essay on macduff

William Shakespeare

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Macduff Character Timeline in Macbeth

Macduff - Loyal Subject

Macduff has a similar status to Macbeth at the start of the play. He is 'Thane of Fife' . He is a loyal subject to King Duncan.

Response to Duncan's death

• In Act 2, Scene 3, Macduff finds King Duncan's body: 'O horror, horror, horror, / Tongue nor heart cannot conceive, nor name thee.'
• He is struggling to speak about what he has seen.
• The fact he can’t speak properly here highlights the difference between him and Macbeth. Macbeth is always using words to explore his ideas and feelings. Macduff tells the others to go and see for themselves: 'Do not bid me speak.'

• Macduff’s inability to speak could also show that he cannot believe what has happened: that someone has murdered their king, the man they should protect and be loyal to.
• He would also be aware of the Divine Right of Kings, and the idea that God had chosen King Duncan to rule Scotland – for someone to go against this would mean that they would spend eternity in Hell. Macduff may not be able to understand why someone would disobey God like this.

Hates Macbeth (because of the Divine Right of Kings)

• Macduff doesn’t go to Macbeth's feast in Act 3, Scene 4: 'How sayst thou that Macduff denies his person / At our great bidding?' This shows that he doesn't support Macbeth's rule over Scotland.
• When Macduff flees to England (once Macbeth is king), Malcolm initially distrusts Macduff because he was once Macbeth's friend. But Malcolm finds that Macduff hates the tyrant king. Macduff wishes to save Scotland from him and have Scotland return to 'wholesome days' (4,3).
• Macduff firmly believes that King Duncan’s line was chosen by God to rule Scotland, and he wants to restore the natural order and place Duncan’s son on the throne.

Macduff - Honourable Hero

Macduff is both an honourable father and hero - unlike Macbeth, he does not enjoy killing others but sees it as a duty.

Honourable father

• Macbeth kills Macduff's family. Macduff becomes the wronged hero who wants to avenge the deaths of his loved ones.
• In Act 5, Scene 7, when Macduff is looking for Macbeth, he says: 'Tyrant, show thy face! / If thou be'st slain, and with no stroke of mine, / My wife and children's ghosts will haunt me still'.
• This suggests that Macduff feels haunted by the ghosts of his family. He may feel guilty that he could not protect them because he was away – in the Jacobean era, men were protectors of their wives and children.
• Macduff is the honourable hero, and so would take this role seriously – this may be partly why he feels so guilty.

Not ruthless

• Unlike Macbeth, Macduff really dislikes the fact that he must kill someone he once considered his friend and ally – he is the hero of the story, and does not enjoy killing; he only kills when he has to.

Macduff vs Macbeth - Good vs Evil

The battle between Macbeth and Macduff is a fight between good and evil.

Macbeth - fears Macduff

• When Macbeth meets with the witches in Act 4, Scene 1, the first apparition (ghost image) that he sees warns him to beware of Macduff. Macbeth says, 'thou hast harped my fear' .
• The spirit is echoing Macbeth’s doubt about Macduff.

Macduff - seeks revenge

• His broken speech here shows how distressed he is by the news.
• Macduff then seeks bloody revenge: 'Front to front / Bring thou this fiend of Scotland and myself; / Within my sword's length set him'. (4,3)

The fight - good vs evil

• Macduff finally finds Macbeth in Act 5, Scene 8. He orders him, 'Turn, hell-hound, turn.'
• His imperative (ordering) language shows that he is taking control and challenging Macbeth to fight.
• The insult, 'hell-hound' , reminds the audience of Macbeth's evil. This has become a fight between good and bad.

Macduff's destiny

• When Macbeth tells Macduff that he cannot be harmed by anyone born of woman, Macduff says the famous line: 'Macduff was from his mother's womb / Untimely ripped' (5,8).
• The verb 'ripped' is aggressive as if the action of his birth has led him to this destiny now. It’s likely that his mother died in childbirth, so the baby was taken from her before she died.

Dramatic tension

• Before this, Macbeth had been arrogant, thinking that no one on Earth could kill him because of the witches’ prophecy: ‘none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth’ (4,1).
• Here, however, there is a surprise twist for the audience as we discover that Macduff was not born in the traditional way – instead, he was removed from his mother’s womb.
• The audience and Macbeth realise that he can kill him – the dramatic tension here is hugely increased, as we see Macbeth’s arrogance vanish in this instant.

