Macduff in Macbeth
Macduff, the Thane of Fife, is Macbeth's deadly enemy. He discovers Duncan's body and becomes Malcolm's chief supporter, following him to England to support him in raising an army against Macbeth. When he learns of the murders of his wife and family, Macduff feels guilty about leaving them and driven by a need for revenge.
According to the Witches' prediction, Macduff is the only one who can stop Macbeth. The two men meet face-to-face on the battlefield and Macduff kills Macbeth.
| How is Macduff like this? | Evidence | Analysis | |
| Loyal | Macduff's first loyalty is to his king and country. It is he who discovers Duncan's body and reveals the full horror of the murder. He follows Malcolm (the rightful king) to England and becomes his right-hand man supporting him in his bid to regain the throne. | Macduff, this noble passion, / Child of >integrity, hath from my soul / Wiped the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts / To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth / By many of these trains hath sought to win me / Into his power, and modest wisdom plucks me / From over-credulous haste; but God above / Deal between thee and me, for even now / I put myself to thy direction (Act 4 Scene 3) | Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty by pretending to be a worse human being than Macbeth himself. Macduff refuses to give up his loyalty to the Scottish royal family. Malcolm reveals his deception and contrasts the 'integrity' and 'good truth and honour' of Macduff with that of 'Devilish Macbeth'. He finishes by saying that he completely trusts Macduff - 'I put myself to thy direction'. |
| Revengeful | Macduff wants to rid his country of the tyrant Macbeth and vows to help Malcolm achieve this. When he learns of the murder of his family he becomes even more determined to take revenge. He and Macbeth come face-to-face on the battlefield and Macduff is victorious. | O, I could play the woman with mine eyes / And braggart with my tongue! But gentle heavens, / Cut short all intermission. Front to front / Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; / Within my sword's length set him; if he scape, / Heaven forgive him too. (Act 4 Scene 3) | Macduff is actually a man of few words preferring to get on with things. He could sit around crying about his loss ('I could play the woman with mine eyes') or making great speeches about his intentions ('braggart with my tongue'). Instead he cannot wait for the moment ('cut short all intermission') when he and Macbeth come face-to-face and he can be avenged. |
| Loyal | |
|---|---|
| How is Macduff like this? | Macduff's first loyalty is to his king and country. It is he who discovers Duncan's body and reveals the full horror of the murder. He follows Malcolm (the rightful king) to England and becomes his right-hand man supporting him in his bid to regain the throne. |
| Evidence | Macduff, this noble passion, / Child of >integrity, hath from my soul / Wiped the black scruples, reconciled my thoughts / To thy good truth and honour. Devilish Macbeth / By many of these trains hath sought to win me / Into his power, and modest wisdom plucks me / From over-credulous haste; but God above / Deal between thee and me, for even now / I put myself to thy direction (Act 4 Scene 3) |
| Analysis | Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty by pretending to be a worse human being than Macbeth himself. Macduff refuses to give up his loyalty to the Scottish royal family. Malcolm reveals his deception and contrasts the 'integrity' and 'good truth and honour' of Macduff with that of 'Devilish Macbeth'. He finishes by saying that he completely trusts Macduff - 'I put myself to thy direction'. |
| Revengeful | |
|---|---|
| How is Macduff like this? | Macduff wants to rid his country of the tyrant Macbeth and vows to help Malcolm achieve this. When he learns of the murder of his family he becomes even more determined to take revenge. He and Macbeth come face-to-face on the battlefield and Macduff is victorious. |
| Evidence | O, I could play the woman with mine eyes / And braggart with my tongue! But gentle heavens, / Cut short all intermission. Front to front / Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; / Within my sword's length set him; if he scape, / Heaven forgive him too. (Act 4 Scene 3) |
| Analysis | Macduff is actually a man of few words preferring to get on with things. He could sit around crying about his loss ('I could play the woman with mine eyes') or making great speeches about his intentions ('braggart with my tongue'). Instead he cannot wait for the moment ('cut short all intermission') when he and Macbeth come face-to-face and he can be avenged. |