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Banquo Loyalty In Macbeth

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In William Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Banquo is an honorable follower of the king; however, Macbeth is a greedy traitor with a bloodthirsty motive to be king. In the first two acts of the play, Banquo has proven himself to be devoted to the king, showing honesty and loyalty to his leader. First, Banquo states, “So I lose none / in seeking to augment it, but still keep / my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, / I shall be counseled” (2.1.36-39). Banquo tells Macbeth that he will support and follow Macbeth, but only if it does not cause him guilt. Banquo will not do anything that harms the nobility because his loyalty to the crown is stronger than his loyalty to Macbeth. Banquo is a close friend of Duncan and will not do anything to harm that relationship. Next, Banquo says to Duncan, “There, if I grow, / the …show more content…

Here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood, and his gashed stabs look'd like a breach in nature for ruin’s wasteful entrance; there the murderers, steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers unmannerly breached with gore.
(2.3.129-135)
To avoid accusations, Macbeth frames Duncan’s guards for the murder. He lies by saying that he saw the guards kill Duncan and that he killed the guards because he was emotional after watching his king die. He manipulates others in order to clear his name. Therefore, Macbeth is a greedy traitor who lies and kills in order to rule the land.
Macbeth and Banquo, two generals of the king, have different attitudes for the king; Banquo supports the king and impresses him, while Macbeth murders the king to take his position.
The expedition of my violent love outrun the pauser reason. Here lay Duncan, his silver skin laced with his golden blood, and his gashed stabs look'd like a breach in nature for ruin’s wasteful entrance; there the murderers, steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers unmannerly breached with gore.

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With Macbeth being a general in the Scottish military, he had major influences on people and their daily lives. After the murder of King Duncan, Banquo’s suspicion of who committed the murders arose around a single suspect, Macbeth. Knowing that Banquo most likely knew the truth that Macbeth killed King Duncan, Macbeth went back to his evil ways with ease. Through his attendant, Macbeth summons three murderers. Shakespeare introduces the murders with stage direction “[Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]” (Shakespeare, 363), in which Macbeth he uses Banquo as bait in order to gain their graces and loyalty “That it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self: this I made good to you in our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, how you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, who wrought with them, and all things else that might, so half a soul and to a notion crazed, Say 'Thus did Banquo.'”

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