macduff

• Macduff


  • Symbolises ultimate loyalty
  • Minor character but most prominent minor character in the play
  • Static character - his loyalty to King Duncan and righteous heirs to the throne is unwavering
  • Becomes a focal point for Macbeth's rage and desire to protect his throne
  • Family is murdered by Macbeth's assassins after Macduff flees to England to seek help from the king
  • Revenge drives him to eventually kill Macbeth and instill Malcolm, the rightful heir, to the throne
• Macduff


  Opposite to the character of Macbeth, they are foils of each other
• Defeating Macbeth is Macduff's destiny, as the Witches prophesied that a "man of woman born" would defeat him
• Macduff's definition of manhood


  Opposite to Macbeth - he doesn't resist emotion but embraces it
• Macduff's bravery


  • Selfless and out of love for his country
  • Violence is for a justified cause and only proportional to what is needed
  • Confident in facing Macbeth, calls him "turn hell hound, turn" demonstrating righteousness on his side
  • Exposes Macbeth's cowardice
• Macbeth's confidence and bravery


  Comes from hubris (excessive pride) due to the witches' prophecies
• Macduff's bravery is pure and honourable, succeeding in killing Macbeth in battle
• Religious context - Divine Right of Kings


  • Macduff's reaction to Duncan's death uses religious language to show his belief in the Divine Right of Kings
  • Refers to Duncan's body as a "temple" to reinforce the holiness of his reign
  • Recognises Duncan as the true, divinely ordained, king
• In the Jacobean era it was believed that God picked who was to be king, therefore to try and change who was king was a sin as you were going directly against God's will
• Macduff's reaction to Duncan's death


  Sees it as comparable to the end of the world - the natural order has been disturbed and thus chaos will ensue
• Macduff's characteristics


  • Sensitive - exhibits emotional behaviour, which was considered a feminine trait at the time
  • Patriotic - recognises that Macbeth's reign brings chaos to Scotland and sets about creating an opposition to Macbeth
• The 'Great Chain of Being' is a hierarchical social structure which dictated who had authority over who (the King was at the top of the hierarchy, just under God)
• Macduff's care for Scotland


  • Evidenced through the use of parallelism - "new widows howl, new orphans cry" demonstrates he is considering the detrimental effects of Macbeth's reign holistically
• Macduff


  • Enacts revenge on Macbeth
  • Holds a great deal of power
• Macduff discovers Duncan's death


  1. Demonstrates complete loyalty to Duncan

  2. Demonstrates adherence to the Divine Right of Kings

  3. Emotional reaction to the death

  4. Shakespeare uses repetition to emphasise the strength of this emotion

  5. Adopts the role of the judge

  6. Knows Macbeth is in the wrong

  7. Will act on God's behalf to bring justice upon Macbeth

  8. Macbeth's actions will result in eternal damnation
• Macbeth receives warning from an apparition


  He should beware Macduff
• Macduff's family is killed by Macbeth


  This provides Macduff with more rationale to enact his revenge on Macbeth
• Malcolm suspects Macduff may be working for Macbeth


  Tests him to see if he is trustworthy
• Macduff kills Macbeth


  1. Shakespeare utilises Macduff to restore order to the play

  2. Ensures it is Macduff who brings an end to Macbeth's tyrannous reign

  3. Macduff has the strongest reason to kill Macbeth: revenge

  4. Macduff is symbolic of a bringer of truth

  5. Calls Macbeth what he is: tyrant, hellhound, bloodier villain

  6. Brings truth to the deception that has been Macbeth's reign

  7. Exposes Macbeth for what he is and purges Scotland of its illness
• Malcolm and Macduff


  • Both hold an immense amount of loyalty and patriotism towards their country, which leads to Macbeth's removal from the throne
  • Malcolm tests Macduff's loyalty, which Macduff succeeds in and proves to the audience that he is a character to be trusted
• Macbeth and Macduff


  Macduff is eventually the character who kills Macbeth
• Ross and Macduff


  • Ross is part of the army which eventually overthrows Macbeth
  • He is the one who tells Macduff that Macbeth has murdered his family
  • He serves as a character who delivers news both to the characters and audience in the play, and Macduff is part of this deliverance
• King Duncan and Macduff


  • Macduff shows great loyalty to King Duncan
  • He is the character who finds Duncan dead after Macbeth murders him
• Macduff: '"lest our old robes sit easier than our new"'
• Macduff: '"fit to govern? No not to live!"'
• Macduff: '"thy hope ends here"'
• Ross: '"he is noble, wise, judicious"'
• Macduff: '"Cruel are the times when we are traitor and do not know ourselves"'
• Macduff: '"Most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the lord's anointed temple"'
• Macduff: '"new widows howl new orphans cry"'
• "oh horror, oh horror, oh horror"


  • shows distress in learn of Duncan's death
  • repetition of horror implies that it isn't a pleasant sight
• "destroy your sight with a new gorgon"

  • hyperbolic
  • they will be riddled with sadness and remorse if they see the body
• "most sacrilegious murder"


  • The term “sacrilegious” implies a violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred.
  • Macduff uses this term to emphasize the gravity of King Duncan’s murder, which he views as a violation of the divine order
• "Each new morn, new widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face"


  • vividly depicts the suffering caused by Macbeth’s tyrannical rule. Macduff is expressing the grief and sorrow that each new day brings under Macbeth’s reign

  “new morn”

  • symbolizes the start of a new day, but instead of bringing hope, it brings more pain and suffering
• "Each new morn, new widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face"


  “new widows” and “new orphans”

  • represent the victims of Macbeth’s tyranny.
  • Macduff is highlighting the personal cost of Macbeth’s ambition and the destructive impact of his rule
• "Each new morn, new widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrows strike heaven on the face"


  • suggests an appeal to divine justice. It reflects Macduff’s hope that heaven will take notice of the suffering on earth and intervene
• "all my pretty ones?"

  • Macduff’s words express his profound grief and despair at the loss of his family. 
  • His use of the term “pretty ones” underscores the innocence and vulnerability of his children, amplifying the horror of their murder
  • His grief transforms into a powerful force for justice