorrow."(I. i, 33-35) This shows how emotional he is because he is crying through happiness. This shows that he isn't afraid to show his emotions in front of nobles below him. This proves that Duncan is oblivious to what people think, trusted by friends and emotional.
