MACDUFF
The Thane of Fife who abandons his wife. He discovers the dead King Duncan and makes it his mission to return Scotland to its rightful rulers as Macbeth leaves it in ruins. Travelling to England to raise an army to destroy Macbeth, Macduff leaves his family vulnerable and exposed. The murder of his wife and children make the final battle between him and Macbeth personal. The play draws to an end as Macduff holds up Macbeth’s severed head.
PIVOTAL MOMENTS
-Discovering the body of Duncan
-The murder of his family by Macbeth
-Being tested by Malcolm about whether he is truly loyal to Scotland
-Defeating Macbeth in battle and giving the crown to Duncan’s son, Malcolm
PURPOSE
He is the foil (opposite) of Macbeth. Where Macbeth seeks power Macduff wants to give power to the rightful ruler. Where Macbeth rules through fear, Macduff despises this.
Simplified this is a classic fight between good (Macduff) and evil (Macbeth). It is fate that good will always win as the witches show us. They tell Macbeth to beware of Macduff. The fact that Macduff was born of caesarian section shows that no ”man of woman born” did harm Macbeth. It was fate that Macduff would end his reign of terror.
STRETCH VOCAB
Valiant
Heroic
Vengeful
Righteous
Loyal
Unwavering
Honourable
Patriotic
Key Quotation Analysis
LINKS WITH OTHER CHARACTERS
MACBETH
Macbeth becomes the anti-hero of the play when Macduff vows revenge and to return Scotland to its rightful rule. Macduff is designed to oppose all the character flaws of greed and ambition that Macbeth has and show the audience what a virtuous warrior should look like.