Duncan - The ideal ruler in Macbeth?Determining whether or not Duncan was an ideal ruler is crucial when examining Macbeth. A decidedly negative answer would not only help to understand the context of the play, but would also justify, in a certain sense, Macbeth's decision to kill Duncan. At the beginning of the play, Duncan receives a report from the battlefield. The audience discovers that the threat Scotland faces is dual in nature. A Norwegian invasion is assisted by two rebel thanes: Macdonwald and Cawdor. While external attack was something to expect in the days when fame was earned through military conquests, internal rebellion is a different matter. This suggests an important thing: if a rebellion had been possible, the king's power could not have been very strong. Traitors can be found in every society, but it is the ruler's duty to uncover conspiracies and punish the people involved in them before they have a chance to put their plans into action. The internal rebellion shows that Duncan did not have the ability (and/or means) to do so - perhaps he was naive and did not believe that his nobles could actually turn against him. Duncan's lack of power and control over his country is also demonstrated by his military dependence. It is unclear whether Duncan himself fought in the war: it is possible that he did not; as in the first act he only receives news from the battlefield. One could, of course, argue that Shakespeare did not want to include a huge battle scene in his play, but, nevertheless, it seems that Duncan did not fight against himself. This was not the custom in the Middle Ages: the ruler's conduct in battle was to serve as an example to all warriors. Shakespeare does not specify how old Duncan is but, judging by the fact that he has two grown children, he is no longer young. This has been taken into account in several theater productions of Macbeth. In Trevor Nunn's 1976 film of his stage production of Macbeth Duncan is portrayed as an old, weak and sickly man. This could explain why he doesn't take part in the battle. He is old and sick and depends on the loyalty of his warlords. Duncan's fate depends on two of his most powerful warriors: Macbeth and Banquo..