ipl-logo

Essay Comparing Macbeth And Macduff

565 Words3 Pages

Prompt: Determine the personalities of Macbeth and Macduff, and how they act upon them

Thesis: The personalities of Macbeth are deceitful, hypocritical and insidious while the personality of Macduff is civil, straightforward and genuine. Macbeth acts upon them with vile actions while Macduff acts upon them with subtlety.

“Is this a dagger which I see before me/The handle towards my hand.”Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s most prominent plays. The play depicts the life of Macbeth and the events that cumulate throughout his life. Due to the murderous actions of Macbeth, his and Macduff’s paths eventually cross. Throughout the course of the play, Macbeth has committed several deaths and these include; King Duncan, the two guards, Banquo, and Macduff’s family. The personalities of Macbeth are deceitful, hypocritical and insidious while the personality of Banquo is civil, straightforward and genuine; Macbeth acts upon them with vile actions while Macduff acts upon them with subtlety. …show more content…

Both characters want to be successful in what they do and both characters want their voice to be heard. Macbeth shows this by having urges to kill others for the benefit of himself; such as when he murdered King Duncan only for himself to be King. Macduff shows this by speaking with Malcolm discussing his worries on Macbeth being King of Scotland. However, they both express their personalities differently. Macbeth selects the horrid way while Macduff chooses the thoughtful way. Macbeth wants people to fear him and listen to him to display his power. Macduff is more concerned about the outcomes for the people of his country along with its value more than just the consideration of

Show More
Related
1280 Words | 6 Pages

For instance, he commits multiple murders after he gets the title of King. The murder of his own friend Banquo, the attempted murder of Banquo's son Fleance, and the murder of Macduff's family all were committed to fueling his growing obsession with maintaining his status and power. Nearing the end of the play, his determination completely takes over him and leads to his downfall. The witches give Macbeth more insight near the end of the play, communicated through visions and apparitions. The apparitions tell macbeth: “Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth, beware Macduff; / Beware the Thane of Fife.

Read More
450 Words | 2 Pages

To compare and contrast the roles of Lady Macbeth in the play, giving close consideration to their relationship their husbands. In the play ‘Macbeth’ we notice that the roles of Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff are very different. The contrast between these two ladies, is especially noted by each woman’s loyalties and manner of death. These two women, as similar as they were, also had dissimilarities that are far more striking.   Although Lady Macduff and Lady Macbeth each had the ability to influence their family, they used this influence in entirely different ways.

Read More
411 Words | 2 Pages

In the book, Macbeth receives harsh news, news that strikes fear into his heart. Macduff receives similar news, though the two each process and deal with their fear in different ways, one as a coward, another as a man. In the end, they are met with very different outcomes. A man should always process fear not only with bravery, but with emotion. Macbeth processes his fear very differently from Macduff, in a way which causes him to cower behind his power,

Read More
160 Words | 1 Pages

Later on, Macbeth is then again wanting to kill another person, Macduff. Macbeth knows that he can not get to him, so instead he plans to kill Macduff’s family. The wanting for more power has created him into being wicked and kill innocent lives. While in anger he orders, “give to th’ edge o’ th’ sword his wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls” (iiii.i.152-153).

Read More
661 Words | 3 Pages

In the play Macbeth, Macduff’s balance of personal integrity and professional responsibility lead to his success of taking down Macbeth and his success as a leader. “He is noble, wise, judicious, and best knows the fits o’ th’ season... But cruel are the times when we are traitors and do not ourselves”(Act IV Scene II). Macduff left to help fight against Macbeth. This shows Macduff has integrity because he is willing to leave his family for the better of the kingdom.

Read More
427 Words | 2 Pages

In the play The Tragedy of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macduff proves to be the true hero. Macduff proves to be the true hero of the play for being loyal to his country and killing Macbeth. Macbeth and Macduff differ because Macbeth is conceded and a killer, while Macduff is not. Macduff, the Thane of Fife, proves to be a loyal man when it comes to his country and his people. For example, Macduff deserts his family in order to go to England to meet with Malcolm and the king of England, so all three of them can go back to Scotland to defeat Macbeth for once and all.

