Macbeth Quote Analysis

"Lesser than Macbeth, and greater." (I. iii. 65). A quote that describes Banquo and also iterates where he stands. Macbeth and Banquo in Shakespeare's play The Tragedy of Macbeth are two of the closest characters. They represent what the other is not: Macbeth is the evil of the play and Banquo is the all that is pure. They became the black and white of their friendship. Banquo became the most pure white that contrasted greatly with Macbeth's black. It became clear that Banquo should be the innocent person that made Macbeth's wrong doing seem transparent. What we must understand is that the white of Banquo became tainted with smudges of black that made him into a being of gray. Banquo has ever subtly been tainted with black that we don't perceive

In Banquo's mind, he luckily "avoids the... Wickedness only to fall into the fire of unrighteousness. In other words, the peculiar quality of the temptation presented to Banquo is in its very subtilty."(Sudermann 87). For there is no greater safety to mankind than believing that you have defeated the challenge that has destroyed so many others. Those who read Macbeth may not see the difference in Banquo, but something does grow inside of his heart. It just might not be what we thought it was. Banquo, as written by Shakespeare, is a pure character that only has goodness planted in his heart. As Macbeth's trusted friend, "Banquo, in contrast to Macbeth, stands as a kind of morality figure who is able to resist the witches' temptation because the grace of God inherent in his nature is stronger than his propensity to sin" (Ribner). In every good story there is light and darkness, Shakespeare wrote Banquo in a light that would be a parallel to what has been planted inside of Macbeth. He is neither tempted nor engaged by the witches that have presented themselves to him and Macbeth. While he is intrigued of their existence and their sayings, Banquo doesn't worry himself of such things,