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Macbeth and Macduff: contrasting warriors


Macbeth is a drama of crime and punishment, of temptation, guilt, remorse and retribution. The protagonist, Macbeth, is in turn a hero, traitor and tyrant. His story is a journey through loyalty, ambition, treachery and eventual disillusionment. Although Macbeth and his companion Macduff are similar at the beginning, they differ by the end in that Macbeth becomes disloyal, selfish and cold-blooded while Macduff remains loyal, selfless and compassionate.
First, there are some similarities between Macbeth and Macduff. Both of them are introduced as the noble kinsmen of King Duncan and are respected by people. They have both Thane titles, which were given to them by their fathers. Because of Macbeth’s valiancy and achievement, he is the Thane of Cawdor assigned by the king after he succeeds in suppressing the civil war and defeating the army of Norway. In the beginning, he and Macduff are both loyal to the king and gain his “absolute trust”. Moreover, both of their wives are tragically killed by the end of the play. Macduff’s wife is killed by murderers assigned by Macbeth, and Macbeth’s wife commits suicide because she is remorseful and feels guilty for coercing her husband to slaughter the king.
However, as the play unfolds, Macbeth gradually becomes disloyal, selfish, and cold-blooded. Following the witches' prophecies and his wife's coercion, his mind is twisted and he becomes disloyal; he kills Duncan and usurps his crown. He is lustful and says, "Star, hide your fires, / Let not light see my black and deep desires." This shows that he is aware of the evil nature of his thoughts. Furthermore, Macbeth just cares for power and he leads Scotland to ruin. When Malcolm says, "I think our country sinks beneath the yoke; it weeps, it bleeds, and each new day a gash to her wound," he strongly proves that Macbeth is selfish and willing o destroy Scotland in order to gain his...