macduff

• Keywords:

  • Archetypal hero, loyal, morally sound, sensitive, foil to Macbeth, valiant, restores order.
• Macduff is the archetype of the avenging hero, motivated by revenge, but with good intentions.

  • He is consistently portrayed as a human with heroic qualities.
• Act 5: "I have no words; my voice is my sword"

  • Emphasises Macduff's heroic qualities, and draws on a key idiom - actions speak louder than words.
• Immediately upon learning of the slaughtering of his family, he begins to plot his revenge, motivated by a desire to hold Macbeth accountable for his sins.

  • "Let's make us medicines of our great revenge. // To cure this deadly grief."
• The avenging hero creates a dichotomy (contrast) between Macbeth and Macduff, between good and evil.
• "Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the Lord's anointed temple"

  • Religious semantic field - "sacrilegious" and "anointed" create an image of sacredness and holiness: Macduff's extreme distress that the king (divinely ordained by God) has been callously murdered despite his sacredness.
• "Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the Lord's anointed temple"

  • His hyperbolic language and reaction reinforce how Macduff abides strictly by the religious moral code.
  • Juxtaposition to Macbeth.
• Emotional character: "O horror, horror, horror"

  • His reaction to his wife and son, as well as Duncan's death.
  • Shakespeare makes use of repetition here to emphasise the strength of Macduff's devastated emotions.
• "I am not treacherous"

  • Making his loyalty explicitly clear.
  • His use of the word "treacherous" is apt; it creates distance between Macduff and Macbeth, who seems to embody treachery throughout the play.
• The main purpose of Macduff's character is to restore order to Scotland and restore the divine right of kings through killing Macbeth.
• "Turn, hell-hound, turn"

  • The repetition of the word "turn" emphasises the extent to which Macbeth has turned order on his head, while the epithet "hell-hound" is used to highlight the true nature of the tyrant king.
• "Here you may see the tyrant"

  • This is the last thing Macbeth hears before dying.
  • The poignancy of Macduff's words shines through, signifying an end to Macbeth's destruction and the beginning of the restoration of order.
• Macduff's desire to restore order only emphasises Macbeth's disruption of order.

  • As Macbeth's selfish motivations disrupt the established order of Scotland.
• Macduff's sole purpose throughout the play is to save Scotland from Macbeth's tyranny.
• Patriotism: "O Scotland, O Scotland... O nation miserable"

  • Microcosm for Scotland, emphasising the way his own emotions mirror the state of his country.
• Macduff is a foil to Macbeth through his over patriotism, he mourns over the state of Scotland.

  • Patriotism is an example of selflessness as it prioritises your country over your own interests.
• Patriotism: "Bleed, bleed poor country"

  • Depicts how emotionally connected to his country he is, Macduff personifies Scotland in lamenting (mourning).
  • It also suggests how Scotland is dying under Macbeth's reign captivating Macbeth's misanthropic (having or showing a dislike of other people) nature, a quality that juxtaposes the role of a king.
• "New widow cry, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike"

  • Presents Macduff's consideration and care for his country, he is selfless in thinking of "orphans" and "widows" rather than just himself.