Macduff

Question 1

” I have no words; my voice is my sword”
Act 3

Macduff is the archetype of the avenging hero, motivated by revenge, but with good intentions. He is consistently portrayed as a hero with human qualities

“lets make us medicines for our great revenge,, to cure the deadly grief”
act 4
violence

Answer 1

• emphasises Macduff’s heroic qualities and draws on a key idiom - actions speak louder than words

-Immediatley upon learning about the slaughter of his family, he begins to plot his revenge motivated by a desire to hold Macbeth accountable for his sins

Question 2

“most sacrilegious murder hath broke ope the Lord’s anointed temple”
act 2
appearance vs reality

“I am not treacherous”

Answer 2

• there is a religious semantic field - “sacrilegious” and “anointed” creates an image of sacredness and holiness: Macduff’s extreme distress that the King divinely ordained by God had been callously murdered despite his sacredness
• emotional character : his reaction to his wife and son as to Duncan’s death “O horror horror horror”. Shakespeare uses repetition to emphasise the strength of Macduff’s devastated emotions
• Making his loyalty explicitly clear. His use of the word “treacherous” is apt; it creates distance between Macduff and Macbeth, who seems to embody treachery throughout the play

Question 3

“turn, hell-hound, turn”
act 5
ambition

The main purpose of Macbeth’s character is to restore order in Scotland, restoring the divine right of kings by killing Macbeth

“Here you may see the tyrant”
act 5
ambition

Answer 3

• repetition of the word “turn” emphasises the extent to which Macbeth has turned order on its head, while the epithet “hell hound” is used to highlight the true nature of the tyrant king
• This is the last thing Macbeth hears before dying. The poignancy of Macduff’s words shine through, signifying and end to Macbeth’s destruction and the beginning of the restoration order
• Macduff’s desire to restore order only emphasises Macbeth’s disruption to order. As Macbeth’s selfish motivations disrupt the order of Scotland

Question 4

“O Scotland, O Scotland… O nation miserable

His sole purpose was saving scotland from Macbeth’s tyrancy - Patriotism

“Bleed, Bleed poor, country
act 4
ambition

Answer 4

• Microcosm of Scotland, emphasising the way his own emotions mirror the state of the country
• Macduff is a foil to Macbeth through his overt patriotism, he mourns over the state of Scotland, patriotism is an example of selflessness as it prioritises your country over your own interests

-depicts how emotionally connected he is to his country, Macduff personifies Scotland in lamenting
- it also suggests Scotland is dying under Macbeth’s reign captivating Macbeth’s misanthropic nature, a quality which juxtaposes the role of a king