Defeats traitor

• Macduff returns to the stage in the final scene with Macbeth's head.
• He has made an example of him as a traitor (enemy to the country), just as Macbeth did at the start to Macdonald.
• He leads the other lords in praising Malcolm as king of Scotland.

1 Literary & Cultural Context

1.1 Context

1.1.1 Tragedy

1.1.2 The Supernatural & Gender

1.1.3 Politics & Monarchy

1.1.4 End of Topic Test - Context

2 Plot Summary

2.1.1 Scenes 1 & 2

2.1.2 Scene 3

2.1.3 Scenes 4-5

2.1.4 Scenes 6-7

2.1.5 End of Topic Test - Act 1

2.2 Acts 2-4

2.2.1 Act 2

2.2.2 Act 3

2.2.3 Act 4

2.3.1 Scenes 1-3

2.3.2 Scenes 4-9

2.3.3 End of Topic Test - Acts 2-5

3 Characters

3.1 Macbeth

3.1.1 Hero vs Villain

3.1.2 Ambition & Fate

3.1.3 Relationship

3.1.4 Unstable

3.1.5 End of Topic Test - Macbeth

3.2 Lady Macbeth

3.2.1 Masculine & Ruthless

3.2.2 Manipulative & Disturbed

3.3 Other Characters

3.3.1 Banquo

3.3.2 The Witches

3.3.3 Exam-Style Questions - The Witches

3.3.4 King Duncan

3.3.5 Macduff

3.3.6 End of Topic Test - Lady Macbeth & Banquo

3.3.7 End of Topic Test - Witches, Duncan & Macduff

3.4 Grade 9 - Key Characters

3.4.1 Grade 9 - Lady Macbeth Questions

4.1.1 Power & Ambition

4.1.2 Power & Ambition HyperLearning

4.1.3 Violence

4.1.4 The Supernatural

4.1.5 Masculinity

4.1.6 Armour, Kingship & The Natural Order

4.1.7 Appearances & Deception

4.1.8 Madness & Blood

4.1.9 Women, Children & Sleep

4.1.10 End of Topic Test - Themes

4.1.11 End of Topic Test - Themes 2

4.2 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.1 Grade 9 - Themes

4.2.2 Extract Analysis

5 Writer's Techniques

5.1 Structure, Meter & Other Literary Techniques

5.1.1 Structure, Meter & Dramatic Irony

5.1.2 Pathetic Fallacy & Symbolism

5.1.3 End of Topic Test - Writer's Techniques

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King Duncan

End of Topic Test - Lady Macbeth & Banquo

In brief...

A Scottish nobleman hostile to Macbeth’s kingship from the start. He eventually becomes a leader of the crusade to unseat Macbeth. The crusade’s mission is to place the rightful king, Malcolm, on the throne, but Macduff also desires vengeance for Macbeth’s murder of Macduff’s wife and young son.

Deeper analysis...

Macduff is the archetype of the avenging hero, not simply out for revenge but with a good and holy purpose. Macduff is the character who has two of the most significant roles in the play. First, he is the discoverer of Duncan's body. Second, the news of the callous murder of his wife and children (Act IV, Scene 3) spurs him toward his desire to take personal revenge upon the tyrannical Macbeth. When he knocks at the gate of Macbeth's castle in Act II, Scene 3, he is being equated with the figure of Christ, who before his final ascension into Heaven, goes down to release the souls of the damned from hell (the so-called "Harrowing of Hell").

Like Macbeth, Macduff is also shown as a human being. When he hears of the death of his "pretty chickens," he has to hold back his emotions. Even when (in Act IV, Scene 3) Malcolm urges him to "Dispute it like a man," Macduff's reply "I will do so. But I must also  feel  it as a man" enables the audience to weigh him against Macbeth, an unfeeling man if ever there was one. In the final combat between hero and anti-hero, this humanity is recalled once more when Macduff cries out, "I have no words; my voice is in my sword." It is his very wordlessness that contrasts with Macbeth's empty rhetoric.