Read More
496 Words | 2 Pages

Ross, here says that ambition is the reason Malcolm murdered Duncan, and that has as a result Macbeth will become king. Ross was correct in that, ambition was the cause of the murder, and that Macbeth would become king, he just didn’t know Macbeth was the usurper at this time. Then, at the end of the play, Macduff kills Macbeth. This happens because Macbeth wanted to remain in power, and so he killed Macduff’s family, resulting in his own death. “O, I could play the woman with mine eyes, and braggart with my tongue!

Read More
971 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth finally displays the admirable quality of bravery and pride as he states, “at least we’ll die with our armor on,” before going off to fight. Scene 7: Macbeth kills again because Young Siward challenges him, and Macbeth is fighting for his life, thus his first instinct is to kill. His motivation is restoring faith in the witches and showing that no one can stop him. Macduff’s motivation is different because his motivation is revenge for the killing of his family.

Read More
589 Words | 3 Pages

Not only does Macbeth portray his inhumane quality through his lack of inner voice, but also through his cruel actions. Later in the Act, Macbeth is told by Apparitions that he should beware of Macduff. Because of this warning, Macbeth thinks he needs to kill all the members of Macduff’s family (4.1.171-175). When Macbeth killed Macduff’s wife and sons, he did not stop to think about them as humans. The wife and children of Macduff were innocent people with lives that were taken away just because Macbeth received a warning from ghost-like images.

Read More
362 Words | 2 Pages

“He has kill'd me, mother: Run away, I pray you!” This drives Macduff to take revenge by killing Macbeth fulfilling the prophecy and ending Macbeth’s life. If Macbeth did not have so much ambition, he would not have visited the witches or even try to kill Macduff’s family. These two events demonstrate how Macbeth’s great ambition resulted in his downfall.

Read More
621 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth, himself took these decisions and caused the downfall in his life. He had the taste of power with becoming the king. After having more power, greediness led him to murder Banquo and Macduff’s family. It is clearly shown that Macbeth was aware of what he was doing and knew the consequences. Macbeth really became the “dead butcher”, which Malcolm talked about.

Read More
1931 Words | 8 Pages

This debate between the pity found in Macbeth’s mental state and the fear he evokes through his actions continues as Macbeth becomes a vicious tyrant. Not only does he kill off more of those around him, including the family of MacDuff, all for the sake of proving his power over those around him, but he rains famine and tragedy across the land. Macbeth’s inhumane actions easily draw fear from the audience as it expresses how uncontrollable and deranged, he has become; Macbeth is truly far from the hero first introduced. Extensively Macbeth begins to trust fewer and fewer individuals, he becomes more paranoid about the things going on around him. Specifically he can’t sleep and fears loosing his power.

Read More
1083 Words | 5 Pages

Eventually, he then acts upon his greed and abandons his morals through the vile words of Lady Macbeth. After the king 's death, Macbeth expresses his hatred towards killing the king "I have no spur/To prick the sides of my intent, but only/Vaulting ambition, which overlaps itself/And falls on the ' other. " Specifically, under his new state of power, he was taking extra precautions to prevent anyone from taking his dignity and bloodline. Simultaneously becoming apprehensive of his throne for this purpose he kills Banquo otherwise his descendants will inherit the throne, and the killing of Macduff 's family since Macbeth was suspicious of his downfall might be coming. "

Read More
737 Words | 3 Pages

Consequently, by Macbeth lying, cheating, and murdering to obtain his power, he then by doing so influenced the country into doing the same thing. For evidence of this if you look at 4.2. ?? Lady Macduff further supports this assessment by saying, “I am in this earthly world, where to do harm. Is often laudable, to do good sometime Accounted dangerous folly.” Which supports the play theme of Fair foul and foul is fair. Furthermore, once Macbeth becomes kings, he starts to get paranoid and by doing order murders for his best friend Banquo and the household of Macduff.

Read More
743 Words | 3 Pages

The personality of Macbeth changes over the course of the play as Macbeth murders many innocent people like, Duncan, Banquo and Macduff's family. The death of these characters symbolizes the death and birth of something inside Macbeth and the beginning of his downfall. Macbeth, at the beginning or the play, a brave soldier only protecting his people and his king, to Macbeth a murderous tyrant only looking out for the greater good of himself. The death of Duncan symbolized the death of Macbeth's before anxious and confused self and birthed a Macbeth full of guilt and anxiety. After being led to Duncan by a floating dagger and murdering him, Macbeth returns to his wife crying, "One cried "God Bless us!"

Read More

More about Essay Comparing Macbeth And Macduff

Related Topics

Open Document