Although Macbeth does not appear in Act I scene 2 of Macbeth, we learn a great deal about him. What impressions do we get of Macbeth?

It is a very interesting aspect of this play that before
we even meet Macbeth in person we are given a presentation of his character by others.
In this case, Duncan, the King of Scotland, waiting to hear for news of how the battle
is going, is given an account of Macbeth's valour, bravery and pugnacious spirit that,
if we believe the account of the Captain in this scene, turned the tide of the battle in
Duncan's favour. Note what the Captain says:

readability="26">

For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that
name),

Disdaining Fortune, with his brandish'd
steel,

Which smok'd with bloody
execution,

Like Valour's minion, carv'd out his
passage,

Till he fac'd the
slave;

Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farwell to
him,

Till he unseam'd him from the nave to
th'chops,

And fix'd his head upon our
battlements.

Aspects to focus
on in this description include Macbeth's valour, but also the bloody nature of the
punishments he exacts upon the treacherous Macdonwald. The gruesome and graphic nature
of what he does to his enemy seems to foreshadow his capacity to commit other gruesome
and graphic acts, such as the murder of Duncan and the slaughter of Macduff's family.
Macbeth is elsewhere described as "Belladonna's bridegroom," refering to the Roman
goddess of war. We thus are given the impression of a brave but ruthless, bloody
individual who is skilled in war and battle and has the confidence of his
king.