The most diminutive of birds
What is wrong with Lady Macduff? In Act 4 Scene 2, she is unreasonably paranoid (assuming she is unaware of the future) and tries to convince her son that Macduff is dead. I didn't understand why she was so distraught after Macduff left to find Malcolm. It would make sense if she were angry with him for not explaining to her why he had to leave, but I don't think there was much cause for her to be afraid. Lady Macduff thinks she is vulnerable to an attack and is helpless to defend her son. She goes so far to compare herself to "The most diminutive of birds" that Macduff has left to die. Lady Macduff did not know that Macbeth had anything against her or her family, so it seems that she just has separation anxiety and can't look after herself and their son. At this point Shakespeare has convinced me that the women in his play don't have any of the capabilities of their husbands. I'm unsure if this contributes to a larger message of the play or if he views women merely as dependent wives.
I was also unsure of the purpose of Lady Macduff's conversation with her son. Shakespeare likes to show off poetic and witty dialogue, but it is interesting that he gave the son these lines to refute his mother's claim that Macduff is dead. This child remains more calm and acts more maturely than his mother which makes her look even worse. Most of these ideas rely on the assumption that Lady Macbeth did not have evidence to suspect that murderers would com after her.
I believe that Macduff is at fault here regardless of whether the Macduff's suspected an attack. His quick departure without explaining himself makes his decision to recruit Malcolm seem spontaneous. Macduff may be impulsively following the allure of conflict and power without considering the repercussions on himself and his family. Sound familiar?
I was also unsure of the purpose of Lady Macduff's conversation with her son. Shakespeare likes to show off poetic and witty dialogue, but it is interesting that he gave the son these lines to refute his mother's claim that Macduff is dead. This child remains more calm and acts more maturely than his mother which makes her look even worse. Most of these ideas rely on the assumption that Lady Macbeth did not have evidence to suspect that murderers would com after her.
I believe that Macduff is at fault here regardless of whether the Macduff's suspected an attack. His quick departure without explaining himself makes his decision to recruit Malcolm seem spontaneous. Macduff may be impulsively following the allure of conflict and power without considering the repercussions on himself and his family. Sound familiar?
I don't exactly agree with your lines about the women in this play being dependent wives. That is certainly not the case for Lady Macbeth. It was more so as if she ran her relationship. She was the strong front. She motivated her husband to do what needed to be done.
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