Macbeth Minor Characters

Before Macbeth meets with Macduff, he thinks of ways to handle Macduff so he would no longer be a problem. Macduff was considered to be a problem because he left the kingdom in order to assist an opposing force. Macbeth states “Then live, Macduff: what need I fear of thee? But yet I’ll make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate.” (Act IV scn i, ln 82-84) He wants to make sure Macduff will not be a problem; he wants to keep Macduff out of his way. In this scene Macbeth is attempting to discover ways to inforce his superiority through the phrase “The castle of Macduff I will surprise; seize upon Fife; give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babies, and all unfortunate souls.” (Act IV scn i, ln 150-152) He hired men to kill Macduff’s family, so he will be depressed and will grieve; he wants to keep Macduff out of the way of him still being King. The main reason he did this, however, was to exert his leadership over Macduff and send a message. This paragraph explains how Macbeth was disloyal to Macduff and how he did anything to keep Macduff out of his way, but things did not turn out as he

Through Shakespeare’s use of minor characters in his play, Hamlet, the playwright was able to subtly develop Hamlet’s character. In using minor characters, Shakespeare emphasized certain traits which the main character held. These minor character also personify the motifs of contrast between a sickly interior versus healthy exterior and contrasting life and death; the minor characters’ embodiment of these motifs further establish for the audience the importance of these motifs within the play.

Macduff's ambition in this play was to be loyal to his country by taking out Macbeth. Too much of his time is spent plotting against Macbeth, which throws off Macduff’s values. He abandons his family and left for England to find Malcolm so he could wage war against Macbeth. Later, Macbeth hears that the recent absence of Macduff at the banquet and at Duncan’s funeral was because he had fled to England, to find Malcolm. So Macbeth reacts to this by sending murderers to kill Macduff's family. Once Macduff finds out that his family is dead, he starts to exhibit some emotion. At this time he is about to wage war on Macbeth with Malcolm; Malcolm say's to Macduff "Dispute it like a man"(4.3.259). Macduff then replies,

Avaunt! And quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee! / Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with! (III.iv.109-103). Macbeth’s deranged actions at the banquet show that any actions he takes past that point, including ordering the death of Macduff’s family, should not be held personally against Macbeth as his mental health has deteriorated to the point that he is no longer sane. Moreover, it is arguable that Macbeth is under the impression that Macduff and his family are dangerous to him. The witches, in the First Apparition shown to Macbeth, tells him to “Beware Macduff! / Beware the Thane of Fife” (IV.i.78-79). This is a direct mention of the danger posed by Macduff against Macbeth, and as Macduff has escaped, Macbeth can only attempt to punish Macduff’s family in order to dissuade him from acting against Macbeth’s regime. Finally, Macduff betrayed and committed high treason against King Macbeth for fleeing to a foreign power to assist an enemy of the state, Malcolm. Macduff’s goal to dethrone Macbeth is clearly shown when he requests that he and Malcolm must “Macduff.

After this Macbeth kills Macduff whole family and servants to send Macduff a message for being disloyal and he thinks that Macduff suspects him of something as well. This is shown when Macbeth says “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls That trace him in his

Whilst the character of Macbeth is initially portrayed as a noble kinsman, his ambition and motivation, directly influenced by the witches and Lady Macbeth, ultimately transforms him into a corrupt and ruthless tyrant. William Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy “Macbeth” clearly depicts this notion of change, illustrated through Shakespeare's utilisation of literary techniques. The tragic downfall of Macbeth is mainly attributed to Macbeth’s own greed and hubris.

The use of minor characters in Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, enhances the audience’s understanding and development of the plot. With examples of minor characters such as Ross, Malcolm and the Witches it can be seen how their interactions with the main characters can ultimately influence certain aspects within the plot. Not only do they provide a commentary for the audience but are also able to stir up conflict among the other characters.

The script says, “But yet I'll make assurance double sure, and take a bond of fate: thou shalt not live; that I may tell pale-hearted fear it lies, and sleep in spite of thunder.” (Shakespeare 77). Although the weird sisters’ prophecy has convinced Macbeth that Macduff is not a threat to his life, Macbeth reveals that he will kill Macduff to ensure his fate and properly conquer his own fear. I think that Macbeth’s merciless decision to execute a family of innocent people shows he has reached the height of his tyranny, having been fueled by his fear of losing power. In his decision, I can see that Macbeth has truly plummeted into madness. He has no logical reason for killing Macduff’s family alone from his own irrational fear. Reading the script, I am able to see the banter between Macduff’s wife and son. For me, seeing this sweet exchange makes Macduff’s family appear more realistic and relatable, helping to create a greater understanding behind the injustice of their murder. In the film, the amusing conversation between Macduff’s family is not shown. I believe that neglecting this simple moment decreased the characters’ authenticity as ordinary, innocent victims. Devoid of this scene, I believe that I do not truly realize the caliber of the atrocity Macbeth has committed as a result of his deranged

Furthermore this leads us to ambition. Many people in the story show ambition but the most noticeable person to show ambition is Macduff. Macduff shows ambition when he fights Macbeth at the end of the book. You see this when they meet for the first time since Macduff left when he says I have nothing to say to you. My sword will talk for me. You are to evil for words. The overall message is that he has ambition to be able to help Scotland and to be able to help everyone get out from the power of Macbeth.

