A True Instance of Good vs. Evil? At the end of the play Macbeth, Macduff kills Macbeth in a scene easily read as the victory of good over evil, but is this accurate? Is Macbeth completely evil? Is Macduff completely good? Or is there an in between? I believe that Macduff is good, but there is definitely an in-between with Macbeth. I see Macduff as being a good person. He does everything he can to improve the state that Scotland is in. When he flees to England and leaves his family behind, some people may interpret it as him doing bad since his family is slaughtered in his absence.
I do not see it this way. I believe Macduff is doing what he thinks is best for Scotland when he flees to England. That is to get Malcolm to come back and take his rightful place as king of Scotland. This is evident when Macduff is in England talking to Malcolm. Malcolm says “let us seek out some desolate shade, and there/weep our sad bosoms empty” (4. 3:1-2, Page 70).
Basically, he is feels sorry for the state into which Scotland has fallen since Macbeth has become king. To this Macduff replies “Let us rather hold fast the mortal sword, and like good men bestride our down-fall’n birthdom” (4. :3-4, Page 71).
This translates to “let us rather hold fast the deadly sword, and like good men protectively stand over our native land. ” Basically what Macduff is trying to say is that instead of crying for Scotland, they should fight for their land to bring her back to the state they knew and loved. Further on into this same conversation, there is further proof that Macduff was seen as good. He tells Malcolm “I am not treacherous” to which Malcolm replies “but Macbeth is” 4. 3:18-19, Page 71).
The Essay on Why Does Macduff Kill Macbeth
Why Does Macduff kill Macbeth Macbeth being murdered by Macduff represents the finale of Macbeth. The murder itself marks the end of a long struggle for power between the good (Malcolm, Macduff), and the evil (Macbeth). Many events hinted to the reason for Macduff murdering Macbeth. The murder of Macbeth was an inevitable act that was bound to happen. One of these events was prophecy of the three ...
This also goes toward the argument of Macbeth being evil. He is seen as treacherous and a tyrant. He brings sadness to Scotland. Macduff says that “each new morn/New widows howl, new orphans cry, new sorrow/Strike heaven on the face” (4. 3: 4-6, Page 71).
This is just a hint of how bad the state of Scotland has gotten. Macbeth is also evil in that he murdered and framed people to become king of Scotland. He murdered the current king, Duncan, and made it appear that the guards in his chambers of the crime.
He was told by the Weird Sisters that he would be king. He was just too impatient to wait his turn and turned to murder instead. Although he did do a lot of things that could be considered evil, I do not believe that Macbeth was wholly evil. He was brave and seen as a hero in the war against Norway. This heroism even got him the title of Thane of Cawdor. Banquo didn’t seem displeased at the prophecies of Macbeth becoming Thane of Cawdor and King. If Macbeth was evil, Banquo would have been displeased with this.
He can also be seen as not wholly evil because he is hesitant in his plot to kill the king. Lady Macbeth has to help to convince him to do it. If he was wholly evil, he would have had no hesitation in murdering someone for his own gain. Due to the mix of good and evil in the character of Macbeth, there is definitely some gray area to the play. I think this gray area adds depth to the play. Not everyone is interested in straight good and evil. Some prefer a round, conflicted character such as provided by the character of Macbeth.
