Son of King Duncan, and future king of Scotland, Malcolm is one of the major players in the political game that engulfs Scotland in the wake of his father’s murder. Malcolm’s story is one of an heir and son, unlawfully dispossessed of his rightful position as king of Scotland and accused of murdering his own father. However, Malcolm is in a sort of literary limbo with his rebellion being a crucial part of the Macbeth’s downfall and the final act of the play, but not being fleshed out enough compared to Macduff, the primary foil for Macbeth. In fact, Malcolm and Macbeth only share two scenes together: when Macbeth meets with Duncan after his encounter with the witches (Act 1, Scene 4) and when the thanes, Malcolm, Donalbain, and Macbeth discover Duncan murdered (Act 2, Scene 3). There is very little relationship established between Malcolm and Macbeth, and when considering Malcolm’s young age, it makes sense why Macduff was better suited to act as a foil to Macbeth rather than Malcolm. However, in the final act of the play Malcolm is partially responsible for Macbeth’s downfall, as aside from leading the army, he is the one to instruct his soldiers to cover themselves in the branches of Birnam Wood to hide their march to Dunsinane castle, unwittingly fulfilling the prophecy of Macbeth’s demise.
