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Banquo's Quest For Power In Macbeth

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How far would you go to achieve power and control a domain? Would you go so far as to murder your king in your own castle? In William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth the protagonist Macbeth undergoes a violent lust for power after three mysterious witches disclose a prophecy in which he will be made Thane of Cawdor and then eventually King of Scotland. Though he doesn’t believe it at first, after being made Thane of Cawdor Macbeth is convinced that the prophecy is true and becomes hungry for kingship. Macbeth does everything he can including spilling blood to gain and preserve his supremacy. Throughout Macbeth’s quest for power Shakespeare employs character foils and symbolism to create a recurring theme of the effect that motivation and desire for power on people. …show more content…

When his companion Banquo, also described as valiant as Macbeth, hears the Weird Sister’s prophecy alongside Macbeth, Banquo has a very different reaction. Banquo is skeptic about the witches’ foretelling. After Macbeth is crowned Thane of Cawdor he asks Banquo if he looks forward to seeing his sons on the throne, as foretold in the prophecy, to which Banquo states that evil sometimes tells half truths to “win us our harm” (Act 1, Scene 3, Line 121). Macbeth, easily motivated by the temptation of power, chooses to force the prophecy to come true; Macbeth murders King Duncan. Banquo doesn’t act upon the prospect of making the predicted events come faster. Banquo serves as a character foil to Macbeth by contrasting Macbeth’s blindness from his hunger for power with Banquo’s reason and morality. Because of this, Banquo could be considered as Macbeth’s

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In Act 3 Macbeth fears that being king won’t last if Banquo's descendant is destined for the throne. In the beginning of Act Three, Macbeth has become king, he feels being king is worthless if his position is as king is safe. (Act 3, Scene 1, Lines (52-76) Macbeth thinks he can cheat fate by killing Banquo thereby preventing him from producing heirs to the throne. (Act 3, Scene 1, Lines 75-76).Furthermore, this leads to Macbeth hiring murders to kill Banquo and Fleance before/away from the banquet so he can remain blameless. (Act 3 Scene 147-148)

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Banquo says, “I fear thou play’ds most foully for’t” (Act 3 sc 1 lines 2-3). I feel that Banquo is seeing that Macbeth is getting everything that he wants and Banquo is noticing that it’s out of the ordinary and he ends up getting suspicious of Macbeth. Macbeth notices that Banquo is getting suspicious of him. Also, the weird sister told Macbeth that one of Banquo sons is going to be king one day. Macbeth doesn’t like the idea of both of these, so Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance.

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Macbeth is effortlessly susceptible to evil where Banquo takes a more cautious approach to almost everything that he encounters and ponders about what may come next. Banquo plays it safe and never is hasty when it comes to making decisions while Macbeth is quick to act and believes everything that he is told; “Shakespeare's Banquo is the antithesis of Macbeth -- his pure, moral character foil. Banquo has no 'vaulting ambition' and thus can easily escape the trap of the Witches' prophesies.” (Mabillard, “Introduction to the Characters in Macbeth”). Banquo stays untainted by the witches prophesy while Macbeth allows and calls upon evil spirits to help him on his malevolent pursuit.

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1105 Words | 5 Pages

Like Macbeth, he says he can no longer sleep soundly and admits to his son Fleance that he is struggling to restrain 'cursed thoughts' and is troubled by the prophecies of the three sisters. However, there are significant differences between Macbeth and Banquo. When Banquo feels his temptation growing, he asks his son Fleance to take his sword. This demonstrates that only Macbeth takes matters into his own hands and embarks on his bloody campaign of violence. Banquo is morally stronger and doesn't succumb to the prophecies.

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623 Words | 3 Pages

Banquo serves as a character foil to Macbeth. While Macbeth is brutally ambitious and eager to trust supernatural prophecies, In contrast Banquo is placid and cautious of the witches’ advice. Banquo also contrasts

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1051 Words | 5 Pages

Being that Banquo seemed suspicious of Macbeth subsequently the night of the king 's death. Apprehensive of his throne Macbeth would do anything in his power to prevent even the slightest chance for anyone to take the throne from him.

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158 Words | 1 Pages

In the play Macbeth written by William Shakespeare the character, Banquo is quite ambiguous. Although, amidst the beginning of the play the reader perceives Banquo as a courageous aristocratic individual who’s apparently loyal to Macbeth. However, this perception the reader gathers is soon distorted as they realize that Banquo has a tendency to construct ambitious thoughts that he dares not to act upon unlike his counterpart, Macbeth. If the reader were to ponder about Banquo’s disposition as a whole, they will come to the conclusion that his character stands as harsh criticism to Macbeth because he signifies the decisions that Macbeth chose not to make. Macbeth’s choices include both betrayal and murder.

