Banquo from Macbeth Banquo is the noble, brave general in Duncan's army. He is one of the
positive characters in the play, and his goodness is used to emphasize
Macbeth's contrasting evil. We know little of him except that he has a
young son called Fleance
Banquo, as Macbeth admits, is "truly royal in nature." He possesses
the qualities of a king without any of the outward symbols, such as
the crown. Proof of his honesty and loyalty lies in his reluctance to
commit any evil deeds to make his share of the prophecy come true. We
sense stability in his presence in the manner in which he takes
control of the situation after Duncan's death, urging the people to
compose themselves and sort out the matter rationally.
Banquo is the ultimate symbol of goodness. Proof of this is his
refusal to be tempted by Macbeth in Act 2, sc i. His reaction to the
witches' prophecy shows his wisdom, as he is cautious
and knows not to rely on the witches' word.
Unlike Duncan (the other symbol of ultimate goodness), he is shrewd
and wise; he knows that openly voicing his misgivings against Macbeth
and particularly his suspicious ascension to throne after Duncan's
death would not be prudent. He is instead cautious and never reveals
his innermost thoughts concerning this matter.
Although Banquo is as courageous as Macbeth on the battlefield, he is
often overshadowed by his colleague, as can be seen by Duncan's
extravagant praise for Macbeth's bravery against the invaders, and his
brief address to Banquo as an afterthought.
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
In the third soliloquy Macbeth is still contemplating how he obtains the throne, but now he knows that murder is the only way, yet he fears ‘judgement’ and damnation. We see here that Macbeth has a conscience, and his mind cannot take the simple fact. He begins bringing up lots of excuses as to why he should not do it, but inevitably his ambition gets the better of him.
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
Then when we returned, the king was very pleased to see both of us for
Banquo is Macbeth's best friend in the tragedy. Banquo is with Macbeth when Macbeth meets the witches and they tell him of his upcoming fortune. Banquo notices how Macbeth is too ambitious after he sees Macbeth's reaction to the witches predictions. He feels even though Macbeth is his best friend he feels Macbeth is capable of wrong doing in the future to get what he wants. This is shown in one aside after they leave the witches. "…And oftentimes, to win us to our harm, The instruments of darkness tell us truths, Win us with honest trifles, to betray 's in deepest consequence. Cousins, a word, I pray you. (Act1, SceneIII,line123)" This quote is stating that Banquo thinks Macbeth may do anything to get what he wants no matter what the consequences are. Duncan is the King of Scotland and Macbeth's leader. Duncan's view of Macbeth is narrow-minded. He perceives him as a loyal, noble, trustworthy, soldier whom he is very fond of. Duncan also feels Macbeth is the reason for them winning the war. There is many times in the play where this is pointed out by the things Duncan says. For example, "Give me your hand. Conduct me to mine host: we love him highly, And shall continue our graces towards him...(Act1, SceneVI,line29)" This quote shows that Duncan seems to feel like he owes Macbeth something for his loyalties and bravery in the war. Duncan's perception of Macbeth will prove to be his downfall.
In the tragic play “Macbeth”, written by William Shakespeare, Macbeth and Banquo’s first encounter with the witches is used as a means to give the reader a look into the personalities of both men. Macbeth’s reaction to the witches is one of appropriate shock and surprise until later on in the play where we see him consumed by the words of these supernatural beings. Where as Banquo is merely curious. Shakespeare conveys this in a manner in which his audience not only understands but feels both the surprise of Macbeth and burning curiosity of his counterpart, Banquo.
The portrayal of Anthony "Banko" Banconi in Scotland, PA differs a bit from Macbeth's Banquo. Scotland PA's Banko appears dim-witted at first, but in the end is the one who aids McDuff in solving the crime involving the murder of Duncan, even when it means betraying his best friend.
Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare comment that Banquo is a force of good in the play, set in opposition to Macbeth:
going to smack you in the face, you have to search for it. And in
After murdering Duncan, Macbeth feels that he needs to kill Banquo. He is afraid that Banquo is going to be a problem for him. He is suspicious that Banquo believes Macbeth had something to do with Duncan's murder, "Our fears in Banquo/ Stick deep; and in his royalty of nature/ Reigns that which would be feared" (3.1.47-49). He plans to kill him, though Banquo has made no direct threat against Macbeth. He speaks of feeling inferior to Banquo, even though he is king. "There is none but he/ Whose being I do fear; and under him/ My genius is rebuked" (3.1.53-55). Banquo is Macbeth's closest friend, he is starting to lose trust in everyone around him.
Banquo and Macbeth are quite opposite when you sit down to compare the two: Banquo comes off as more religious while Macbeth will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even when that means taking shortcuts and quite literally removing anyone from your path. While Banquo does not take the three witches seriously, Macbeth eats up their every word as if it were the finest chocolate he’s ever tasted. The fact that Banquo inadvertently demonstrates that he is a man of God due to the fact that he doesn’t take the prophecies seriously. Banquo makes it fairly clear that he believes that bad things happen when you open yourself up to evil actions and this is continuously proved as Macbeth goes on “his” killing spree that he himself doesn’t actually
When Macbeth seizes power, he disposes of Banquo to solidify his throne. Before his search for power, Macbeth and Banquo, the two valiant soldiers, were always at each other’s side. But then Macbeth offers Banquo an opportunity to raise his status by helping to commit regicide. Banquo refuses to help and Macbeth realizes he then must kill his best friend to preserve his power. Banquo suggests he won’t harm Duncan when he reveals, “So I lose none/ In seeking to augment it, but still keep/ My bosom franc...
Clark and Wright in their Introduction to The Complete Works of William Shakespeare comment that Banquo is a force of good in the play, set in opposition to Macbeth:
To betrays in deepest consequence” (Shakespeare 314). Shortly after they meet with the three witches, they meet a messenger who tells Macbeth he is the Thane of Cawdor. In the beginning, Macbeth and Banquo served side by side in Duncan’s army. They trusted each other with their lives and were good friends and equals.
I play the Roman fool, and die / On mine own sword? Whiles I see