Macduff's Loyalty In Macbeth

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

Macduff is also a character that deals with guilt. He is guilty of leaving his entire family behind in Scotland which is eventually why they are killed. He uses this guilt to drive him to bring Macbeth down. If Macduff would have thought to bring his wife and children they wouldn't have died. This shows that every action has consequences and those consequences must be taken into consideration.

Macduff is motivated by his patriotism, and his love for his country. He is a flat main character, whereas he has no major changes throughout the play. He fights for what he believes and his actions have effects on the other characters. Though he did not suspect Macbeth as to being a traitor and killing Duncan, he did not think that he was fit to rule the state. His actual anger to Macbeth came with the slaughter of his family. It serves as more motivation for him, and without it Macbeth may have lived through the final battle. Throughout the play you see that Macduff has always been the foil to Macbeth, causing the worry in him that overthrew his rule, and that Macduff is the hero that Scotland

Macduff’s burning desire for revenge towards Macbeth was encouraged by many forces. As it is known, Macbeth murders Duncan which causes Malcolm to flee to England because he fears for his life. Following Duncan’s death, Macduff was the first to discover Duncan dead, and it can be inferred that he was so angry and mortified that it sparks apprehensiveness towards Macbeth’s acquiring the throne. As he realizes that he does not agree with Macbeth’s reign, he decides to leave his family behind in Fife to go to England to find Malcolm, the true heir to the throne. His plan is to conspire with Malcolm to build an army against Macbeth. Macduff was so loyal to Scotland and the true ruler that he was willing to abandon his family in the process of freeing Scotland from tyranny. As he meets with Malcolm, Ross delivers the news that

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.

In the beginning of the play, we see that Macduff is barely mentioned in Act I, but his intelligence can be noted when he hears about King Duncan’s death. When the Scottish nobles are going to welcome Macbeth as the new king of Scotland, Macduff is skeptical of how King Duncan’s death will change the story throughout the play. At first, Macduff agrees with the fact that Malcolm and Donalbain are most likely suspects in the murder of their father because someone saw them fled the scene

In the 17th Century, when Macbeth was written , loyalty was highly regarded and had great value. The gunpowder plot in 1605, against King James I, shocked everybody . Treason against your own country was regarded as one of the worst crimes a person can commit and this is why Guy Fawkes was hung, drawn and quartered. In the play “Macbeth”, Shakespeare makes the themes of loyalty and family very clear to the audience in the first few scenes in the play. There are many examples of characters that were loyal and trusted, but that turned their back on the people that trusted them. With this becoming the case, it becomes very hard for people to put faith in others as in an instant they could turn their back and try and act on what they truly believe in.

A decision you make can lead to the disastrous fate of others. When Macduff left for England he left his wife and child vulnerable. Lady Macduff's frustration at Macduff when he left both her and her child is conveyed through the criticising line of: "To leave his wife, to leave his babes, His mansion and his titles in a place From whence himself does fly?". It portrays how abruptly Macduff fled to England in  search of Malcom. Consequently Macbeth hires assassins to kill both Lady Macduff and her child. Macduff blames himself for this as if he hadn't have left his wife and child would still be alive. This is portrayed in the grim line " They were all struck for thee! Naught that I am, Not for their own demerits, but for mine, Fell slaughter on their souls". This conveys how Macduff feels guilt towards his wife and child's death. Therefore

Macduff's only ambition is to kill Macbeth, the man who has murdered his wife and children. He has no interest in personal gain and is the first character in the play to understand that Fortune rules you, you don't rule Fortune. This is a certain indicator that he'll be the one to take down the tyrant, who is always challenging

This refusal to go celebrate his new Kings coronation is a very big deal considering the time period of the play. Kings were viewed as second to only god in the great chain of being and to not show up to a coronation shows complete disrespect from Macduff. Macduff is the only nobleman not to go, showing how he is different from the rest and the only one suspecting Macbeth may be the culprit. This unique ability Macduff carries foreshadows his tenacious opposing force against Macbeth later in the play.

It shows his greediness towards becoming king, and shows the motivation he has to go out and kill someone in order to achieve kingliness. When Macbeth uses greed, it almost only ends in the death of another person/group of people, and this is to either make him king, or ensure he and his bloodline stays on the throne. These greedy actions lead to a whole host of negatives for Macbeth, eventually ending in his demise at the hands of Macduff. Macduff is seen as a threat to Macbeth and his staying in power. So, in turn, Macbeth decides to hire some murderers to go kill Macduff’s wife and kids. This is proven in act 4 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 line. No boasting like a fool; / This deed I'll do before this purpose cool. (IV.i.150-155)”, which states that Macbeth orders all of Macduff’s family killed, only to scare Macduff away. Finally, when Macbeth orders the murder of Banquo and his son Fleance, it demonstrates the need that Macbeth has in keeping his bloodline on the throne. Greed in Macbeth is driven by inner rage and senseless violence, and results in many bloody deaths in order to make Macbeth’s life better.

Macduff heard about the death of his entire castle and became committed to revenge. “But gentle heavens, cut short al 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!” (Shakespeare IV.iii.66) Macbeth received a second set of prophecies that gave him a very large and false confidence. “What’s the boy Malcolm? Was he not born of woman? The spirits that know all mortal consequences have pronounced me thus: `fear not, Macbeth; no man that’s born of woman shall e’er have upon thee.’ Then fly, false thanes, and mingle with the

Desperate, Macduff “ is gone to pray the holy (English)king upon his aid”. Not only is Macduff putting his own life in danger, but he is also leaving his wife and kids very vulnerable. Macduff, however being the patriotic man, chooses to do what is his best for his country and follow his conscience in extension. Although his wife and kids do perished under Macbeth’s reign, Macduff is ultimately awarded by the new title he earns from Malcolm when Macbeth is finally overthrown. This might not cover the loss of his family, but Shakespeare is implying that he and his family will be reunited in heaven. Macduff did in fact follow his conscience in making decisions that are hard costing even the lives of his family, but he is able to continue to lead a peaceful life and be reunited with his family once in heaven while Lady Macbeth, most likely, soul is forever tormented by the scorching flames.

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.