Contrast between Macbeth and Macduff in Shakespeare’s Macbeth

• by Guiding Literature
• April 1, 2023 April 1, 2023

The characters of Macduff and Macbeth in Shakespeare’s play “Macbeth” offer a striking contrast. Macduff is portrayed as a noble and loyal figure, while Macbeth is depicted as an ambitious and power-hungry tyrant. The contrast between these two characters highlights some of the key themes of the play, including the corrupting influence of power and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

Macduff is introduced as a virtuous character who is dedicated to his country and his family. He is a loyal follower of King Duncan and is horrified by Macbeth’s ascent to the throne through murder. Macduff is initially hesitant to believe that Macbeth is guilty of the crime, but as the play progresses, he becomes increasingly suspicious of Macbeth’s actions and begins to actively oppose him.

In contrast, Macbeth is consumed by ambition and a desire for power. He is willing to commit murder and other crimes in order to achieve his goals, and he becomes increasingly ruthless as he consolidates his power. Unlike Macduff, Macbeth is willing to betray his friends and allies in order to maintain his position, and he becomes increasingly paranoid as he becomes more isolated.

One of the key differences between Macduff and Macbeth is their attitude towards power. Macduff sees power as a means to serve his country and protect his family, while Macbeth sees power as an end in itself. Macbeth is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve and maintain his position, while Macduff is motivated by a desire to do what is right and just.

Another difference between the two characters is their reaction to adversity. Macduff is able to channel his grief and anger into a sense of purpose, using his skills and resources to bring down Macbeth and restore order to Scotland. Macbeth, on the other hand, becomes increasingly erratic and paranoid as he faces challenges to his power, ultimately leading to his downfall.

The characters of Macduff and Macbeth in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” offer a striking contrast in terms of their personalities and motivations. Macduff is a virtuous and loyal figure who is dedicated to his country and his family, while Macbeth is a power-hungry tyrant who is willing to commit murder and other crimes to achieve his goals. The contrast between these two characters highlights some of the key themes of the play, including the corrupting influence of power and the dangers of unchecked ambition.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Macbeth — Comparing Macbeth And Lady Macduff

Comparing Macbeth and Lady Macduff

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Published: Mar 14, 2024

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The Character of Macduff in Macbeth

How it works

Around evening time, in the ruler’s royal residence at Dunsinane, a specialist and a woman of her word talk about Woman Macbeth’s bizarre propensity for sleepwalking. All of a sudden, Woman Macbeth enters in a stupor with a flame in her grasp. Lamenting the homicides of Woman Macduff and Banquo, she appears to see blood staring her in the face and claims that nothing will ever wash it off. She leaves, and the specialist and woman of her word wonder about her plunge into frenzy.

Outside the manor, a gathering of Scottish rulers examines the military circumstance: the English armed force approaches, driven by Malcolm, and the Scottish armed force will meet them close Birnam Wood, obviously to unite with them. The “despot,” as Lennox and alternate masters call Macbeth, has braced Dunsinane Manor and is making his military arrangements in a distraught fury. Macbeth walks into the corridor of Dunsinane with the specialist and his chaperons, bragging gladly that he has nothing to fear from the English armed force or from Malcolm, since “none of lady conceived” can hurt him and since he will control safely “[t]ill Birnam Wood evacuate to Dunsinane”. He calls his hireling Seyton, who affirms that a multitude of ten thousand British chaps approaches the manor. Macbeth demands wearing his defensive layer, however the fight is still some time off.

The specialist tells the ruler that Woman Macbeth is kept from rest by “thick-coming likes,” and Macbeth orders him to fix her of her hallucinations. In the nation close Birnam Wood, Malcolm chats with the English ruler Siward and his officers about Macbeth’s intend to shield the braced mansion. They choose that each warrior should chop down a branch of the woods and convey it before him as they walk to the palace, in this way camouflaging their numbers. Inside the mansion, Macbeth blusteringly arranges that standards be hung and flaunts that his stronghold will repulse the foe. A lady’s cry is heard, and Seyton seems to reveal to Macbeth that the ruler is dead. Stunned, Macbeth talks unresponsively about the progression of time. A courier enters with astounding news: the trees of Birnam Wood are progressing toward Dunsinane. Goaded and scared, Macbeth reviews the prescience that said he couldn’t kick the bucket till Birnam Wood moved to Dunsinane. Resignedly, he pronounces that he is worn out on the sun and that at any rate he will pass on battling. Outside the manor, the fight initiates. Malcolm orders the English fighters to toss down their branches and draw their swords. On the war zone, Macbeth strikes people around him energetically, impolite on the grounds that no man conceived of lady can hurt him. He kills Master Siward’s child and vanishes in the shred.

