Essay On Why Macbeth Should Not Kill Banquo

“Thou hast it now - king, Cawdor, Glamis all as the Weird Women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for’t.” - Macbeth Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 1-3. In William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, Banquo is Macbeth’s loyal friend and captain, who is with Macbeth when he is anointed Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan and hears the prophecy of Macbeth’s future kingship by the Weird Sisters (the three witches). However, after Duncan is mysteriously killed Banquo begins to suspect that Macbeth was responsible. Macbeth begins to see a threat in Banquo and come to the point that he must decide whether or not to kill Banquo, one of his closest and best friends. Everyone agrees that Banquo is Macbeth’s friend, but some say that Macbeth should kill Banquo in order to protect his rule while others say he should not. Macbeth should not kill Banquo for three reasons: Banquo is not a threat, it will damage Scotland further, and it won’t bring happiness to Macbeth. The first reason that Macbeth should not kill Banquo is that Banquo does not pose a

Killing your best friend, will display Macbeth’s cruelty to the people of Scotland. Their faith in the security of themselves and their family will evaporate when the learn that Macbeth, as their king, will not even trust his closest friends and that he will go so far as to kill for even the slightest hint of questioning Macbeth’s kingship. All the people of Scotland will be wary of their friends and family for if they cannot trust their king, then who can they trust in their own circles. The nobles and lords of Scotland will begin to feel threatened and if the people lose trust and faith in Macbeth, then they may look to the nobles and lords, such as Macduff, in order to lead an uprising to unseat Macbeth. An uprising of any kind would find Macbeth in a vulnerable position and it could jeopardize his kingship and destabilize