Macduff Flashcards
Who is Macduff?
Macduff is a static character, in that his loyalty to King Duncan, and righteous heirs to the throne, is unwavering. He immediately distrusts Macbeth and refuses to attend his coronation.
Why does Macduff become a concern for Macbeth?
Ultimately, Macduff becomes a focal point for Macbeth’s rage and desire to protect his throne. Macduff’s family is murdered by Macbeth’s assassins, after Macduff flees to England to seek help from the king. Revenge drives Macduff to eventually kill Macbeth and instill Malcolm, the rightful heir to the throne.
How does Macduff refer to religion?
Macduff’s reaction to Duncan’s death is a long hyperbolic speech, where he uses religious language to show his belief in the ‘Divine Right of Kings’. This shows Macduff to be adhering to the religious, moralistic thoughts of the historical period.
give a quote Macduff said in his speech when Duncan dies
most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the lord’s anointed temple
analyse “most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the lord’s anointed temple”
methphorical
His body is referred to as a “temple” in
order to reinforce the holiness of Duncan’s reign. He recognises Duncan as the true, divinely ordained, king; the
“Lord’s temple” and thus God’s earthly deputy. Kings are anointed with holy oil at their coronation to signify this.
How is Macduff seen as patriotic?
Macduff uses the motif of personifying Scotland, as Macbeth is causing Scotland to “bleed bleed poor country”. Shakespeare uses this technique in order to symbolise how Scotland is dying because the ‘Great Chain of Being’ has been subverted.
repetition of “bleed” emphasizes the blood Macbeth spills in Scotland
How does Macduff protect Scotland?
Shakespeare evidences Macduff’s care for all of Scotland through the use of parallelism as “new widows howl, new orphans cry” demonstrates that Macduff is considering the detrimental effects of
Macbeth’s reign, holistically (as a whole). Hence he left his own wife and children to try and save the women and children of the whole country. This contrasts Macbeth, as Macduff acts for the good of others, not the good of himself. While Macbeth’s allegiance is to himself and his wife, Macduff’s is to Scotland.
Analyse “fit to govern?no not to live!”
Through Shakespeare’s use of rhetorical question and hypophora emphasise Macduff’s strong hatred of tyranny and complete loyalty to Scotland.
○ He resents tyranny and this is clear through his immediate attempts to oppose Macbeth with an army from England.
Zoom in on punctuation
Analyse “new widows howl new orphans cry”
Macduff kills Macbeth after the murder of his wife and children, as he is fighting for his family, but also for all the women and children in Scotland, which is evidenced through the Shakespeare’s use of zoomorphism.
○ The verb “howl” cultivates a greater sense of sympathy for these orphans - like abandoned puppies.
