How Are Macbeth And Macduff Alike

In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Shakespeare tells a compelling story of 2 warriors, Macbeth and Macduff, whose differences and similarities lead them to develop separate personalities and identities. These would lead them to develop feelings of animosity towards one another, leading to inevitable conflict between them. Overall, Macduff and Macbeth share a multitude of similarities and differences.

There are numerous similarities between Macbeth and Macduff that are exhibited in the play. Throughout the play, Macbeth and Macduff lose their wives, making them widowers. For instance, when Malcolm and Macduff meet in England, Ross brings the tragic news that Macduff’s “...wife and babes / [were] savagely [slaughtered]…” by the murderers

Similarly, Macbeth’s wife also died later in the play by suicide, as revealed when Seyton informs Macbeth that his wife has died after Macbeth questions the cry of a woman (who was Lady Macbeth). Furthermore, another similarity between the two is they have both killed someone in the play. As both Macbeth and Macduff are warriors, they have both killed people over the course of the play. This can be seen in Macbeth, where he envisions “...a dagger which [he] see[s] before [him]...” that leads Macbeth to Duncan’s room prior to Duncan’s assassination (2.1.33). Macduff’s act of murder is illustrated near the end of the play in the faceoff between him versus Macbeth. The face-off between the two concludes in Macduff’s victory where Macduff successfully kills Macbeth and ends his reign as the king. In addition, both Macbeth and Macduff are trusted by King Duncan. Since both Macbeth and Macduff are part of the Scottish army, Duncan puts significant trust in them. For instance, Duncan explicitly declares his trust in Macbeth by declaring: “No more that Thane of Cawdor shall deceive / Our bosom interest,” (1.2.63-64). Similarly, Macduff is also trusted by King Duncan, as exemplified when Macduff