Macduff

Macduff is the hero, the fallen and the proud throughout his journey in the pages of "Macbeth". Adam Rutledge take us on that journey with him as Macduff. Enjoy!

Q: What do you do to prepare for a role?

A: I read the play, of course. It sounds a bit trite, but that's really the most important thing I can do before I start memorizing. I'll read the whole play at least once through from the perspective of my role, then I'll read the cut version of the working script several more times. Each time, I look more and more specifically at what people have to say about my character, what my character has to say about other people, and what things my character has been able to observe (vs. what's unknown to him). I don't like thinking about a character in a vacuum; if another character says something about "me," I need to figure out why they say it and incorporate that into my performance.

Q: The best way to learn lines?

A: All the re-reading helps, but out-loud repetition is the only sure bet. For monologues, I'll record myself and listen to the recording.

Q: What is your dream Shakespearean role?

A: Richard of Gloucester, from Richard III. I love the squicky (April: Adam, I totally think you make up a word here) villains, and I love crazy body language and movement. Speaking of villains and movement-oriented roles, I also really like Caliban, from The Tempest.

Q: Macduff, the hero of the show.......and yet he is called out by Malcolm for abandoning his family without cause or notice....he did say he was going to Fife....what is going through Macduff's mind at this point?

A: Well, he went to Fife well before leaving Scotland. Once Macbeth's power grows totally out of control, though, Macduff is all about setting his personal life aside to find Malcolm and save the nation. Once that decision is made, to become a traitor to the throne so as to stay loyal to the country, he can't stick around for long, or even risk telling his family. He has to simply leave, otherwise he'll be found out. And if his family knows, they'll be put in even more danger. The tragedy is that they're put in danger either way, but Macduff can't know that beforehand.

Q: Do we think Macduff has an over-developed sense of patriotism? Or is he just about right?

A: He certainly has a lot more patriotism than I think we're used to seeing these days. I'm well aware of how jaded I am, personally, so it's actually a little refreshing to play someone with such an unshakable idealism.

I really love Macduff's loyalty to his people. In the top of the play, he's not pandering to the king or playing politics with other thanes; the battle was fought in and around Fife, his home, and someone has to lead his people in cleaning up the mess. Later on, he refuses to fight with the Scottish peasants Macbeth has coerced into his army. I suspect it's this loyalty to the nation, and thence to the crown--rather than to the crown through politics--that leads to Duncan trusting Duff to be the one to serve as his wake-up call.

I can't help but wonder how Macduff holds up over the next few years after the play ends; Malcolm has essentially opened the door for the Anglicanization of Scotland, and soon Macduff's country, for which he sacrificed so much, will be unrecognizable to him. "Earl" might not be the most comfortable of titles for a Scottish patriot, no matter how well deserved.

Q: What is going through Macduff's mind when he hears from Ross that his entire estate has been made into a slaughterhouse?

A: Ugh, that scene is so hard to pull off! There are so many things happening here. Malcolm has just said he's coming to Scotland with an army to take back the crown, so Macduff has a moment of triumph; this is why he left his family, after all. We're also fresh of of Malcolm's bizarre deceit, and because of that, Duff still can't be sure how trustworthy the man he's chosen to support really is. Then he's told about his family's death. So here we have a man, depressed and keenly feeling the pain of his nation, confused about his own loyalties, and now grieving. In the midst of all this, he has to reach the final decision to throw in wholeheartedly with Malcolm and visit revenge upon Macbeth. It's quite a lot to think about!

Q: Seeking revenge against Macbeth for multiple reasons rounds out the end of the play before a new king is crowned - What do you think goes through Macduff's mind as he kills Macbeth?

A: I think he pretty well wears his heart on his sleeve in his last monologue: "If thou beest slain, and with no stroke of mine, my wife and childrens' ghosts will haunt me still." I think there's a moment of relief, and release, just before the killing blow is struck.

Thanks Adam!