Lady Macduff

Lady Macduff is a fictional character from Shakespeare's Macbeth. She is the wife of Macduff and the mother of Macduff's Son.

Her only appearance in the play is in Act IV, Scene ii. When she is first shown she is talking to Ross, her cousin. Lady Macduff is furious at her husband for fleeing the country without taking his family with him or even saying goodbye. Sadly she notes that her son is fathered, yet he's now fatherless and begins to claim that his father is a traitor. Ross feels sorry for the mother and son and decides that he shouldn't stay any longer, because if he did it would be his disgrace and her discomfort (most likely meaning he'd start to cry).

Once he leaves Lady Macduff turns to her son and tells him that his father is dead. He doesn't believe her, but she still insists that what she said is true. He then tells her that if Macduff were dead, she'd be weeping for him, and that if she didn't then it would be a good sign that the boy would soon have a new father.

They begin to joke. A messenger enters, telling Lady Macduff that danger is approaching. She wonders where she should go, and wonders why anyone would want to hurt her, since she has "done no harm".Then she remembers that she is in a world where to do good is sometimes considered "dangerous folly."

At that point, the three murderers enter. They ask her where her husband is, and although she doesn't know, she tells them that she hopes he wouldn't be in any place where he could be found by the likes of them. Even though earlier she had said MacDuff is "dead," she defends his name against the murders, showing she still cares for him.When they respond by calling Macduff a traitor, the boy jumps forward and defends his father. To Lady Macduff's horror, her son is brutally stabbed before her eyes, after the murderer insults him by saying "What, you egg!". The murderer's word choice continues the play's ongoing theme of perverted fertility- murder of an 'egg', and "Young fry (or spawn) of treachery!"

With no other choice she turns and runs as fast as she can through the castle, screaming "Murder!"

It is later revealed that the murderers had killed her as well. The scene is significant as it demonstrates Macbeth's growing depravity, that is, stooping so low as to organize the murder of a defenseless woman and child; previously he had committed murder with an actual motive, whereas here he is simply a bloodthirsty tyrant.