Compare Macbeth And Macduff

Imagine the world where everyone has the same characteristics. No one would stand out as a significant being as everyone conforms to the same standard. However, when there is a contrasting standard, one can use that as a stepping stone to compare oneself with and to see what kind of a person he or she really is. The existence of opposing or different characteristics can emphasize another. In the play, Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth’s weaknesses, concerning his family, masculinity, and perspectives, are emphasized through contrast with Macduff’s strengths in those same areas in order to illuminate that good always triumphs over evil in the end.

Macbeth and Macduff are starkly different when it comes to family issues. Macbeth does not

Macduff was the first to openly defy Macbeth by his decision to go to his castle in Fife rather than Macbeth’s coronation in “Scone” (2.4). Macduff flees to England to rally support and revolt against Macbeth (4.3). Macduff acts on his free will, uninfluenced by the power of Macbeth nor others, and does what he believes to be the best for himself and everyone else. He retains his independent thoughts and his sense of masculinity despite the consequences he might suffer, standing his grounds with his beliefs and ideology of being a true patriot. Later on, upon hearing the news of his family’s murder, Macduff shows his sensitivity: “I shall [disput it like a man], but I must also feel it like a man” (4.3). He depicts the ability to have emotions and link it to his masculinity as a part of human traits, embracing his weaknesses and flaws and showing that he also acts as he believes he should act. The sharp contrast between Macbeth’s cowardly actions and Macduff’s strong will is shown at the final battle between the two; Macbeth refuses to fight with Macduff when Macbeth learns Macduff is that one person in the prophecy that would defeat Macbeth until Macduff threatens to capture him alive and humiliates him in front of the crowd (5.8).Once again, Macbeth masculinity is threatened, and he gives in to the threat rather than stand his ground, leading to his ultimate demise. Macduff’s

The first meeting with the three witches (1.3) already laid out Macbeth’s moral as a negative kind. His decision to associate with the witches, who are known as the agents of Satan, implies that his mindset and his morals are not in the right place and that he has bad intentions. Then, after he becomes a king, he is not a virtuous one; he becomes known as a tyrant that kills everyone who opposes and that does not take good care of his kingdom. This is evident when Malcolm describes Scotland: “I think our country sinks beneath the yoke. It weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash is added to her wounds” (4.3). The personification of Scotland depicts the suffering of the citizens of Scotland and emphasizes the bad reign of Macbeth as detrimental to Scotland’s people. Contrastly, Macduff’s perspective of morals are righteous and he elicits positive reactions from the characters around him. He is able to distinguish evil from good: “This avarice sticks deeper, grows with more pernicious root than summer-seeming lust, and it hath been the sword our slain kings” (4.3). Macduff recognizes that lust for power has resulted in the fall of the rightful king, and his expression of such idea shows that he truly believes in crowning the rightful heir rather than trying to take the crown himself. He is characterized as a person with “good truth and honor”(4.3) by Malcolm and, most