The supporting cast, which Harold Hobson denigrated, included many actors who went on to successful Shakespearean careers: Ian Holm played Donalbain, Keith Michell was Macduff, and Patrick Wymark the Porter.

The play should have ended with Macbeth's death, but McGonagall believed the actor playing Macduff was trying to upstage him, and refused to die.

Shakespeare was either unaware of or indifferent to this, and adopted, then adapted some of their features, including the five act structure and the aforementioned train of bad decisions, culminating in an eventual ' stoic calm ' of the protagonist, in which the character virtuously accepts the consequences of their error ( s )-" Lay on, Macduff ," in " Macbeth ".

This unnamed MacDuff appears frequently in stories connected to the rise of Malcolm III to the throne, and was later immortalised in the Shakespearean character Macduff.

His first American film role was as Macduff in Orson Welles ' version of Macbeth ( 1948 ).

" Macduff, an enemy, was " from his mother's womb untimely ripp'd " ( i. e., born by Caesarean section ) and was therefore not " of woman born ".

Having succeeded his father as the 6th Earl of Fife, he was elevated to Duke of Fife and Marquess of Macduff in the Peerage of the United Kingdom two days after his marriage in 1889 to Princess Louise of Wales, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales ( later King Edward VII ) and Alexandra of Denmark.

In 1939, Lord Macduff was assigned to Ottawa as aide-de-camp to his kinsman The Earl of Athlone, then Governor General of Canada, the post his own grandfather had held during the First World War.

Alexander William George Duff, 1st Duke of Fife KG, KT, GCVO, PC, VD ( 10 November 1849 – 29 January 1912 ), styled Viscount Macduff between 1857 and 1879 and known as The Earl Fife between 1879 and 1889, was a British Peer who married Princess Louise of Wales, the third child and eldest daughter of King Edward VII and Alexandra of Denmark.

The result was that he held two Dukedoms of Fife ; the 1889 creation ( with the subsidiary Marquessate of Macduff ) would become extinct in the absence of a son and the 1900 creation ( with the subsidiary Earldom of Macduff ) would devolve upon his elder daughter in the absence of a son.

In 1966, Juliá was cast for the role of Macduff in a Spanish version of Macbeth and performed in The Ox Cart, a stage play written by Puerto Rican play writer René Marqués.

From 1993-96, he was a Procurator Fiscal Depute for Edinburgh and Aberdeen, and from 1996-2001 was a solicitor with Aberdeen and Macduff.

Although Macbeth believes that he cannot be killed by any man born of a woman, he soon learns that Macduff was “ from his mother ’ s womb / Untimely ripped ” ( 5. 10. 15-16 ).

This shows that rather than speaking truthfully about himself, Malcolm was simply testing Macduff to see where Macduff's loyalties were.

He replies to Macbeth: “ Despair thy charm, / And let the angel whom thou still hast served / Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother ’ s womb / Untimely ripped ” ( Act V, scene 8 ).

Though he may not have been of a woman born in the conventional sense ( thus fulfilling the prophecy ), Macduff ultimately originates from woman, asserting that he was “ from his mother ’ s womb.

The 1st Earl had been created Baron Braco, of Kilbryde in the County of Cavan, in 1735, and was created Viscount Macduff at the same time as being raised to the Earldom.

In 1889, he was further created Duke of Fife, in Scotland, and Marquess of Macduff, in the County of Banff, in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, shortly after his marriage to Princess Louise of Wales, the eldest daughter of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales ( the future King Edward VII ).

When it became clear that he would have no sons, he was further created Duke of Fife and Earl of Macduff, in the County of Banff, also in the Peerage of the United Kingdom, with a special remainder to his daughters and their heirs male.

Mumma also has a close association with Mills College in Oakland, California, where he was the Darius Milhaud Professor in 1981, Distinguished Visiting Composer in 1989, and Jean Macduff Vaux Composer-in-Residence in 1999.

Depicted, counter clockwise from top-left, are: Macbeth and Banquo meet the witch es ; just after the murder of King_Duncan | Duncan ; Banquo's ghost ; Macbeth duels Macduff ; and Macbeth.

Bemoaning the murders of Duncan, Lady Macduff, and Banquo, she tries to wash off imaginary bloodstains from her hands, all the while speaking of the terrible things she knows she pressed her husband to do.

After this, he used a courtesy title from his mother, Earl of Macduff, and later, upon inheriting his grandfather's dukedom, the Duke of Connaught and Strathearn.

