Macduff Flashcards
Topic sentence 1
TS1: Macduff is presented as the morally good foil to Macbeth.
‘The Lord’s anointed temple’
‘untitled tyrant blood- sceptred’
‘sacrilegious murder hath broke open/ The Lord’s anointed temple’
L = metaphor + RSF. Duncan’s stabbed body is compared to a temple that has been broken into. RSF= moral goodness. C = DRK. (Gunpowder Plot)
‘untitled tyrant bloody-sceptred’
MB doesn’t deserve throne as not worthy enough unlike MD
I = MB effectively ruling no one as has no ones respect of trust unlike MD whom everyone is devoted to
C = DRK
Topic sentence 2
TS2: He is introduced by the witches as a threat to Macbeth, and Macduff’s family pays the price when he flees to England.
‘beware Macduff’
‘Give to the edge of the sword his wife, his babes’
‘sinful Macduff, they were all struck for thee’
‘beware Macduff’
R = the apparition’s warning is an effective dramatic device as the audience wonders why MB should fear him and how he might threaten MB’s position on the throne.
‘give to the edge of the sword his wife, his babes’
L = emotive language. MB punishes Macduff’s family because Macduff has fled to England to raise an army with Malcolm. R = despise for murdering innocent
‘sinful Macduff, they were all struck for thee’
L = adjective suggests his guilt that his innocent family were murdered for his actions. I= Sibilance shows his self-hatred. R/D = MD is not a flawless character. The audience may feel sympathy but also feel leaving his family was a serious error of judgement. He should have protected them.
Topic sentence 3
TS3: Macduff is presented as a patriot when his loyalty is tested by Malcolm.
‘fit to govern? No, not to live. O nation miserablele’
‘vulture’
‘justice, verity’ VS ‘bloody, false’
‘Fit to govern? No, not to live. O nation miserable…’
L= Malcolm tests MD by pretending to have a sinful character. Macduff’s rhetorical question show refuses to support a sinful king because will continue Scotland’s suffering.
MD is loyal and patriotic.
‘vulture’
MD compared Malcom’s sexual desires. He is disgusted and questions integrity
‘Justice, verity’ VS ‘bloody, false’
L = Malcolm and Macduff’s conversations describes the virtues a king should have – honesty and fairness.
These are contrasted with adjectives used to describe Macbeth as king – he is murderous and a liar, not fit to be a king.
Topic sentence 4
TS4: In the final act, Macduff is revealed as Macbeth’s nemesis and the natural order is restored.
‘Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped’
‘turn, hellhound, turn!’
‘Macduff was from his mother’s womb untimely ripped’
R = Final scene revealed he was a c-section. This is cathartic for the audience – they know MB has become so evil he must die, and MD kills him, avenging his family’s murders. C = the natural order is restored and God’s chosen king, Malcolm, takes the throne of Scotland.
‘turn, hellhound, turn!’
wants MB to turn so MD can face nemesis. wants MB to face consequences of action
C= dishonourable to stab enemy in back. MD is morally right
