Shakespeare’s Macbeth describes the detailed story of the thane of Glamis, a noble man and general, who takes the throne as the king of Scotland, by murdering the king and taking his place. Lady Macbeth, Macbeth’s wife, was a very ambitious woman, who convinced Macbeth to go through with the deed, as she had a passion to become the queen. After the deed is done, Macbeth is so focused on taking the throne, to the point where he will not let anything or anyone stand in his way, implying that he would go through with killing someone again, even his best friend Banquo, in order to keep his place on the throne, which is eventually what happens. In act 3 scene 2 of Macbeth, Shakespeare conveys a shift in characterization, as Macbeth becomes the one
Macbeth follows his deeply however, Banquo brushes his off. Banquo is one of the best foils for Macbeth. In conclusion, there are many foils in Macbeth. Banquo is very similar but the list goes on.
Macbeth was in desperate need to get Banquo killed because he thought his crown is as at stake because of him. Even though he hired two murderers he could not fully trust them so he hired his servant whom he could fully trust. He could easily identify Banquo
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.
In various parts of the play, Banquo can be characterized as loyal, thoughtful, and trustworthy. These traits are consistent with an honorable person and they are shown as Banquo constantly submits his allegiance to Macbeth. Although
Macbeth Dreams The first scene in Act 3 plays a vital role in Macbeth because it displays Banquo’s internal conflict between control and loyalty. The picture reveals three witches who tell Banquo a prophecy that involves his descendants becoming rulers of the kingdom. The representation of eight heirs to the throne shows how long his kinship will last. This puts him in a position where he can either take action and have his lineage become kings by spilling royal blood or he can stay loyal to the current ruler and not murder him.
He reveals that he is not strong minded and is easily influenced by those around him. It is through Banquo that one can actually identify Macbeth with these traits. If it were not for Banquo’s calm and responsible reaction to the foretelling, it would be difficult to hold Macbeth on a basis on the appropriate way to respond to the situation. Banquo is not after sole success, and still considers himself successful even with his sons being heirs to the kingdom. With this genuine appreciation, we are able to view Macbeth as a greedy and irrational character.
Additionally, it also accentuates the unjust nature of Banquo’s murder later on. This is due to the fact that unlike Macbeth, he remained true to his reputation until his death. The night that King Duncan is scheduled to visit Macbeth’s, Lady Macbeth warns him to act normal to avoid suspicion and
People's decisions about their actions can reveal their true character. Macbeth's true personality had revealed when the three witches spoke with him and Banquo about the prophecies. Eager to have power, Macbeth had chosen to make them come true while Banquo had let faith be. Macbeth easily convinced had decided to follow the prophecies that led to him going crazy and murdering anyone he had felt threatened by which reveals his true character. The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, shows multiple different personalities throughout the charaters.
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.
In the play Macbeth, the story and characters are largely affected by the concept of self-fulfilling prophecies. One way the story is changed through this is when a person hears of his fate, and choosing not to do anything about it. Out of all the people, this only happens with Banquo. He is told that his descendents will become Kings, and then moves on, not twisting his actions in any way to force the events to come true. While it isn’t quite as expected, it provides an interesting comparison against an individual who does try to fulfill the prediction.
Undoubtedly Banquo deep down knew Macbeth's intentions since his prophecy from the wyrd sisters. Furthermore, Banquo has to make it well known to Macbeth that his loyalty stands to Duncan. Even so, Banquo does not tell anyone what happened with the witches even after Duncan is discovered dead in his chambers and he does not discuss it with Macbeth. It is almost as if he is trying to remind himself where his allegiance lies. Given Banquo doesn’t tell anyone, but also will not let Macbeth know he will cover for him, his allegiance lies within himself.
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).
Even so, both characters’ actions are exceedingly different. Each character make a choice. Macbeth makes a choice to achieve his prophecy by force while Banquo chooses the passive approach.
Unlike Macbeth, Banquo, from the beginning of this encounter, continues to doubt the witches, “I’th’name of truth are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?” (1.3.51-52) Banquo didn’t believe what the witches were saying, he questions their intentions and accuses them of raising Macbeth’s hope. Throughout this whole encounter, Banquo continues to protect Macbeth while staying loyal. He never once acted on his prophecies, he simply disregarded what the witches were saying and remained the noble man he is. Even to his death, Banquo has not once acted without honour and
