Preview

The Motivation Of The Character Banquo In Shakespeare's Macbeth

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
336 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Motivation Of The Character Banquo In Shakespeare's Macbeth
In the play Macbeth by William Shakespeare the character Banquo is primarily motivated by the witches prophecies because it is a temptation of power. In the middle of ACT 2 Macbeth and Banquo are talking. Both have thoughts in their heads about the prophecy. Macbeth is planning to kill King Duncan in less than an hour. While Banquo keeps his thoughts deeper in his mind. “I dreamt last night of the three Weïrd Sisters./ To you they have showed some truth.” (2.1.24-26) Banquo shows her he has in fact dreamt about the prophecies the witches told him. He, along with Macbeth, is tempted by the ideas of becoming even more powerful. He says so in the second line of my chosen quote. The shakespearean words are “To you they have some truth.” In modern

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    6. Compare Macbeth’s character with Banquo’s as revealed in their reaction to the witches. Macbeth seems a bit fearful of the prophecy at first. Banquo notices and asks him why he fears “Things that sound so fair” (1.3.55). After the initial reaction, Macbeth is very curious and wants the witches to tell him more. However, the witches vanish and Macbeth is left wishing they had stayed to explain more. This shows his greed for power. On the other hand, Banquo, although also excited, is a bit…

    • 2580 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Once the exposition is established by the witches’ famous dialogue, “Fair is foul, and foul is fair” (I. i. 10), the reversal moral order is introduced as the theme of the play. This incident precedes the introduction of the diverse belief of both Macbeth and Banquo concerning the witches. Although Macbeth questions the witches’ prophecies in the beginning, he still maintains a flicker of hope that the prophecies are true. Macbeth’s belief in the witches’ predictions reveals to the audience that Macbeth is a credulous character. It only takes favourable prophecies for him to become convinced. During the first encounter between the witches, Macbeth and Banquo, Macbeth displays his anticipation to understand completely the words of the women,…

    • 346 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banquo In Macbeth

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages

    B: How is your night going, boy? He was asking how the night was going.…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Even after the visions of Banquo he hires hitmen to kill Macduff and family but doesn't go well. Macduff does not die only his wife, Lady Macduff, and his son. This is because of good timing and he had already suspected Macbeth from killing the other people. He leaves his wife and son home…

    • 141 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banquo is shown to be loyal to Duncan, but clearly skeptical about his murder and Macbeth becoming the next king. Banquo is shown to be loyal by protecting Duncan. ” Too cruel anywhere. Dear Duff, I prithee, contradict thyself and say it is not so” (Macbeth 2.3.104-106).…

    • 227 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of this play Macbeth and his good friend Banquo come into contact with three witches. These witches tell the two of them there future. For Macbeth it was you're going to be a king and the king of all kings. As for Banquo it was as good for him but for his children it is very promising. He will be the father to a great line of kings. When Macbeth heard of this at first he wasn't going to do anything to force this fate he was just going to let it happen. Then he…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth Banquo Analysis

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the beginning Banquo is thinking well if the first thing the witches came true and made Macbeth king why can't his kids become king later. Then macbeth enters in the kings attire. Macbeth discusses his fear of the kids that left. Macbeth invites Banquo to the feast that night, and Banquo accepts his invitation. Banquo says he will make it, but he is going on a horse ride for the afternoon. Macbeth now is contemplating killing his best friend Banquo. The reason he worries is he doesn't want him or his family taking his power. He decides to hire the best assassins he knows to go kill Banquo will he is far away from the castle. They take off to get Banquo. They end up killing Banquo, then come back to the castle in the beginning of the dinner party. It is odd because Macbeth wants no one to know he was apart of the killing, but they pull him aside in the dinner party to talk about the killing. When he comes back to the dinner party he says where am I supposed to sit. They tell him right there there is a empty seat, and Macbeth sees Banquo’s ghost. They start thinking he is crazy. He then says it is weird Banquo is not here I invited him. Lady macbeth interrupts saying he has seen things he was a little kid, and not to ask questions that…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    how macbeth changes

    • 1226 Words
    • 4 Pages

    However, in act 1 scene 3, the prophecies of the “weird sisters” have a powerful effect on Macbeth, for Banquo asks him “why do you start and seem to fear”? This shows that he is having evil thoughts already, at the prospect of gaining more power.…

