My prop is a pocket watch, but inside there is also a compass. On the cover of the latch. the scotland flag is painting on, and it is about 2 inches wide and .5 inches thick. It is made of gold and contains roman numerals. The watch was past down by many generations, so Banquo had received the watch by his father. It has a lot of sentimental value to Banquo. He keeps it with him for comfort, and it creates a sense of connection between his father and him. Banquo is a brave soldier, curious observer, honorable captain, and a comfortable and confident noble. As a captain of King Duncan’s military, he must have keen senses and be aware of his surroundings. His advanced sense of direction, focus, and observations allow him to complete his duties. …show more content…
In this scene, Banquo takes the watch out of his pocket and opens it to see what direction they are going. At that moment, it will engage the audience and help them to understand the setting of the scene. The audience will rely on Banquo to give them this information, and see him as the navigator. Also in Act 1, Scene 1, Macbeth says (in an aside), “Time and the hour runs through the roughest day.” which is the exact moment where Banquo will check the time using his watch. At that moment, it will suggest Banquo’s close relationship with Macbeth, since they think alike, as well as his focus on keeping track of reality in the midst of what is fantastical. In Act 2, Scene 1, when Banquo is giving his son, Fleance, his sword, he will take the watch out of his pocket and give it to him. It would symbolize how Banquo is passing down his power through his most prized possession. At that moment, the audience will understand that Banquo does believe in the prophecy (his sons will be kings), and that he is willing to sacrifice something he loves for his children. It also foreshadows potential tragedy, since Banquo hands over the watch at this moment--perhaps before anything terrible happens to …show more content…
During the witches encounter with Macbeth and Banquo, Banquo’s statement that, “To me you speak not. If you can look into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak, then, to me,” (1.3.61-63) proves his desire for answers and need for understanding. The fact that Banquo wishes for the witches to “look into the seeds of time” suggests his longing for more information on his own prophecy. Shakespeare uses grain, a familiar symbol of agriculture, to symbolize the uncertainty of the prophecy (in need of interpretation), similar to how nature unpredictable. Since Banquo “neither beg[s] nor fear[s]” (1.3.63) the telling of his own prophecy, his willingness to seek more knowledge beyond what is given it evident. In addition to his curiosity, Banquo is proved to be a sensible and conscientious observer. After Ross had told Macbeth he was given the title “Thane of Cawdor”, Banquo states that “tis strange”-- confirming his ability to rationalize a situation as well as question what seems unnatural. Banquo’s assertion that,“to win us to our harm, the instruments of darkness tell us truths [...]---” (1.3.135-138) indicates his suspicion for the prophecy. Shakespeare uses “instruments of darkness” to symbolize the dark magic and evil of the witches,
(Shakspeare 3.1.67-9). Seeing this choice of act, leads Macbeth’s blind ambition to do all he can, in order to remain where he is, even if he is ‘blind’ to what is going on and fails to truly understand the concept of his choices in killing Banquo, which only further deteriorates his mind because of his thirst for power, causing him to commit these murders, murders he must contain inside his head, bottled up and this continues to cause his suffering throughout Macbeth. First they gain confidence by making predictions that come true, then the underlying truth is seen through. In Act I, Scene 3 they refer to Macbeth as "Thane of Glamis," which he is, and as "Thane of Cawdor," which as far as he knows, he is not.
It has been said that one’s fate lies in one’s own hands; however, when one tries to use free will to rush this fate, the consequences are dire. In the tragedy, Macbeth, Shakespeare uses the character Banquo as a foil to Macbeth to highlight the differences in their personalities and actions. Banquo embodies the belief that fate should run its course; in this way, Banquo represents nature. On the other hand, Macbeth utilizes free will to try to rush time to reach his fate faster. These characteristics are displayed as Macbeth and Banquo hear their fates from the witches and act in response to those prophecies throughout the play. The distinct characteristics of the two demonstrate the clash between fate and free will throughout Macbeth.
