Was MacDuff Right To Leave His Family? Essay, Research Paper
By leaving his family and going to England, MacDuff prioritized his country over his family. As a result of this, his family was left unprotected and MacBeth killed his wife and children. Although MacDuff had no real way of (absolutely) knowing ahead of time that MacBeth was setting out to harm him and the ones he loved, MacDuff should not have left his family in such a vulnerable position and situation. His wife and his children had no way of properly protecting themselves and as a responsible man who knew that there was a conflict going on, he should have made sure to arrange his families safety before worrying about others. By staying home, he might not have gotten Macbeth so soon, but eventually MacBeth would have been caught and brought to his death. This way, MacDuff’s wife and children got killed (which means that he has no one next in line to take over things when he – MacDuff – dies) and MacBeth managed to do what he wanted to do, he managed to hurt MacDuff in the worst way possible
As a responsible head of the family, MacDuff should have either taken his family with him and put them in a secure place, or at least made sure to arrange for someone to stay with them at the house and protect them from any harm. He should have thought about his family and their safety before thinking about himself and what he wanted to do to MacBeth in order to save Scotland. By not being there for his country that one time, MacDuff might not have been the one to save Scotland, but someone else would have and eventually everything would have worked out to the best. By not being there for his family, he lost them.