The apparition had told Macbeth to beware Macduff, however Macbeth is so confident in assuming that Macduff can’t kill him because he believes he is born of a woman. Macbeth says, “Then live, Macduff. What need I fear of thee?”(IV.i.81). This indicates that Macbeth is not thinking realistically and is allowing his ambition to be controlled by the prophecy that is negatively impacting him. Macbeth kills Macduff’s innocent family while he searches for Macduff in thoughts of killing him. After meeting the witches Macbeth mentions, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to th' edge o' th' sword His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (IV.i. 149-151). This illustrates that Macbeth is ruthless and what he is capable of doing for his own advantage. Macbeth’s ambition led him to become egoistic and selfish towards his nation which then results in his own death in the end. Macduff walks with Macbeth’s head and states, “Hail, king! For so thou art. Behold where stands the usurper’s cursed head. The time is free” (V.xi.21-22). This shows that Macbeth’s selfishness in keeping power is what led him to his death by Macduff. Macbeth’s desire to preserve his power for himself and his future sons illustrates the struggle he faced in maintaining and securing his

When Macbeth hears that Macduff has fled to England, he says, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, seize upon Fife, give to th’edge’oth’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him his line,” (Shakespeare 4.1.150-153). Earlier, Macbeth receives a prophecy claiming that he should beware of Macduff. However, after he hears about Macduff fleeing and hearing the prophecy, he declares that he will go into Macduff’s home and kill everyone to secure his place in power. This ambitious move by Macbeth comes back to hurt him later in the play. By killing Macduff’s family, it causes Macduff to become angry and seek revenge. When Macduff returns to England, it is he who kills Macbeth out of anger due to the death of his family. In the end, Macbeth’s corruption of ambition causes him to make a risky move that costs him his life and brings his

Finally, when Macbeth went to the witches again to consult them about his future the first thing they said to Macbeth was to beware of Macduff. After hearing this prophecy from the witches Macbeth secretly sent murderers to Macduff’s palace in Fife. When the murderers reached Fife all they could find was Lady Macduff and her son both of whom the murderers murdered. When the news of the murder reached Macduff he was outraged and swore to kill Macbeth to revenge on what he did to his family and Scotland overall. This is evident when Macduff says, “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. 271-273). The murder of Lady Macduff and her son also affected Macbeth because it was Macduff at the end of the play who killed Macbeth. We can say that it

As Lady Macduff explains that since Macduff was a traitor, he was to be hanged, Lady Macduff’s son comments on this. He says “Then the liars and swearers are fools, for there are liars and swearers enough to beat the honest men and hang up them.” Through this quote, he displays great wisdom as he recognizes that there are more dishonest people than honest people in this world. Lady Macduff’s son overall has knowledge beyond his years, as well as ability to control his emotions, unlike his mother. When she announces his father to be dead, he responds calmly, and declares that he’ll live with what he has (comparing himself to how bird’s live). His level-headed nature and sensibility provides an interesting contrast to his mother within an emotion-filled scene.

This passage can also connect to the theme of ambition for power. Macbeth is very desperate to be able to have power and not have to fear anyone that he decided to kill Macduff's son while Macduff's wife was eventually killed offstage. This passage can also connect back to Macbeth being a villain instead of a tragic hero because he never saved anyone. He ended up killing innocent people who had done nothing to cause him harm. A hero would have told Macduff not to flee instead of scaring him away and making his family worry because he had run away, leaving the rest of the family unprotected.

Macduff's intelligence leans towards irresponsibility when he abandons his family without realising the danger his actions will cause them. When Macduff goes to England for help in freeing Scotland from the tyrant Macbeth, and informs Malcolm of the terrible things that have been happening in Scotland, he says; "Let us rather / Hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men / Bestride our down-fall'n birthdom" (4, 3, 2-4). There is a great sense of urgency in Macduff's words because his thoughts become obsessive with eliminating Scotland of its evil tyrant rather than focusing on his family. His suspicion grows after Macbeth’s killing of the guards and so he refuses to attend Macbeth’s coronation which leads to the murder of his family.