In Shakespeare's "Macbeth," the Macduffs are foils to the Macbeths because the Macduffs are good, heroic characters, and the Macbeths are evil-oriented people. Macbeth is only loyal to himself, while Macduff gets tested, and proven to be loyal to Scotland and the king. Macbeth and Macduff contrast each other in many ways, such as Macbeth's inability to have a family, while Macduff's most precious thing in his life is his family. Lady Macbeth and Lady Macduff are also foils. Lady Macduff hates lying and treachery, and in contrast Lady Macbeth loves to lie and commit acts of treachery. Lady Macbeth is a murderous, destructive character, while Lady Macduff is the opposite in that she is maternal, kind, and loving. The Macduffs and Macbeths are exact opposites as written by William Shakespeare, making them the perfect foil for each other.
Macduff comes face to face with his true enemy when he knocks at the gate of Macbeth's castle.
Lady Macbeth by George Cattermole.
English: Poster of Thos. W. Keene in William Shake...
The sleepwalking Lady MacbethHe discovers Macbeth's hidden self, finding out about the evil and wicked acts Macbeth carried out when he killed Duncan. Macduff immediately wakes everyone, pulling them from bed to explain what he has learned about Macbeth, "Awake awake! Ring the alarum bell! Murder and treason! Banquo and Donaldbain! Malcolm, awake, shake off this downy sleep, death's counterfeit, and look on death itself." Macduff has found the real truth, and his brave, honorable personality comes through that night.
In addition to being loyal to only himself, Macbeth is also overconfident and cocky. He displays his arrogance and over-confident personality when he visits the witches in Act IV, scene iii. "Then live, Macduff, what need I fear of thee?" Macbeth is acting as if he were invincible, and he feels like nothing can bring him down. Ultimately, these arrogant thoughts will lead to the...