Banquo is an often misunderstood and forgotten character in

the play Macbeth. His fleeting appearances and premature murder at the
request of Macbeth, have led many to label him as a mere victim of the
ambition and cruelty of others. However, in reality he is not only a victim
of Macbeths state sanctioned terror but a victim of the witches and
ultimately his own implicit thirst for power.
Our initial impressions of Banquo is one of a man whos moral status is
clearly noble and virtuous. He shares with Macbeth the traits of bravery,
courage and loyalty. Banquos physical prowess on the battlefield is
acknowledged and celebrated among his peers and
superiors. Duncan refers to his captain as Noble Banquo and proclaims
that hast no less deserved the accolades which are bestowed upon
Macbeth. Banquo, a warrior so valiant is initially sceptical when he first
encounters the witches. He is intrigued, but not entranced by the witches
and is primarily concerned with their validity rather than their prophecies.
He scorns the creatures who are so withered and so wild in their attire
and who should be women but yet are warped messengers of evil.
Banquos psyche, while far from being transformed into that of a callous
murderer such as Macbeth, does undergo ever so subtle changes as he
listens to the witches poisonous promises. Recognising that his partners
rapt, Banquo urges the witches to speak to him as he does neither beg
nor fear their power. After hearing the witches claim that he will be
lesser than Macbeth and greater, Banquo questions himself whether he
had eaten on the insane root that takes the reason prisoner. Through his
simple curiosity and inquisitive nature, Banquo has at this early stage
allowed the three weird sisters to plant the seeds of ambition in his
mind. Despite the fact no major change in Banquo is visible at this stage,
the influence of the witches; a catalyst for evil, has entered his mind.
The first signs of legitimate change in Banquo occur as the witches
prophecy begins to come to fruition for his contemporary, Macbeth.
Seeing Macbeth being granted the title Thane of Cawdor, Banquo begins
to question can the devil speak true?. Despite his warning to Macbeth

that oftentimes to win us to our harm the instruments of darkness tell us

truths, Banquo himself is no longer a neutral sceptic. The allure of
possibly being able to beget kings, is taking its toll on Banquo. The
fantasy of lavish power, glory and ultimately selfish indulgence prove far
too tantalising to ignore.
The subtle, implicit alteration heightens as he ponders his future further.
While speaking to Macbeth a naive Banquo, unaware of his friends future
duplicity, confesses that a heavy summons lies like lead upon him. He
recalls how he dreamt last night about the three witches. This gives us,
as the audience an appreciation of the inner turmoil Banquo is suffering
from as he attempts to counterbalance his loyalty with his ambition. The
most blatant evidence of his inner struggle is where he admits that the
witches have shown some truth to Macbeth and dares to imagine
whether he shall be so lucky.
The malign influence of the witches and therefore moral decay through
ambiguity are complete in the aftermath of the vicious murder of Duncan.
Despite scolding Lady Macbeth for her self-absorbed reaction to the
murder, saying it would be too cruel anywhere, Banquo feels no real
remorse at the regicide. He may claim to be fully against treasonous
malice and having his bosom franchised but he allows the coup dtat
to occur right before his eyes. The ultimate betrayal of his former values
are saved for the coronation of Macbeth. He knows Macbeth playdst
most foully for the kingship. Yet, the promise that he should be the root
and father of many kings proves too much to resist. Rather than speak
the truth he merely resigns himself to ignore the facts that lie obviously
before him and simply hush himself. This cold and calculated strategy of
benign subservience shows how much the once carefree warrior has
become a power-hungry political tactician.
Unlike Macbeth, it can be argued that Banquo was corrupted first and
foremost by the witches. Macbeth used the witches as a means to
legitimise his craving for power. Conversely, Banquo was fooled and
deceived by the witches to create his own downfall. The skill
of Shakespeare as a writer shines through as his choice to Banquo a

lengthy period of little or no dialogue, symbolises the inner struggles that

occurring in Banquos mind. Banquos lack of cunning and savvy highlight
how originally he was once an exemplar art warrior. He fails to see the
paranoia of Macbeth who believes the witches have helped him place a
fruitless crown upon his head. Macbeth fears the prophecy given to
Banquo as it may mean that his descendants will directly usurp the throne
from him. His fears in Banquo stick deep and in turn leads to his
prearranged murder. Perhaps Banquo who hast no less deserved
acclaim and honour, deserved to be king rather than Macbeth?
In summation, it is evident that Banquo underwent rapid and wholesale
changes in personality due to the prophetic observations of the witches. In
a play where fair is foul and foul is fair, a good and virtuous nature
truly did recoil under an imperial charge. This is what happened to
Banquo, his clarity of mind and his virtue became clouded and obscured.
Courage and loyalty were replaced by silence and scheming.
Refer to The Ghost Of Banquo!