Macbeth, a Shakespearean tragedy about overgrowing pride and ambition, exhibits a theme of loss, and how each individual handles it in their own unique way. Even though Shakespeare demonstrates this through many characters, there is one which stands out remarkably: Macduff. Macduff is an intriguing character in this play, because he is the foil character of the protagonist, and yet we still root for him, due to Macbeth 's harm inflicted upon Macduff which grows over the course of the play. After Macduff experiences separation from his friends, family, and king, he gains the emotional courage required to make everything right.

In act II, scene III, Macduff unfortunately is the one to discover the body of King Duncan, and clearly grieves heavily for the loss. This permanent separation from his king gives him the emotional courage to seek out who committed this treachery, and bring justice. Initially, he claims that he has two possible suspects: Malcolm and Donalbain; but there is evidence to suggest that he actually has an early suspicion of Macbeth. Macduff is the ONLY person who questions Macbeth’s statement that he slayed the guards. This reveals that his separation from his King gave him the emotional courage to create a personal obligation for justice, and a conviction to identify the murderer - which is why he would instantly start questioning suspicious behavior, such as Macbeth 's execution of the guards. Later on, in act II, scene IV, Macduff meets up with Ross and