This is a really interesting question, because I don't
actually believe that Macduff does betray his family in this play, or at least not
intentionally. Certainly the event you are refering to is when Macduff leaves Scotland
to join the forces of Malcolm in England, effectively betraying his monarch, Macbeth,
and committing treason. This means that he leaves his wife and children free to be
slaughtered by Macbeth unprotected in Act IV scene 2. Note what his wife says about her
husband:
Wisdom! to leave his wife, to leave his
babes,
His mansion, and his titles, in a
place
From whence himself doth
fly?
However, I believe that
Macduff's failing isn't betrayal of his family. His contrition and anger when he finds
out about their slaughter indicates that he did not consciously betray them. His failing
is that he severely underestimated the evil of Macbeth and the lengths that he would go
to to revenge Macduff's betrayal of him. Macduff at the end of the day is too good, and
it is his goodness that leads to his decision to leave his family behind to be
slaughtered.
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