Macduff rises and scans the mayhem wildly for Macbeth, whom he aches to chop down by and by. He plunges again into the fight. Malcolm and Siward rise and enter the stronghold. Somewhere else on the war zone, Macbeth finally experiences Macduff. They battle, and when Macbeth demands that he is powerful a direct result of the witches’ prediction, Macduff reveals to Macbeth that he was not of lady conceived. Macbeth all of a sudden feelings of trepidation for his life, yet he pronounces that he won’t surrender. They leave battling. Malcolm and Siward walk together in the mansion, which they have now viably caught. Ross reveals to Siward that his child is dead. Macduff develops with Macbeth’s head in his grasp and declares Malcolm Ruler of Scotland. Malcolm pronounces that every one of his thanes will be made dukes, as indicated by the English arrangement of peerage. They will be the main such masters in Scottish history. Reviling Macbeth and his “beast like” ruler, Malcolm considers every one of everyone around him his companions and welcomes them all to see him delegated at Scone.

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EXEMPLAR ESSAY on MACDUFF in 'Macbeth' GCSE 9-1 English Literature

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

10 February 2021

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This resource is a model essay answering the following question: How does Shakespeare present Macduff in ‘Macbeth’?

It is of GCSE standard and targeted at teachers who want to show their students a grade 8/9 answer that they can analyse and obtain ideas from.

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MACBETH ALL ESSAY RESPONSES 9-1 NEW GCSE ENGLISH LITERATURE

This bundle resource includes essays answering the following questions: * How does Shakespeare present ambition in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present Banquo in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present guilt in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present the relationship between Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in 'Macbeth'? * How does Shakespeare present the Witches in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present violence in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present Macduff in Macbeth? This resource is targeted at students sitting the 9-1 GCSE English Literature Exam. Teachers are encouraged to purchase this resource so that they can show their students exemplar essay responses to analyse and obtain ideas from. All essay responses in this resource cover all aspects needed for a grade 8/9 answer.

MACBETH ESSAYS ON CHARACTERS NEW GCSE 9-1 ENGLISH LITERATURE

This bundle resource includes essays answering the following questions: * How does Shakespeare present Banquo in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present Lady Macbeth in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present Macduff in Macbeth? * How does Shakespeare present the Witches in Macbeth? This resource is targeted at students sitting the 9-1 GCSE English Literature Exam. Teachers are encouraged to purchase this resource so that they can show their students exemplar essay responses to analyse and obtain ideas from. All essay responses in this resource cover all aspects needed for a grade 8/9 answer.

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Grade 9 essay on bravery in Macbeth

Here’s a grade 9 essay on the theme of bravery in which I argue bravery is associated with loyalty and cowardice disloyalty.

It includes some useful historical context which you can weave into your essays.

If you are sitting the AQA English Literature paper tomorrow, good luck.

I hope this essay proves helpful.

Bravery and fear in Macbeth

Bravery and its antithesis, cowardice, are key themes in the play. Shakespeare portrays Macbeth at first as a brave and loyal warrior, but then as a coward. Macbeth murders his king in the manner of a coward as a result of his hamartia, which is his ‘vaulting ambition’. Although at first, Macbeth’s conscience naturally prevents him from committing regicide, Lady Macbeth is able to manipulate her husband through falsely suggesting it is only a lack of courage which prevents him from fulfilling his destiny of kingship as the witches foretell. Further, Shakespeare subtly associates bravery with loyalty and cowardice with disloyalty. And whereas bravery leads to honour and success, cowardice and treachery, although they may lead to power in the short term, ultimately, lead to ruin. Namely they lead to the ruin of Macbeth and Lady Macbeth who both suffer from the tragic flaw of ambition.

