Lauren Clark p.

1
Macbeth Essay
Alfred Alder said, Men of genius are admired, men of wealth are envied, men of
power are feared; but only mean of character are trusted. Alfred Alder is explaining that
out of all the attributes a man can have, having good character is the most important
and rewarding. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, Macbeth chooses to have power over good
character, and fear over trust. During the play, we see the contrast between Macbeth
and Macduff through their loyalties and their personal definitions of manhood.
Though it may appear both men are loyal, their loyalties lie in very different
things, as Macbeth is loyal to himself and his ambitions, while Macduff is loyal to his
country. We watch as Macbeth transitions into doing anything and everything to achieve
his personal goal of absolute power. Anticipating the murder of Duncan, Macbeth tells
us, I have no spur / to prick the sides of my intent, but only / vaulting ambition which
o'erleaps itself / and falls on the other. (I, VII, 25-28) Macbeth even admits that he is
aware killing Duncan is against the laws of nature, but that his ambition and desire for
greatness is what is motivating him to proceed. By doing this Macbeth is revealing to us
that he is not loyal to Duncan anymore and his ambitions have taken charge of his
loyalties. Unlike Macbeth, Macduff has differing priorities, namely his country. After
Malcolm is describing his flawed character, and why he isnt fit to rule, Macduff
expresses his exasperation and frustration by expressing, These evils thou repeatst
upon thyself / hath banished me from Scotland.--O my breast, / thy hope ends here!
(IV, III, 130-133) We later find out that Malcolm was simply testing Macduffs intentions,
but this shows us an important part about Macduff's character. It shows his biggest
concern isnt making sure Macbeth isnt king anymore, but that Scotland is in the right
hands. If Macduff was similar to Macbeth then he couldve killed Macbeth and become
King himself, but he values what is right, so he goes to get Malcolm, knowing he is
whats best for Scotland. Some may say that Macbeth may have considered himself to
be a better fit for King than Duncan, therefore still being loyal to the well-being of the
country. Nevertheless, Macbeth was metaphorically described as making Scotland ill,
which means that he was putting everyone in Scotland in danger under his unstable
reign. Macbeth and Macduff were both very influential people, but they had differing

characters, which led to different loyalties. For example, when Macbeth had the
opportunity to, he was loyal only to himself and used his power for bad, but Macduff
knew what was right and used his power to restore peace and balance.
Manhood seems to be a very controversial subject during Macbeth, and Macbeth
and Macduff portray very different concepts of this. Macbeth, on one end, believes that
men should be strong, and emotionless. Macbeth describes this by saying, I dare do all
that may become a man. / Who dares do more is none. Macbeth is defending himself
from Lady Macbeth accusing him of being a coward. (I, VII, 51-52) Questioning
Macbeth's manliness appears to be a commonly used technique from Lady Macbeth to
convince him to do most of anything she wants, and in this case, follow through with the
murder. Macbeth sees a true man as someone who is brave, courageous, and
obviously daring. He doesnt quite understand the entire concept of being a real man,
though. Despite Macbeths belief of emotionless, Macduff believes that men face their
emotions and actions. After Macduff finds out that his family has been killed by
Macbeth, Malcolm tells him to take the anger out on fighting Macbeth, but instead
Macduff says, But I must also feel it like a man. / I cannot but remember the things that
were / most precious to me. (IV, III, 261-263) Macduff faces his responsibilities and
takes the blame for what happened to his family, because it is the right thing to do,
instead of the stereotypical thing. Critics may argue by saying that some of Macduff's
characteristics are more feminine, and not masculine. However, emotions are
something that everyone experiences, whether we hide them or not. They make us
compassionate to others and honest with ourselves. Much of Macbeth is focused on
being a better man, and as Macbeth tries to do this he actually becomes a coward. But,
as Macduff tries to be his own version of a good person, he becomes the better man.
Macbeth and Macduff may be considered similar in the way that they both end up
being killers. Still, you have to remember that Macduff refused to kill anyone or even
unsheath his sword unless it was to kill Macbeth. On Macbeth's side, he simply kills
anyone who was a threat in his mind, logical or not. This is one of many ways Macbeth
and Macduff are parallels, also including the contrast between where their loyalties lie
and how they tried to achieve manhood, We can look at Macbeth and Macduff
philosophies on life we can easily see why Macduff was the more trustworthy, and in the

end, successful man. In the end, the men with good character, always come out
triumphant.