Porter (The True Tragedie of Macbeth)

A porter was a character in William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.

Appearing in Act II Scene III, they acted as the gatekeeper for Macbeth's castle. In an early draft of the play, they greeted the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe when they arrived at the castle during a rainy night. They asked the Doctor to identify himself, which he did, but the porter was still not satisfied and asked him "Doctor who?". The Doctor brushed off the question, claiming it did not matter, and threatened that "deeds most foul" would be performed within the walls of the castle if they were not let in. The porter heeded this warning and granted them entrance though requested that the trio remember their good will. The porter then went to leave, noting that the place was "too cold for Hell", but was stopped as Macduff and Lenox entered. Macduff inquired as to whether Macbeth was awake but the porter did not need to answer the question as he soon showed himself. (PROSE: The True Tragedie of Macbeth)