    • 1226 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the beginning of the play the witches told Macbeth that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and later on King of Scotland, before this knowledge Macbeth had no thoughts or intentions on becoming king, not even Thane of Cawdor, but these prophecies implanted the thought and ambition Intro his mind, thus leading to the murder of Duncan. In the beginning Macbeth was also told that Banquo's descendants shall become kings, Macbeth wanting none other than his blood to have the throne after him, murdering Duncan in hope that the prophecy would perish, and his blood would claim the throne after, thus the witches influencing the second great crime. Later on in the play after Macbeth’s second encounter with the weird sisters, he is told to beware of Macduff, he gets the family of Macduff murdered, therefore the witches influenced Macbeth into committing the third great crime. The witches influencing Macbeth into the three great crimes of the play, in essence leading Macbeth to his ultimate downfall. When Banquo and Macbeth encounter the three witches they speak, “All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be king hereafter! (1.3.03)”. In this passage from the play the witches are speaking the prophecies that they have predicted, conveying his future, and that his fate is to become king. When Banquo’s skeptically requests for his fate, the witches say "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater (1.3.68).” "Not so happy, yet much happier (1.3.69).” "Thou shall begets kings, thou be none (1.3.70). In the first quote the first witch speaks that Banquo will be lesser than Macbeth in royal ranks, but greater because he will be the father of future kings. The second quote is spoken by the second witch, and prophesizes the fact that…

    • 776 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth contradicts himself when he says that he did not think about the witches’ prophecies, only after Banquo had brought it up. Banquo is…

    • 635 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Throughout the play, the witches fill Macbeth’s head with half-truths, giving him false hope. At the start of the play Macbeth and Banquo stumble upon the witches and are given three prophecies: “All hail Macbeth, hail thee, Thane of Glamis. All hail Macbeth, hail thee Thane of Cawdor. All hail Macbeth, that shalt be king” (A1S3L46) before leaving the witches also mentioned to Banquo “Though shalt get kings, though thou be none.”(A1S3L65) The three prophecies that Macbeth received were confusing to him: he is already Thane of Glamis but is unaware of King Duncan’s plans to name him as Thane of Cawdor. Once that prophecy comes true he becomes convinced that the third one will too. However he is not certain if the third prophecy will be proven to be true whether he goes through with Duncan’s murder or not. Once Macbeth murders Duncan and is crowned king he believes in what the witches say and still has worries of their last prophecy about Banquo. Without a second thought he sends out murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance to secure his position as king. After this Macbeth becomes dependent on the witches and must know what the witches have to say about his future. Macbeth plans to see the witches so he will know what to do further on. Macbeth goes to see the…

    • 1201 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Banquo and Macbeth go see the witches for the first time, Banquo has the strength to not listen to them because he believes they want to “‘Win [them over] with honest trifles, [only to betray them] in deepest consequence”(Act 1 Scene 3).…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Macbeth New Honors

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages

    To begin with, Macbeth had many desires to become king of his country. Macbeth said “A prosperous gentleman; and to be king stands not within the prospect of belief” (I. 3. 73-74). Macbeth said again “Commencing in a truth? I am Thane of Cawdor” (I. 3. 133). This gave an indication to the audience that he does want to be king after all. His desire for power grows throughout the play from when he had his first encounter with the witches. Macbeth then said to Banquo “To be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus, our fears in Banquo stick deep” (III. 1. 48-49). After he has murdered King Duncan and become king himself, Macbeth has a soliloquy in which he reveals that being king isn't enough; he needs to feel safe in the position, and he has reasons to fear Banquo. “But let the frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, ere we will eat our meal in fear, and sleep…

    • 1343 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Despite the fact that both Banquo and Macbeth had heard the witches' eerie prophecies in Act 1 Scene 3, Banquo stayed serene, not believing in the prophecies, and let things flow naturally in life. “...oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win us with honest trifles, to betray’s / In deepest consequence.” (Act 1 Scene 3). This quote portrays how Banquo is aware of the decivious ways of the witches’ and their prophecies, and that he would not be easily fooled by them. On the other hand, Macbeth, overly fixated on the prophecies, is easily fooled by the prophecies, and takes action right away, causing everything to slowly break down, and eventually fall apart at the end, resulting in the downfall of Macbeth. They both started at the same point, but began to go in opposite directions. Banquo followed the better path, as Macbeth wandered into the dark side. Banquo’s calmness, in comparison, makes Macbeth seem even more urging and ambitious as well, wanting to become king right away by any means necessary; even if it meant murdering some of his dearest…

    • 1625 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Macbeth is, among other things, a study of the effects and dangers of ambition. Shakespeare offers several different examples of ambition through the major characters Banquo, Lady Macbeth and, most importantly Macbeth himself. Macbeth’s ambitions of becoming King of Scotland leads to the destruction of his wife, his country and himself. Lady Macbeth’s covetous thoughts of wanting her husband to be crowned King, lead her to disillusionment, unhappiness and an inability to sleep. The guilt eats away at her, leaving her to feel isolated by her husband and haunted by the memories. Banquo however, is a victim of his own ambitions. The witches’ prophesies…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays