Banquo as Macbeth's Noble Foil

Let's jump straight into Act 1, Scene 3. The Witches have just hailed Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor, and King hereafter. Macbeth is stunned. He's physically reeling. But Banquo? Banquo keeps his head. He actually challenges them, doesn't he? He says, "If you can look into the seeds of time, / And say which grain will grow and which will not, / Speak then to me." He wants to know his future, too. Exactly. He's not immune to curiosity. He even admits he neither begs nor fears their favours. And what do they tell him? "Lesser than Macbeth, and greater. Not so happy, yet much happier. Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none." Yes! The ultimate riddle. Banquo will father a line of kings, even though he won't wear the crown himself. Now, a few moments later, Ross arrives and announces that the King has just made Macbeth Thane of Cawdor. The Witches' first prophecy has come true. The penny drops. For Macbeth, this is the starting gun for murder. But Banquo's reaction is arguably the most important piece of moral philosophy in the whole play. Leo, what does he say about the "instruments of darkness"? Right, he warns Macbeth. He says, "And 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." "To betray's in deepest consequence." It gives me chills. Banquo recognises the trap. He understands that evil doesn't always show up with horns and a pitchfork; sometimes it shows up telling you exactly what you want to hear. It feeds you a small truth - an "honest trifle" - so you'll swallow the massive, soul-destroying lie. So, wait. Banquo gets a prophecy that his kids will be kings. That's a pretty massive promise. Why doesn't he get ambitious? Why isn't he plotting to murder Duncan too? That is the golden question for any A-level essay. And the answer is: he does feel the temptation. Shakespeare doesn't make Banquo a boring, flawless saint. He makes him human. Banquo has the exact same dark, ambitious thoughts as Macbeth. The difference is what he does with them.

Let's move to Act 2, Scene 1. It's the middle of the night. King Duncan is asleep in Macbeth's castle. The air is thick. The stars are hidden. Banquo is walking with his son, Fleance. This is just before Macbeth murders the King, right? Banquo says he can't sleep. "A heavy summons lies like lead upon me, / And yet I would not sleep." Yes. And why won't he sleep? Because of his dreams. He prays to the "merciful powers" to restrain in him "the cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way to in repose." Oh, I get it. The Witches got into his head too. He's dreaming about his descendants becoming kings. He's dreaming about the crown. Precisely. In the dark, his subconscious is playing out the same violent, ambitious fantasies that are currently driving Macbeth towards Duncan's bedroom. But Banquo actively fights it. He prays for strength. Macbeth gives into the cursed thoughts; Banquo begs the heavens to help him resist them. Out of the dark steps Macbeth. Banquo actually draws his sword first - his nerves are shot. Macbeth tries to test the waters. He essentially says to Banquo: 'If you stick with me when the time comes, there'll be something in it for you.' A blatant bribe. A massive bribe. "Cleave to my consent," Macbeth says. And Banquo's reply is his defining moment. He says he'll do it, but only if he can keep his "bosom franchised and allegiance clear". Basically saying, 'I'll support you, as long as I don't have to do anything dishonourable or commit treason.' Exactly. He draws a hard moral line in the sand. He chooses honour over advancement. And in that exact moment, Macbeth realises two things. One: Banquo is a truly good man. Two: Banquo is going to be a massive problem.

We're into Act 3. Macbeth is King. The deed is done. Duncan is dead. But the crown is heavy, and Macbeth is terrified. But I've always wondered about this. Act 3 starts with Banquo's soliloquy. "Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all... and I fear, thou play'dst most foully for't." Banquo knows. He strongly suspects Macbeth murdered the King. So why doesn't he say anything? Why doesn't he run? It's a brilliant point, Leo, and it's the main criticism of Banquo. Does his silence make him complicit? Why does he stick around? Is it fatalism? Does he think, 'Well, the Witches were right about Macbeth, so I'll just wait for them to be right about my kids'? Or is it political survival? If he accuses the new King without proof, he's dead. But he ends up dead anyway. He does. Because Macbeth cannot stomach Banquo's goodness. Macbeth has a soliloquy where he says, "Our fears in Banquo stick deep, / And in his royalty of nature reigns that / Which would be fear'd." Macbeth isn't just scared of Banquo discovering the truth. He feels morally inferior to him. Banquo's sheer decency is a constant, nagging reminder of the monster Macbeth has become. And there's the prophecy. Macbeth realises he's ruined his own soul, murdered his way to the throne, just to hand the crown over to Banquo's kids eventually. "Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown." He's done the dirty work, and Banquo's line gets the ultimate reward. So, Macbeth hires assassins. Banquo and Fleance are ambushed on the road to the castle. It's chaotic. It's dark. They strike the torch out. Banquo is stabbed. But even as he's dying, his only thought is for his son. "O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!" His final act is selfless. Fleance escapes into the night, keeping the Witches' prophecy alive. Banquo dies, but his bloodline survives.

You'd think death would be the end of Banquo's role. But Shakespeare has one more trick. Act 3, Scene 4. The banquet scene. Macbeth is hosting the Scottish lords, trying to look like a legitimate, stable monarch. And then the ghost turns up. But not just any ghost. The stage directions usually call for Banquo to be covered in blood. The assassins told Macbeth they left him with "twenty trenched gashes on his head". And this gory, silent apparition walks right in and sits... where, Leo? In Macbeth's chair. Yes. He sits in the King's chair. It's a brilliant visual metaphor. Macbeth has the title, but Banquo holds the true royal authority. Macbeth completely loses his mind. He screams at the ghost, "Thou canst not say I did it: never shake / Thy gory locks at me." Is the ghost real, or is it just Macbeth's guilty conscience? That's the beauty of it - it works as both. Psychologically, Banquo is the manifestation of Macbeth's ruined morality. Every time Macbeth tries to enjoy his power, the memory of his noble, murdered friend rises up to destroy his peace. I read somewhere that Shakespeare actually changed the history to make Banquo look better. Is that true? Ah, the context! Yes. This is absolute gold for your exams. Shakespeare wrote Macbeth around 1606, shortly after King James I took the English throne. James I was Scottish, and he claimed to be directly descended from the real, historical Banquo. So Shakespeare couldn't exactly write a play where the King's ancestor was a murdering traitor. Exactly! In Shakespeare's historical source material - Holinshed's Chronicles - Banquo actually helps Macbeth assassinate the King. But Shakespeare completely rewrites him. He scrubs Banquo clean. He makes him the noble, loyal foil, entirely to flatter King James. When the Witches show Macbeth a vision of eight future kings, culminating in Banquo holding a mirror, that was Shakespeare directly nodding to James I sitting in the audience, confirming his divine right to rule.

So, where does that leave us? Banquo is so much more than just the guy who gets murdered in Act 3. He's the proof that Macbeth had a choice. Exactly that. If Banquo didn't exist, we could argue that the Witches' prophecies were inescapable - that fate simply forced Macbeth to kill. But Banquo hears the same words, faces the same temptations, and says 'no'. He chooses his "allegiance clear" over a bloody crown. Next time you read the play, keep your eye on Banquo. He is the quiet conscience of the Scottish heath, and his bloody ghost is the true turning point of Macbeth's sanity. Thanks for listening. I'm Clara, your Director of Studies. Keep questioning the text, and we'll see you next time.