In Macbeth, the protagonist, Macbeth, and the antagonist, Macduff, have many conflicts. To compare these two major characters, a person would need to consider the position each man held in Scottish society as well as the intelligence depth of character that each displays. To contrast these men, their actions and their relationships with other characters, including their families, their degrees of ambition, and their thoughts on being a man should be taken into consideration.

          To compare Macbeth and Macduff, their positions in Scottish society should be evaluated as well as their intelligence depths of character. Macbeth's position in Scotland was Thane of Cawdor, then Thane of Glamis, and finally, King of Scotland. Macduff was also nobleman of high social status. Macbeth's intelligence depth of character is not too deep. He is always consumed with thoughts of how to become king and secure his place without ever truly contemplating the consequences that his behavior will surely bring. He is only concerned with what he wants. Macduff's intelligence depth of character, like Macbeth's, is not particularly deep. He abandons his family without realizing the danger that his action will cause them to face. His thoughts were consumed with ridding Scotland of its evil tyrant while they should have focused around his family.

          To contrast Macbeth and Macduff, the two men's actions and their relationships with other characters should be considered. Macbeth's actions were evil, inconsiderate, and sudden. His relationship with his wife is a rather disfunctional one. Lady Macbeth persuades him into completing terrible tasks that he is not sure he should be doing. His relationships with other people are twisted as well. Followers that are close to him are murdered without any thought or care if he perceives them to be a threat to his position as king. Macduff is quite different from Macbeth. Despite the fact that he deserts his family to go to England and persuade Malcolm to return, it is apparent that Macduff does love his family a great deal. Upon learning of the savage murders, he is completely heartbroken and swears to take his revenge against the greedy Macbeth.

          Macbeth and Macduff can also be contrasted by looking into their degrees of ambition and their thoughts on what it means to "be a man." Macbeth is truly an ambitious man when it comes to achieving goals that he has set for himself; however, the tactics that he uses are evil and completely driven by greed. Macduff is not as ambitious as Macbeth. He is satisfied with who he was and does not feel the need to do away with the innocent. The only goal he wanted to achieve was getting his revenge and ridding Scotland of its tyrant. Unlike Macduff, Macbeth thought that in order to "be a man," he must kill another. By doing this Macbeth was actually destroying his manhood.

          In conclusion, Macbeth and Macduff are very similar, yet very different. Their intelligence depths of character are somewhat close in their difficulties in distinguishing between reality and appearance. Both are men of high social status in Scotland, but each views others and their families quite differently. It can truly be said that Macbeth and Macduff are  two of the most unique and complex characters to appear in English literature.