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Why might Shakespeare have chosen Macduff, not Malcolm, as the nemesis in Macbeth?
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Shakespeare likely chose Macduff as Macbeth's nemesis to preserve Malcolm's noble image, flattering King James I, who was Malcolm's descendant. Macduff has a personal vendetta against Macbeth, who killed his family, making his revenge justified. This decision keeps Malcolm's hands clean, aligning him with his noble father, Duncan, rather than the tyrannical Macbeth. Moreover, Macduff fulfills the witches' prophecies, while Malcolm is too young and lacks the required attributes to be Macbeth's nemesis.
The king when Macbeth was originally performed, James I of England, also known as James VI of Scotland, could actually trace his lineage back to Duncan (as well as Banquo) and would therefore also have been related to Malcolm, Duncan's son. By giving Macduff a good reason to want to kill Macbeth (Macbeth murders Macduff's wife and children) and then having Macduff be the one to exact his revenge on the king, Shakespeare keeps Malcolm's hands clean, literally and figuratively. Malcolm does not murder anyone, whether it would have been justified or not, and this permits him to remain more noble because he is unsullied by such violence. This would flatter his descendant, King James I of England. It also helps to establish Malcolm as being more like his father than he is like Macbeth. His father, Duncan, has been characterized as quite noble and humble and just,...
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and Macbeth is a ruthless and vicious murderer. Having Malcolm kill Macbeth and behead him might make him seem more like a tyrant and less like his own, saintly father, so Shakespeare has Macduff perform the violence instead (but gives him a really, really compelling reason to do it).
This is a great questions. Usually a nemesis is considered a "bad guy" but actually, Malcolm is acting as the moral agent as well as a nemesis in this play. First let us look at some definitions of nemesis.
Nemesis is defined in several way, generally we know it as some type of unbeatable opponent. However, another definition is a reference to Greek Myth showing Nemesis as the Greek goddess of retributive justice.
Even though modern movies show a nemesis as losing to hero, such as Joker to Batman, in earlier literature, the nemesis usually ended up victorious.
Malcolm, as we can tell from early in the play in Act I, is a young man. He is being named Prince of Cumberland, so he is likely only in his early teens. This makes him a bit young to take on the role of nemesis, or to adminster justice to Macbeth. He also does not fulfill the prophecies of the witches.
Macduff however, is roughly the same age and position as Macbeth (before he became King, of course). His entire home has been slaughtered, and most importantly, he was not born of woman. By convincing Malcolm to return to Scotland, he takes on a greater, if temporary role, as mentor to a future King.