Macbeth
The title character of Shakespeare's Macbeth is one of its most evil villains. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth both plot a series of heinous murders, beginning with the cold-blooded killing of Duncan, to the chamberlains, Banquo, and Macduff's wife and children. Macbeth's only concern is to obtain and secure his position of power, and he rapidly descends into insanity as the play progresses. As the drama's main character, Macbeth is certainly the protagonist; all the action in the play centers on Macbeth, his character and his actions. However, unlike many protagonists, Macbeth is not the play's hero. Although he is a relatively minor character in the play, Macduff emerges as the play's true hero by Act II, scene three. Not only was he the first to become wise to Macbeth's nefarious nature, but Macduff takes decisive and successful action against the evil king. Were it...
Macduff delivers the final blow that ends Macbeth's life and restores Malcolm to the throne, and he does so without any attempt to seize
power for himself. Because Macduff takes charge, demonstrates wisdom, and defeats Macbeth, all without falling into traps like egotism, he is the only true hero of the play.
In Act II, scene three, Macduff is the first person to break the news of Duncan's death: "O horror, horror, horror! Tongue nor heart / Cannot conceive nor name thee!" (lines 48-49). In addition to repeatedly calling the
crime an act of "treason" his demonstration of initiative continues when, later in the scene he appears suspicious of why Macbeth would have murdered the chamberlains: in line 92 of Act II, scene three he directly asks Macbeth why he killed the two men. Macduff is therefore one of the most upfront and assertive characters in the play, a genuine leader and a hero. In Act III, scene…