Our first introduction of Macbeth comes through one of Duncan’s captains recounting his heroic and brave deeds on the field of battle. In this exchange between Duncan, his son, Malcolom, and the Captain, the association between bravery and loyalty is firmly established. Malcolm addresses the Captain as ‘brave friend’, and the Captain likewise bestows the epithet of ‘brave’ on Macbeth, ‘But all’s too weak:/ For brave Macbeth (well he deserves that name)’. These are men who have fought for their king and won him victory, so they are presented as loyal and valiant. Macbeth is ‘Valour’s minion’. Valour is personified or presented as a deity and Macbeth is Valour's favourite. Further, no words (‘But all’s too weak’) can capture how courageous he is on the battlefield. The recount of Macbeth’s heroic deeds before the introduction of Macbeth and the bombast used to capture Macbeth’s impressive feats on the battlefield unseaming and then decapitating the ‘merciless Macdonald’ depict Macbeth as a brave warrior of legendary renown. Shakespeare through personification of Valour, hyperbole and bombast firmly establishes Macbeth as brave. This presentation then makes Macbeth’s murder of Duncan and his downfall all the more dramatic. Macbeth’s character arc takes him from the most loyal and brave of all the king’s soldiers to the most villainous traitor and a ‘butcher’: a cruel, murderous tyrant. 

When the witches then prophesize Macbeth will become king, it is ironic that his mind goes to contemplating the murder of Duncan. Because while it may be implied, ultimately the Weird Sisters words are equivocal. They do not advise Macbeth to murder Duncan or even suggest that is the natural progression or course to secure kingship. It appears the notion of murdering Duncan leaps to Macbeth’s mind after the Third Witch cries ‘All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter’, because Banquo asks ‘Good sir, why do you start and seem to fear/ Things that do sound so fair?’ Banquo's words imply Macbeth’s facial expression is anguished, and he does not understand why, which suggests the notion of murdering Duncan does not come to his mind and neither does he suspect Macbeth thinks of murdering Duncan.

However, it is evident in Macbeth’s aside later in which Shakespeare provides us access into Macbeth’s private thoughts that the ‘horrid image’ is the murder of Duncan. This brings Macbeth’s loyalty immediately into doubt, especially as he keeps these thoughts hidden. Macbeth’s own thoughts and ruminations directly contradict the public presentation of him as loyal. And although Macbeth is horrified by his own thoughts as his ‘seated heart knocks at [his] ribs’, Shakespeare foreshadows how Macbeth’s ambition may prove too strong: his loyalty and conscience will be defeated by his ‘vaulting ambition’. Shakespeare also suggests that while one can typically trust a valiant kinsman who proves their worth on the battlefield, it is not always the case that those who show ‘valour’ will be loyal. 

Shakespeare also foreshadows Macbeth will kill Duncan and become a traitor through his structuring of the play: we see Macbeth immediately replace the Thane of Cawdor after the witches' prophecies, and his betrayal is further hinted at through Duncan’s lament. Duncan laments that you cannot trust someone by their appearance. The Thane of Cawdor was ‘a gentleman whom [he] built an absolute trust’ he says, and this lament, in light of Macbeth’s aside previously, hints that Macbeth will also ironically betray Duncan. Duncan once more will suffer from his own trusting nature. 

Shakespeare presents Macbeth as worthy to succeed The Thane of Cawdor for his valour on the battlefield, but perhaps inwardly undeserving for his evil ruminations which he fails to suppress and then later shares in a letter with Lady Macbeth. Macbeth’s private thoughts are inconsistent with his public image. As Shakespeare wrote Macbeth after the gunpowder plot, an assassination attempt on King James I, Shakespeare is perhaps suggesting to the king and the public at large that they should be wary of judging people at face value. Shakespeare lived in a time that was rife with treason with discontent Catholics eager to supplant James with a Catholic monarch, returning England to Catholicism. King James I like Duncan must be careful with whom he builds trust. 

