Lady Macduff is radically different from Lady Macbeth. She appears as the more traditional woman, one who is loyal and protective of her son and, despite her anger at her husband for leaving them to go to England, she is still the traditional wife and mother-figure. (See Act IV, scene ii.)
Lady Macbeth, on the other hand, is the nontraditional female - the one who has pushed and pushed her husband into the throne of Scotland. When she reads the letter from her husband about the prophecies of the witches (I, v), she makes a speech about fearing that her husband is too kind, "too full o'th' milk of human kindness" to actually fight his way to the throne. Later, in speaking to Macbeth about his hesitation in killing Duncan, she says she would rather have killed the child she nursed at her breast than to go back on what they have planned as far as killing Duncan to claim the throne. Lady Macbeth is painted as the epitome of the evil, unnatural female. She is characterized as being closer in nature to the witches than to a mortal woman like Lady Macduff.
With regards to your question #2, could you be more specific as to which scene you are asking about? Thanks!
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