Carthage

Carthage has a dual role in Macol’s story: it is the place from which he returns with military strength, and the location of the university where Duncan had sent him. The play connects this distant city both to Macol’s preparation and to the sudden threat his return poses to Macbett’s rule.

Education and Connection to Duncan

Duncan sent Macol to Carthage University. Lady Duncan invokes this decision when urging Macol to carry on the family name, recalling that Duncan had looked after him. Carthage thus figures in the account of Macol’s upbringing under his adoptive father, though the play does not specify how long he studied there or what he studied.

Return and Political Consequence

Lady Duncan announces that Macol has just returned from Carthage and mustered a large, powerful army. His return turns the political balance against Macbett: she says the whole country is against him and that he has run out of friends. Carthage is therefore associated not only with Macol’s education but also with the force he brings back to contest the throne.