Indeed Macbeth is a play which can be read as an allegorical story in which regicide disrupts the natural order of being and leads to ruin. When Macbeth later tries to embolden himself to murder Duncan, his conscience prevents him from going through with the evil ‘deed’. While it might be tempting to interpret Macbeth as lacking courage as Lady Macbeth suggests, it is not a lack of courage but his sense of loyalty and his conscience which prevent him from regicide. Macbeth in his own private ruminations notes Duncan arrives at his castle in ‘double trust’, as his ‘kinsman’ and ‘host’. And that he should protect Duncan, ‘not bear the knife [himself]’. Macbeth’s soliloquy makes it clear that Macbeth is aware that his actions are doubly treacherous. As he plans to murder Duncan in his sleep, in which he should feel safe under Macbeth’s protection, in the castle he has bestowed upon Macbeth, Macbeth’s murder is not just evil but also the way of a coward. 

This is why in the next scene in response to Lady Macbeth’s accusation that he is afraid to be the same in action as he is in desire he replies tersely, ‘I dare do all that may become a man/ he who dares do more is none’. The implication in Macbeth’s reply is clear: it is not manly to kill a man while they sleep–let alone one’s own king. To kill Duncan in his sleep requires some courage of will, but it is not the bravery or the valour which defines Macbeth in the opening. It is instead an act of cowardice which would make him less of a man or not a man anyone would respect. It is brave to grapple and kill on the battlefield, but it is cowardice to murder someone who is unguarded in ‘double trust’ while they are asleep.

After Macbeth murders Duncan in his sleep, he then ironically suffers from sleeplessness. And the motif of sleeplessness reminds us that a guilty conscience is one which cannot rest or sleep easily. Shakespeare signposts clearly the spiritual and psychological consequences of regicide. Spiritually Macbeth is damned to hell as he hints when he feels he can not utter the word ‘amen’ after murdering Duncan. Psychologically his mind is ‘full of scorpions’, a metaphor suggesting he is constantly fearful and paranoid. And his conscience won't let him sleep. This is foreshadowed shortly after murdering Duncan when he hallucinates a voice crying, ‘Sleep no more. Macbeth has murdered sleep.’ It is reasonable to assume a lack of sleep then exacerbates Macbeth’s paranoia and causes him to become more and more villainous.

We later see Lady Macbeth afflicted with a fretful waking hallucination and glimpse into her tortured dreams. She too is punished for her treachery and cowardice through her fretful sleep. There is further irony also in the scene with Lady Macbeth’s hallucination because she cannot wash a spot (blood) clean from her hands. ‘Out, damned spot!’ she cries. It is implied that in this moment Lady Macbeth is reimagining the blood on her hands from murdering Duncan, and her frenzied cries remind us of Macbeth’s lament and hyperbolic cry ‘Will all great Neptune's ocean wash this blood clean from my hand?’ The subtext in the scene observing Lady Macbeth’s night terror is that she was naive to suggest to Macbeth ‘A little water clears us of this deed’. It won’t. The guilt produced by this act of cowardice will torture the mind with waking hallucinations.

Shakespeare makes a clear distinction between the bravery needed to hack one’s enemy to pieces on the battlefield, and the barbarism of slaying one’s own kinsman. While Macbeth appears to feel no remorse for the murder of his enemies such as the ‘merciless Macdonald’ whom he kills savagely, he is utterly racked with guilt and haunted by murdering his king. Whereas his savagery on the battlefield received plaudits and titles, the murder of Duncan brandishes Macbeth as an evil traitor. A traitor for committing an act so abhorrent that it can only be hinted at through the innuendo of ‘deed’. Eventually Macbeth dies a traitor and becomes a foil to Macduff and ironically Macduff slaying Macbeth mirrors Macbeth slaying Macdonald. The play starts and ends with a loyal and brave warrior defeating a disloyal and villainous warrior.

Further, Shakespeare suggests the great chain of being is restored: Malcolm, Duncan’s rightful heir to the throne according to the principle of primogeniture, the established form of succession in the Jacobean era, succeeds Macbeth. Once again, a king who has the divine right to rule sits on the throne and it is suggested he will restore harmony to Scotland. This would have appeased King James, Shakespeare’s patron, who was both king of Scotland and England, who wanted to rule without conflict. Malcolm who appears far more temperate and peaceful, certainly more than the ‘butcher’ Macbeth, and more akin to King James, inherits the throne. And this would have sat well with King James, the play ending with a traitor and a coward laid low, and a rightful heir taking the crown.

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