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771 Words | 4 Pages

The distinction is apparent between Banquo and Macbeth, because unlike Macbeth, Banquo is cautious of what the witches have to say, though Macbeth simply commands to hear more. Furthermore, Banquo neither fears nor begs for the predictions the witches may have, whereas Macbeth’s concern is evident during this encounter, as well as when the witches bring about the apparitions to him. Macbeth acts in relation to the prophecies; killing to fulfill the prophecy, or eliminating threats to his throne. Banquo neither fears nor begs for the predictions the witches have in store for him, displaying his cautious attitude in regards of the deceiving sisters. Banquo’s lack of belief is evident once more as he says to Macbeth, “Were such things here, as we do speak about? /

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1622 Words | 7 Pages

The appearance of Banquo’s ghost in act 3, scene 4 - after he was murdered by the murderers hired by Macbeth - is of great importance to the story development and Macbeths inner conflict. Because the drama builds up in intensity up to the point where Macbeth commits regicide and the body of Duncan is discovered, at this point in the story, a new status quo has been established by the fact that Macbeth has successfully committed the crime despite his uncertainty and has been crowned king. Therefore, sustaining the dramatic tension is not only desired but necessary at this point, to keep the audience’s attention at bay. The story takes on another great turn when Macbeth murders Banquo but fails to murder his son, Fleance which increases his insecurity even more.

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It is said that Shakespeare may have changed this one aspect of Banquo’s character in order to please King James, who was considered at the time to be the real descendant of real Banquo. It is also interpreted that the role of Banquo is presented in the contrast of that of Macbeth’s because Banquo resists evil where Macbeth embraces it. The play is about how Macbeth murders Duncan, King if Scotland, to be the king himself after when he listens to the prophecies of the three witches. He is also supported by his wife, Lady Macbeth, in doing so.

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527 Words | 3 Pages

In Macbeth’s soliloquy, he talks about Banquo’s “hath of wisdom” and how Banquo acts safely(58). This illustrates that Macbeth is afraid of what Banquo might do. This illustrates Macbeth’s ambition because he is not going to give up until he finds what he is looking for if he gets suspicious with Macbeth. This makes Macbeth very scared of Banquo because if Banquo finds out that Macbeth killed Duncan, Macbeth’s life is going to be hell and Banquo is immediately going to tell everybody in Scotland. Macbeth fears Banquo so much that he will “champion his utterance” and will battle anybody to keep his crown(77).

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729 Words | 3 Pages

It is human nature to want power, to be at the top of the pyramid, to be king/queen, but that comes at a price as shown in Macbeth. In the play, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth will do anything to have absolute power and nothing stands in their way. From killing to going completely mad, they will become the next king and queen at all costs. The ambition and the want for power is so high that they kill many, they do whatever they can to be one step closer, and they go completely insane, all because they want that absolute power.

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760 Words | 4 Pages

Macbeth’s impatience for power leads to drastic actions. He murders the king in the belief that “this blow might be the be-all and end-all” (1.7.5). This assassination could never “trammel up the consequence” (1.7.2-3), as Macbeth believes, but only leads to more trouble. Although Macbeth seizes the throne, Macbeth had to betray his loyalty to the king whose “virtues will plead like angels” (1.7.18-19), and his morality has paid the price. Macbeth has now lost all sense of what honor is by using such dishonest ways to become king.

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653 Words | 3 Pages

However, Banquo resists temptation to give in to his darker side, highlighting two diverging paths a person can pursue while following free will. In Macbeth, Banquo and Macbeth are both noble men receive two similar prophecies, but Macbeth takes a nefarious path and falls from grace, unlike Banquo, who remains moral, illustrating the two paths that free will can result in. Both

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525 Words | 3 Pages

Macbeth and Banquo were seen as relatively similar individuals who acted with nobility. At the beginning, they both were loyal military leaders who fought hard for their king and their country. However, after their encounter with the Three Weird Sisters, they began to show their differences through the actions they make in regards to prophecies they were given. Macbeth and Banquo were both heroic, noble and brave leaders who led their armies to victory numerous of times. They were loyal subjects to the king, and they lived their lives continuously fighting for him as well as the country.

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