Banquo And Fleance Analysis

Over the course of Act II the exchanges between Banquo and Fleance along with Ross and the Old man the word “night” develops its meaning into a signal for the odd happenings occurring during the nighttime. At the beginning of the act Banquo asks his son Fleance, “How goes the night, boy?” while this phrase could simply be a common introductory phrase, it also could mean Banquo is concerned for how his son’s evening really is going (2.1.1). Fleance answers the question unaware of what his father is really asking him but indicates that the night seems to be dragging on. “Night” in this instance is used as its denotation of a time during the late hours of the day, but Banquo indicates that “night” is not just a time of the day but the actions are happening during that time.

Banquo indicates that he is aware that his dream from the night before foreshadows the events of the current night. Even the Old man who is not apart of the same conversation as Banquo agrees that “Hours dreadful and things strange, but this sore/ night/ hath trifled former knowings” (2.4.3-4). Since the Old man has lived for a so long, he carries with him some awful memories but to him this night seems to be the worst, due to the death of the king and other men. The Old man answers the Banquo’s question for earlier in the act for which it should’ve been answered rather than Fleance who is too young to understand. To conclude the act, Ross much like Fleance finds it strange that the night seems longer than it should when he says, “And yet dark night strangles the traveling lamp” (2.4.9). The night goes on longer so that the prophecy of the witches Banquo mentions comes true. The question Banquo asks in the beginning of the act revolving around the strange occurrences of the night ties together with Fleance, Ross, and the Old man 's