Both Banquo and Macbeth are introduced as loyal captains in the king`s army, but as the play progresses, Macbeth is overcome with the desire of power due to his reception of the prophecies. Upon hearing, Banquo does not become greedy for power, but, alternatively, he is suspect and cautious begins wondering if “we [Macbeth and Banquo] eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner?” (1.3). Realizing the witches were simply trying to make him ambitious, Banquo remains loyal to his king and his country, despite knowing that he will have a dynasty to rule Scotland. Despite having the motivation, Banquo does not commit treason against his king but rather wants to “keep my [his] bosom franchis'd and allegiance clear” (2.1), meaning that he has no desire to betray the king for personal gain. Conversely, upon hearing the witches’ prophecies, Macbeth becomes ambitious for power and follows them blindly. He is curious about the witches’ prophecies and demands they “stay… [and] tell me [him] more” (1.3). When he hears that the prophecy that his heirs will rule Scotland he will be king, Macbeth`s ambition is born and his thoughts instantly turn to murder, even though the witches had not mentioned murdering King Duncan which shows that Macbeth has previously thought about murdering his king. As a result, Macbeth has no loyalty to neither his king nor his country and commits treason. While both Banquo and Macbeth hear the witches` prophecies that promised power, only Macbeth conceded to their prophecy and became overcame with ambition. Macbeth is a direct antithesis to the honorable, dependent Banquo. He transforms into a greedy man who is obsessed with his
A lot like Macbeth, the character Banquo was also a highly skilled soldier, and very much trusted by their king, even though Macbeth respects Banquo’s bravery he also fears his wisdom. While Macbeth is quick to action and has little to no time for thought Banquo chooses not to turn his thoughts into action, Banquo is however a lot more cautious as shown when he and Macbeth met the three witches. Banquo actually considers the reasons for what the witches are offering and later realizes they are telling him his future and thinks that the witches are attempting to make him greedy for power. Macbeth however reacts oppositely. Banquo actually considers the reasons for what the witches are offering and rather than thinking about the outcomes of his
Foremost, when Banquo talks about the witches Macbeth lies saying that “[he thinks] not of them (23).” This is the first time he has shows a poor trait and foreshadows the huge fall he is about to take. Moreover, Macbeth hears someone say “‘Glamis hath murdered sleep, and therefore Cawdor / Shall sleep no more: Macbeth shall sleep no more (27).’” This is diction, because it matches with what the witches said earlier about cursing someone so they could not sleep. Additionally, Macbeth asks if “All great Neptune’s ocean wash [the] blood / clean from [his] hand? (27).” The blood in this sentence symbolizes Macbeth’s guilt for killing the
These lines show Macbeth’s paranoia to the subject of Banquo’s death. When he says these lines, he is in a room full of people and seems rather crazy because they think he is talking himself or he is seeing things, which in fact he is. This example shows that Macbeth is so paranoid that he is imagining things in his head. This shows that he is terrified of what would happen if the truth came
Later in the play Banquo starts to have a bad feeling about Macbeth. "Thou hast it now: King, Cowdor, Glamis, all,/ as the weird women promised, and I fear/ thou play'dst most foully for `t." III i 1-3, this is a quote from Banquo explaining how he feels about Macbeth's predictions coming true. Macbeth realizes this about Banquo and he starts to have feelings about killing Banquo. This isn't the only reason he feels this way, the witches had also made predictions for Banquo. "Thou shall get kings, though thou be none." I iii 67, Macbeth doesn't want any of Banquo's family to rule Scotland; he wants his own family to continue to rule. Macbeth hires two murderers to kill Banquo and his on Fleance. The murderers end up killing Banquo, but Fleance gets away.
By saying that Macbeth is “ripe”, we see how Malcolm and the gods that are “putting on their instruments” feel towards Macbeth’s evil deeds. Macbeth, like a ripe apple, has had the last of his killings/ growth and must be shaken from the top of his tree (throne), and killed, as an apple is when taken from its tree. This quote ties the idea that Banquo represents good triumphing evil, and puts it into action. As a critical reader it is important to understand how authors use imagery to convey ideas, because by analyzing repetition readers can find an author’s attempt to bring forth essential ideas and themes frequently questioned by civilization. By examining Shakespeare’s use of growth imagery throughout Macbeth, the theme of good triumphing evil is represented through the characters Banquo and Macbeth.