In some stage interpretations, Macduff ’ s character transitions from a state of shock to one of frenzied alarm.

" If, as Macbeth believes, true manhood cannot derive from or be tainted by femininity, then Macduff ’ s very existence fundamentally counters this idea.

It combined, from the former county of Banff, a Banff area ( including the burgh of Banff ), the burghs of Aberchirder, Macduff and Portsoy, and Aberchirder and Fordyce areas, and, from the former county of Aberdeen, the burghs of Fraserburgh, Peterhead, Rosehearty and Turriff, and Deer Turriff and Cruden areas.

However, despite the antagonist often being classified the " bad guy ", the antagonist can be a good person ( one notable example being Macduff from Macbeth )

Holinshed ’ s Chronicles was Shakespeare ’ s main source for Macbeth, though he diverged from the Chronicles significantly by delaying Macduff ’ s knowledge of his wife ’ s murder until his arrival in England.

Davenant greatly expanded Lady Macduff ’ s role, having her appear in four new scenes: “ the first with Lady Macbeth, the second with her husband in which they are visited by the witches, the third in which she tries to dissuade him from opposing Macbeth, and the fourth where, hearing of Banquo ’ s murder, she urges Macduff to flee to England .” These revisions greatly increased her role as a foil to Lady Macbeth, with Lady Macbeth dedicated to evil and Lady Macduff dedicated to good.

* Macbeth suffers from hubris, leading to the murder of Duncan I of Scotland ; he later becomes paranoid, leading him to order the deaths of Banquo and the family of Macduff: Macbeth

In England, Macduff is informed by Ross that his " castle is surprised ; wife and babes / Savagely slaughter'd " ( 4. 3. 204-5 ).

Macduff begins to suspect Macbeth of regicide when Macbeth says, “ O, yet I do repent me of my fury / That I did kill them ” ( 2. 3. 103-104 ).

In an exchange between the Scottish thane Lennox and another lord, Lennox talks of Macduff ’ s flight to England and refers to him as “ some holy angel ” ( 3. 6. 46 ) who “ may soon return to this our suffering country / Under a hand accursed ” ( 3. 6. 48-49 ).

In Act 5. 8 he watches the battle against Macbeth and Macduff with Siward and Ross.

Macduff ultimately presents Macbeth ’ s head to Malcolm, hailing him as king and calling on the other thanes to declare their allegiance with him ( 5. 11. 20-25 ).

It takes place in the beginning of the 5th scene of Act 5, during the time when the English troops, led by Malcolm and Macduff, are approaching Macbeth's castle to besiege it.

Shakespeare's source for the tragedy are the accounts of King Macbeth of Scotland, Macduff, and Duncan in Holinshed's Chronicles ( 1587 ), a history of England, Scotland and Ireland familiar to Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Early the next morning, Lennox, a Scottish nobleman, and Macduff, the loyal Thane of Fife, arrive.

A porter opens the gate and Macbeth leads them to the king's chamber, where Macduff discovers Duncan's body.

Macduff is immediately suspicious of Macbeth, but does not reveal his suspicions publicly.

First, they conjure an armed head, which tells him to beware of Macduff ( 4. 1. 72 ).

Lennox enters and tells Macbeth that Macduff has fled to England.

Macbeth orders Macduff's castle be seized, and, most cruelly, sends murderers to slaughter Macduff ’ s wife and children.

Everyone in Macduff's castle is put to death, including Lady Macduff and their young son.

When this news of his family ’ s execution reaches him, Macduff is stricken with grief and vows revenge.

Prince Malcolm, Duncan ’ s son, has succeeded in raising an army in England, and Macduff joins him as he rides to Scotland to challenge Macbeth ’ s forces.

Malcolm leads an army, along with Macduff and Englishmen Siward ( the Elder ), the Earl of Northumberland, against Dunsinane Castle.

Macbeth boasts that he has no reason to fear Macduff, for he cannot be killed by any man born of woman.

Macduff kills and beheads him, thus fulfilling the first part of the prophecy.

Macduff carries Macbeth's head onstage and Malcolm discusses how order has been restored.

Macbeth has a long, ten-year reign before eventually being overthrown by Macduff and Malcolm.

Macbeth finds that there are always potential threats to the throne — such as Banquo, Fleance, and Macduff — and he is tempted to use violent means to dispose of them.