Banquo
Banquo serves as Macbeth's moral mirror. Both soldiers hear the Witches' prophecy, but where Macbeth acts on it, Banquo restrains himself, warning that 'the instruments of darkness tell us truths / Win us with honest trifles, to betray's / In deepest consequence.' His murder in Act 3 — ordered by Macbeth to prevent the prophecy of Banquo's royal descendants — transforms him from a living foil into a haunting symbol of Macbeth's guilt. Historically, Banquo was believed to be an ancestor of James I, which shaped Shakespeare's sympathetic portrayal.
Key Themes
Banquo receives the same supernatural prophecy as Macbeth but chooses not to act on it, proving that the Witches do not compel action and that moral choice remains available.
He embodies feudal loyalty and honour as a soldier who fights alongside Macbeth yet refuses to pursue power through treachery, serving as the play's benchmark for noble conduct.
As a Ghost, Banquo becomes the physical manifestation of Macbeth's guilt — his silent presence at the banquet shatters the tyrant's composure and publicly exposes his fractured conscience.
Banquo is not immune to ambition — he dreams of the Witches and silently notes Macbeth 'played'st most foully' — but he restrains himself, making him ambition's foil rather than its victim.
His Ghost's appearance at the banquet is the play's most dramatic supernatural intrusion, raising questions about whether it represents genuine haunting, divine justice, or Macbeth's psychological collapse.
Character Arc
Fights alongside Macbeth and hears the same prophecy. Unlike Macbeth, he is cautious and sceptical, recognising that evil may use truth as bait. He represents the road Macbeth could have taken.
After Duncan's murder, Banquo privately suspects Macbeth: 'Thou played'st most foully for't.' Yet he does not act on this suspicion — possibly because the prophecy promised the throne to his own descendants. This moral ambiguity makes him human rather than saintly.
Murdered by Macbeth's hired killers, but his son Fleance escapes — ensuring the prophecy of Banquo's royal line survives. His Ghost appears at the banquet, visible only to Macbeth, serving as an externalisation of guilt that publicly exposes the tyrant's fractured mind.
Key Quotes
“The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray's / In deepest consequence.”
Act 1, Scene 3
Banquo recognises the Witches' strategy: they use small truths to build trust before the ultimate betrayal. This perceptive warning encapsulates the play's theme of equivocation and proves Banquo's moral clarity — he understands the danger that Macbeth ignores.
Theme Links
Banquo identifies the Witches as 'instruments of darkness' — agents of the devil who use truth as bait — demonstrating the theological awareness that Macbeth fatally lacks.
By recognising the Witches' method of temptation, Banquo exercises the rational free will that could resist fate's pull — the very faculty Macbeth surrenders.
His warning to Macbeth reflects the honour of a true friend and loyal subject — he tries to steer Macbeth away from danger, placing moral duty above personal gain.
“Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / Thou played'st most foully for't.”
Act 3, Scene 1
The list structure ('King, Cawdor, Glamis, all') mirrors the Witches' original prophecy, showing Banquo has been watching and thinking. 'Played'st most foully' is a direct accusation, yet Banquo does not act — a silence that some critics read as complicity through inaction.
Theme Links
Banquo's suspicion creates a moral dilemma: he suspects murder but does not speak, raising the question of whether silence in the face of evil constitutes a form of guilt.
His inaction may be partly motivated by self-interest — if Macbeth's prophecy came true, perhaps Banquo's will too, giving him reason to stay silent rather than challenge the new king.
The list structure echoing the prophecy shows fate apparently fulfilled, yet Banquo's word 'played'st' insists Macbeth acted by choice — the tension between destiny and agency remains unresolved.
Key Relationships
Their parallel experiences with the prophecy create a moral experiment: same stimulus, opposite responses. Macbeth's decision to murder Banquo is motivated by both fear (the prophecy) and envy (Banquo's integrity), revealing how far he has fallen.
Fleance's escape ensures Banquo's line continues, fulfilling the prophecy and symbolising that Macbeth's tyranny cannot erase the future. For James I's audience, Fleance represented the origin of the Stuart dynasty — making Banquo's virtue politically significant.
Writer’s Methods
Shakespeare uses Banquo as a dramatic foil to isolate Macbeth's moral choices. The Ghost scene (Act 3, Scene 4) is a masterpiece of stagecraft: Banquo's silent presence — visible to Macbeth but not the court — forces the audience to see through the tyrant's public mask. Historically, Shakespeare softened Banquo from Holinshed's Chronicles (where he was Macbeth's accomplice) to flatter James I, who claimed descent from him.
Grade 7+ Point
WOWThe Ghost can be staged two ways — as a physical presence or as an empty chair only Macbeth reacts to. Each choice carries interpretive weight: a visible Ghost suggests supernatural justice; an invisible one suggests Macbeth's guilt is entirely internal, making his destruction self-inflicted rather than divinely imposed. This staging ambiguity mirrors the play's larger refusal to resolve the fate vs free will question.
Key Vocabulary
A character who contrasts with another to highlight their qualities
A character who represents ethical behaviour against which others are measured
When the audience knows something characters on stage do not
Involvement in or knowledge of wrongdoing without acting to prevent it
Exam Tip
AODon't treat Banquo as simply 'good' — note his silence after Duncan's murder and his possible self-interest in the prophecy. Examiners reward nuanced readings that acknowledge complexity rather than presenting characters as purely virtuous or purely evil.