As opening characters in the story, the witches establish the major theme of the tale and predict future events. Upon hinting of their insight to the end of the war and revealing their relationship with demonic forces, the witches call out, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair,"(I, i, 12). In his first meeting with the Weird Sisters, Banquo questions the witches powers and asks, "If you can look into the seeds of time and say which will grow and which will not?"(I, iii, 65). The witches prophecies linger through the story and reveal their accuracy, and Banquo takes notice and comments to Macbeth, "I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters. To you they have showed some truth,"(II, i, 25). The witches prophecies place an underlying thought in Macbeth and Banquo's minds and hide there throughout their actions with an ever-present influence.
Banquo is one of King Duncans loyal aristocracy. He is not only wary about the supernatural temptation, but also to human temptation. Banquo was cautious about the witches prophesies when he and Macbeth were told that Macbeth will have a plot to kill King Duncan. Banquo also has a son named Fleance. Their family bond with each other is very strong.
...le Macbeth tells them that ‘every man be master of his time’ so that he can ‘keep alone’. By choosing to isolate himself and not inform Lady Macbeth of his plans to murder Banquo we see how Macbeth feels as if he can’t even trust his closest companions. After turning his back on Lady Macbeth, Macbeth becomes fixated not only on the prophecies of the witches but when he hints to Lady Macbeth that ‘a deed of dreadful note’ will fall upon Banquo and his son he talks like the witches. This shows how Macbeth has turned his back on seeking council from his lords and advisors and begins to act as a king who instead of rationally thinking things out, he chooses to justify his reasons on prophetic predictions from a world of sorcery.
This is first shown in Act 2 where Macbeth begins his monologue, “I see thee still, And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood, Which was not so before. There’s no such thing.” (II I 46-48) Before reuniting with Lady Macbeth, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger floating in the air. The dagger appears shortly before Macbeth proceeds to murder Duncan. The dagger in this instance is used to symbolize Macbeth’s hesitation as at this point in time, Macbeth could have chosen to turn back and abandon his pursuit to becoming king. Macbeth chose to persist however, and the blood covering the dagger was a prognostication of the crime he would soon commit. Shakespeare imparts here that emotions like hesitation are meant to be pondered over, not skimmed over. Macbeth took reckless actions, and his abysmal situation reflects that. Macbeth’s inner-conflict is further shown in Act 4 where he states, “For the blood-boltered Banquo smiles upon me And points at them for his.” (IV I 129-130) Macbeth is visibly shaken by the sudden appearance of a bloody Banquo. The appearance of Banquo is due to the three witches summoning him by ceremony, much to Macbeth’s dismay. Macbeth’s petrified reaction tells of how he is still constantly tormented by his murdering of Banquo. Macbeth begins to shout and command for Banquo to disappear. The summoning of Banquo continues to tell of Macbeth’s human nature
After they hear the prophecies told to them by the evil sisters, Banquo starts to worry about Macbeth and his ambitions to become king. Macbeth is thinking that he may become king without doing anything else, and Banquo thinks Macbeth does not deserve to be thane of Cawdor. At this point, the two friends start growing farther from each other because they do not trust one another. Banquo starts to fear Macbeth because he knows if his prophecy is true than he is a threat to Macbeth's throne. Macbeth realizes he must get rid of Banquo to secure his spot on the throne and make sure his sons will not take his place.
The Three Witches are the ones who introduce the paradox that runs throughout the play. The theme affects these characters because although they speak of the future, they do not seem to affect the course of it. They are the agents of fate because they only speak of the truth of what will happen. Macbeth refers to the Witches as the Weird Sisters. In fact the word "Weird" comes from an old English word "wyrd," which means "fate." In Macbeth's case, the prophecies serve only to suggest the future, not to affect it. They do not predict that he will commit murder to become king but only that he will become king. For example, they all hail Macbeth as king by saying, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter!” Even if the witches were extant, Macbeth would have somehow become king because of fate. With the Witches, Banquo has just the opposite case because he did not actively act upon their prediction that he will be the father of kings. Despite his inaction, the prophecy becames true. The Witches themselves are corporally a paradox because of their ambiguous and confusing appearance. Banquo describes the Witches’ ap...
Banquo was a smart guy that held a lower position than others, but he was able to catch onto Macbeth. He began to realize Macbeth was no longer the same person that he was before becoming king. Many people speculate that Banquo’s early knowledge of Macbeth may have been what got him