In the play of Macbeth, Shakespeare adds similar themes to each of the characters; Macduff and Macbeth are no exception. Even though Macbeth and Macduff may have very similar qualities such as; bravery, hunger of power, and many more, as the play develops, these characters slowly start to change, revealing that both characters are as different as fire and ice. They are each viewed differently from each other and by others. Even though they both murder, they both do it for different very different reasons, Macbeth kills for greed and selfishness whereas Macduff kills Macbeth to avenge his slaughtered family and to protect the country.
Macbeth was indeed a true tragic hero. He had many noble qualities as well as several tragic flaws, but this didn’t mean he wasn’t a courageous, brave and a good nobleman who was sadly haunted by superstition and a selfish ambition. Through the play, his flaws start to overcome his qualities to the point where they cannot be seen in him anymore. This major change starts right after he commits the murder of Duncan. Here Macbeth’s personality is clearly becoming astray.
Macbeth’s theme becomes tyrannical and evil, completely opposite as in the start of the play. Macduff was never a man of many words but he was an honest man, and because of this everyone listened when he spoke. We first see Macduff’s honesty as he expresses his raw grief at the King’s murder: “O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart/ Cannot conceive nor name thee! (act 2, scene 3).
The Term Paper on Macbeth King Play Iii
... mind at rest. 8.We are never told how Macbeth feels about the murder of Macduff's wife and children. Their killing gains him nothing. ... like a city. The play has a murky feeling, which is reflected in the setting. The action starts in the open fields, ... when Macduff found the King dead: O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart Cannot conceive nor name thee. (II, iii, 66-67) And Macbeth says: ...
His grief is so much that not even the king’s own son appears to mourn the loss of the king, as much as Macduff.
But not even grief was enough to keep this man from paying attention to his surroundings. He is so noble that he was only one who dared to ask why Macbeth killed the guards senselessly. Instead of wasting time on his suspicions, he decides to leave for England. Most might think that this is a cowardly act, but this is actually a brave act which was intended to aid Malcolm in enrolling the English armed services against Macbeth. Macbeth and Macduff were similar in their bravery and skill on the battlefield.
They are also similar through the respect they both received from others and this was shown at the beginning of the play when Macbeth was described as ‘valiant’ as well as ‘worthy’ by the king, just like Macduff was also shown to be admired after he had murdered Macbeth which then allowed Malcolm to become the rightful king, at the end of the play. We see how much their minds are alike since they both are highly driven by their passion and this shows us that they will do anything to fulfil their goals and their ambition is almost identical in the sense that they both have leads them to murder to complete their goals.
In the end Macbeth and Macduff are very similar in some ways, but are different in more ways. Macbeth thought of rewards and promotions, he wanted to be rich and have a lot of power, yet he did not take the responsibility to worry about the very same people he was ruling over. Macduff was different; he was very loyal to his country. He always put the country and his people before anything. He was always willing to help and do the right thing. He wanted to please everyone. Even though they are both power hungry, Shakespeare uses Macbeth to show the terrible effects that ambition and guilt can have on a man who lacks strength of character.
