FREE ESSAY ON WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE`S MACBETH

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE`S MACBETH

Character Sketch: Young Macduff a.k.a son 
In William Shakespeares Macbeth, an epic play about blood, glory and pride, Young
Mcduff's tragic yet heroic lifestory is revealed. His father of course is Macduff, one of
Scotland's most prestigous nobleman, and his mother is Lady Macduff. Macduff was very
close to King Duncan and after his untimely death, he always had his suspicions about
Macbeth. He chose not to join Macbeth's coronation and later fled Scotland as a traitor
leaving his family alone in a ruthless and chaotic country that Scotland had become known
for. These actions led to his family having to fend for themselves and eventually being
killed by murderers sent by Macbeth.
Young Macduff was killed by murderer's sent by Macbeth. This was Macbeth's attempt to
essentially keep Macduff on his heels. This backfired because Macduff vowed to kill
Macbeth, and as we all know he kept true to his promise.
Moreover, Young Macduff only appears in the play briefly and it is in his own murder
scene. He looks to be a young lad that is a little big for his age, and thus is treated
more like a man by people he encounters. He is an average looking boy that dresses in
earthy toned robes that represent his down to earth attitude. Young Macduff's character
is one that is charcterized not by his appearance but more so by his inner being. Infact
his name in the play's script is simply son. I feal this was Shakespeare truly giving
Young Macduff a name that is a definition of his character. He is a son that shows great
passion and love for his family and is driven to succeed largely in part to this passion.
He is also witty, courageous, and intelligent, a potent combination not only for a child
but for a man.
Furthermore, young Macduff's intelligent and witt shines amazingly bright during his last
conversation. When his mother tells him that his father was a traitor, and traitors are
liars that get hanged by the honest men. He replies to Lady Macbeth by telling her that
the traitors must be stupid because there are easily enough traitors to join and hang the
honest men. Later he denounces his mother's statement that his father is dead by telling
her that if his father truly had been killed she would be crying and since she was not
crying it must be a good sign. Both these statements show Young Macduff's witt and
intelect, but his most important characteristic is his courageous love for his family.
Even when his own murderer's spoke ill of his father he snaped and insulted them by
calling them shag-eared vilians. That leads me to his most courageous and significant
line in the play. He has killed me, mother. Run away, I pray you! (IV,II, ll.90-91). This
line shows the essence of his courage and love for his family. Even while he is being
brutally slayed he looks out for his family and want's them to be saved. He makes an
emotional plea to his mother to flea for she is probably the next one to be killed.
To continue, Young Macduff's greatest character traits are his intellect, his witt, his
love for his family and his courage. These are simply the characteristics of a noble man
who is just trying to do the right thing. Unfortunetly two of his best points are also
his flaws. He loves his family to a flaw, and he is courageous to the same extent. He
didn't have to stand up for his father and he didn't have to plea to his mother but he
did and he was courageous enougjh to do it, even if it meant being killed in a much more
brutal manor.
Furthermore, Young Macduff is vital to the plot for it is his death that triggers
Macdufff to kill Macbeth. Even deeper than that, Young Macduff represents Scotland and
all that it can be as a witty intellectuall powerhouse, but more so, waht it is a nation
mared in bloody chaotic confusion. You see Young Macduff is Scotland and Scotland is
Young Macduff.
Moreover, Young Macduff is a dynamic character in the physical sense. He is introduced
than killed off very quickly, but in the charactorial sense he is static. Young Macbeth
starts off as being witty and smart with great passion for his family, and leaves in
exactly the same manor. However, Young Macduff is a very round character in that he is
not only a representation of the Macduff family, he is also a symbol for Scotland itself.
For example when he passes on and goes to a better place so does Scotland. When he was
bloody and in turmoil so was Scotland.
In conclusion, the play Macbeth took part on the soils of Scotland. Young Macduff was
Scotland and therefore he was just as important a character as anyone else. Young Macduff
not only represented that soil but he represented its spirit, passion, and essence. His
name and his coubtries name were almost synonyms and thus Young Macduff truly was a
mirror image of Scotland.