Duncan and Macbeth's downfalls in Shakespeare's play Macbeth stem from their reluctance to question the motives and actions of others. It was that absolute trust, the belief that no one would try to rebel against them, that foreshadowed the murder of both characters. Duncan, the first to fall prey to overconfidence, completely trusted the Thane of Cawdor until he discovered that the Thane was a traitor who was betraying him. In Macbeth's case, he believed the prophecies of the three witches without realizing that they have ulterior motives behind their visions of the future. Mabeth displays a similar weakness when she accepts the apparitions' vague statements as absolute facts instead of considering them and rationally acting on them. These poor displays of judgment from Macbeth and Duncan allow them to be taken advantage of at various points in the play. "There is no art to find the mind's construction in the face: he was a gentleman on whom I built absolute trust" (I, IV, 11-4). With this statement, Duncan illustrates the recognition of one's inability to tell the character of an individual by looking at them. It refers to the Thane of Cawdor who, during the civil war, helped try to overthrow Duncan's Scottish government. As king, Duncan is well received, which perhaps allows him to consider himself untouchable. He assumes that no one has any reason to hurt or disobey him and therefore allows his personal safety standards to drop to dangerous levels. This lack of concern also explains how he is unprotected while sleeping in Mabeth's castle. Duncan is governed by his ego to such an extent that he rebuffs this breach of security by killing the disloyal Thane rather than try to cor...... middle of paper ......speare and the Globe: Then and Now." Encyclopedia Britannica. Online. 26 March 2002.Clark, W.G. and W. Aldis Wirhgt, ed. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. USA: Nd 'England. 21 March 2002. Available online. March 2002Swisher, Ed. Readings on Macbeth: Greenhaven Press, William The British Tradition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall 1999. "Macbeth" Online Edition BBC page. Online. 2002.