banquo

• "There's husbandry in heaven; candles are all out."
A2S1

  -Banquo is emblematic of Jesus as he confesses his temptations, seeking solace from heaven.

  • Lack of stars links to motif of darkness, foreshadowing a sense of evil

  • Starless sky echoes Duncan's speech about stars shining on the deserving - Macbeth is undeserving

  • Macbeth and Banquo are diametrically opposed in aspirations; Macbeth wants to hide his malicious intentions from God, yet Banquo wants to confess his temptations to be free of them

  • Through resisting the witches, Banquo parallels Jesus, who was tempted by the devil
• "I dream'd of the three weird sisters last night."
A2S1

  • Banquo's humanity is made abundantly clear

  • He is still plagued by the thoughts of the witches' prophecies. It seems superstition is taking a hold of him and trespassing on his conscience.

  • In contrast to Macbeth, who claims "I think not of them", he is honest, characterising him as moral in order to amplify Macbeth's dishonesty and deception.
• "Royalty of nature."
A3S1


  • Banquo is depicted as having an exemplary balance of ambition and respectability.

  • "Royalty" connotes to power and status - it is recognised that Banquo has maintained his power as an ambitious stoic hero, whilst maintaining his status as a rational and intelligent being.
• "Restrain me in the cursed thoughts."
A2S1

  • Banquo understands the ludicrousness of plotting to kill the king based on unsubstantiated prophecies of supernatural beings

  • He wants to blockade any corruption by unnatural forces.

  • The adjective "cursed" suggests Banquo, unlike Macbeth, sees such thoughts of ambition as negative, corrupting and therefore unwelcome.

  • Antithesis to Lady Macbeth who voluntarily calls on the spirits and supernatural faces.
• "Look not like th'inhabitants o'th'earth."
A1S3

  • Banquo perceives their overt evil and dehumanises them in his description.

  • The witches' physiognomy (when appearances are believed to be reflective of your true character) exposes them as inhumane and evil.

  • Banquo is portrayed as perceptive, as it was believed he was an ancestor of James I, thus this is a form of indirect flattery.
• "He hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety." 
A1S3

  • "Wisdom" depicts Banquo's intelligence and cunning nature.

  • As envy is one of the seven deadly sins, a cardinal sin, Banquo is used by Shakespeare to explore the detrimental effects of envy and unchecked ambition - Macbeth is envious of Banquo's ability to restrain himself and to refrain from over-indulgence into "deep desires"
• "Instruments of darkness."


  • Displays that Banquo is sceptical about the witches' deception through their use of equivocation (ambiguous language) and recognises their manipulative intentions.

  • Motif "darkness" connotes to evil and the devil, reflecting the supernatural as sinful and criminal.

  • Noun "instrument" materialises the witches, portraying them as objects of mass destruction not to be reckoned with, suggests they are tools of the devil - shows Banquo as an insightful character.
• banquo “theres husbandry in heaven; candles are all out”
• banquo “ i dream’d of three weird sisters last night”
• banquo “royalty of nature”
• banquo “restrain me in cursed thoughts”
• banquo “look not like th’inhabitants o’th’earth”
• banquo “he hath wisdom that doth guide his valour to act in safety”
• banquo “instruments of darkness”