Banquo

• Lord Banquo


  Represents Macbeth’s antithesis
• Introduction


  Banquo is a brave noble. At the beginning of the play, we learn from the Witches’ prophecy that his children will inherit the Scottish throne. Banquo is similar to Macbeth in that they both have ambitious thoughts, however Banquo demonstrates restraint as he doesn’t act upon these desires. Banquo represents the route that Macbeth chose not to take, where ambition doesn’t lead to betrayal and murder. Thus, it is Banquo’s ghost, rather than Duncan’s, that haunts Macbeth
• Symbolism


  Shakespeare uses the constructs of Macbeth and Banquo to show how men can react when shown temptation. Banquo is portrayed as Macbeth’s foil and is therefore symbolic of man’s ability to resist temptation
• Macbeth is "rapt withal" by the Witches' prophecies, while Banquo is indifferent and perceives their prophecies with scepticism
• Macbeth and Banquo's reactions to the witches' prophecies

  Highlight the differences in their characters
• Macbeth


  • Morally weak, innately flawed, and evil character who gives into temptation
• Banquo


  • Morally strong and virtuous character who resists evil, providing a contrast to Macbeth
• Shakespeare exposes both Banquo and Macbeth to temptation to allow the audience to view their contrasting responses and decide who is the morally righteous one
• Shakespeare portrays temptation as the crux of the play, emphasizing the importance of resisting temptation
• Banquo resists the temptations of evil offered by the Supernatural (Witches) throughout the play, showcasing his moral superiority
• Using subject terminology can greatly benefit AO2 for subject terminology
• Witches are seen as a symbol of temptation to sin


  Banquo, as a moral superior, is able to resist
• Banquo responds with "what, can the devil speak true": 'He views the Witches as agents of the devil'
• Banquo calls upon God for help in resisting temptation


  He is aligned with the Christian Church's values
• Banquo


  • Noble
  • Strategic
  • Resistive to evil
  • Aligned with Jesus
• Noble


  Demonstrates noble qualities, royal in nature, honourable, and virtuous
• Strategic


  Debatable response to the Witches' prophecy, carefully chosen and non-committal language
• Resistive to evil


  Banquo turns to God for help in resisting evil and doesn't act on his ambitions as he recognises they are a force of evil
• Aligned with Jesus


  Gives a moral message about rejecting evil thoughts and turning to God in times of temptation
• Banquo questions the Witches' supernatural nature


  Recognises them as untrustworthy
• Banquo views the Witches as agents of the devil


  Recognises them as a route of temptation to sin and is able to resist them
• Banquo is tempted by the Witches' prophecy


  Shows his ability to reject evil, making him a moral character
• Banquo is less able to resist ambition when he sleeps
• Speaker: '"I dream’d of the three weird sisters last night"'
• Banquo confesses to God and asks for help in remaining moral and virtuous
• Banquo's confession to God has Biblical connotations


  Similar to Jesus being tempted three times by the devil and resisting
• Shakespeare may be drawing parallels between Banquo and Jesus
• When analysing language techniques, refer explicitly to "Shakespeare" to show consideration of his methods directly
• Macbeth and Banquo


  Initially portrayed as having a strong and loyal friendship due to their years serving beside each other in battle. Banquo becomes skeptical of the Witches' prophecies, causing a division and setting up Banquo as Macbeth's foil. Macbeth instructs murderers to kill Banquo, and Banquo's ghost haunts Macbeth
• The Witches and Banquo


  The Witches create friction between Banquo and Macbeth by telling them that while Macbeth will become King, Banquo's children will also become kings, making Macbeth suspicious of Banquo
• Banquo and Fleance


  Banquo shows a protective and affectionate attitude towards his son, instructing him to flee when under attack from Macbeth. Fleance escapes and later returns to avenge his father and take the throne of Scotland with MacDuff's help
• Shakespeare: '"the earth hath bubbles" and questions "have we eaten on the insane root?"'
• Macbeth distances from Lady Macbeth after she disapproves of Banquo's murder, making her redundant. Lady Macbeth loses her reason to be evil and powerful, gives in to guilt, and goes insane. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth develop in reverse directions, with Macbeth becoming more like Lady Macbeth was and Lady Macbeth becoming more like Macbeth was. This reversal of gender roles marks the point where Macbeth cannot return to virtue
• Macbeth was a reluctant killer, tempted by Lady Macbeth and the witches. He felt regret and recognized the injustice of Duncan's death. Initially killing to speed up the prophecy, he now kills despite it, attempting to change it. Shakespeare uses the extended metaphor of wading through "blood" as symbolic of guilt to portray Macbeth's greed
• Banquo's ghost appears at a banquet held by Macbeth and his wife, visible only to Macbeth. This increases the chaotic state of Macbeth's thinking
• This quote demonstrates


  Banquo works to distance himself from the witches whilst Macbeth aligns himself with them
• The contemporary audience


  Would recognise the witches as a force of evil and thus favour Banquo
• A modern audience


  Would perhaps view the Witches as humorous, due to the lack of a belief in witches' existence
• Macbeth is shown to fear Banquo’s "royalty of nature"


  Banquo serves as a constant reflection of how Macbeth should have acted and a constant reminder of the morality Macbeth started with and is losing
• The two character’s contrasting responses to the prophecies could be explained as

  Macbeth allows the Witches to control him as he is aligned and connected to them, whereas Banquo could be less susceptible as the prophecies are not directly aimed at him, even though they concern his children