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Macbeth Essay: Banquo

Hello, I’ve never attempted a Banquo answer so here is my first response to his presentation in the play of ‘Macbeth’. I would appreciate a predicted grade and score alongside and any further feedback would be helpful and acknowledged - Thank You! :smile:

How is Banquo presented in the play Macbeth?

In Shakespeare’s didactic tragedy, Banquo is presented as the witches’ stimulation to corrupt Macbeth for his blasphemous involvement to imply to the contemporary audience what the consequential matters are attached when intervening with the supernatural nature.

Starting with the extract, Shakespeare conveys Banquo’s protagonist as a stimulation belonging to the witches themselves to corrupt Macbeth’s mortality for involvement with the supernatural. Banquo identifies Macbeth playing “most foully for it” (the role of a King) which he later follows on with the mimicking equivocation of the witches’ antagonists through the terms of “thee”. The use of mirroring ambiguous terminology exemplifies the witches’ insertion as this further links back to Shakespeare’s purpose of Banquo’s character being presented as the witches’ stimulation to corrupt Macbeth’s mortality even further. This would have agitated the current Jacobean audience through the mimic of equivocation as witchcraft was one of the most blasphemous crimes committed in the contemporary era and was forbidden against King James himself as he banned the use of it. This gives the audience a predicament of Banquo’s fate as they are expecting his downfall to be fatal. The use of equivocated connection through Banquo and “the three hags” are evidently exposed through the repetition of “foul” as Banquo identifies Macbeth playing “most foully for it”. This supernatural element crafts this link between these characters which shows Shakespeare’s construction of Banquo being the witches’ metaphorical stimulation to corrupt Macbeth’s mortality for his sinful crimes. The reference of a game through this supernatural nature can confirm this purpose of Shakespeare’s and that Banquo is almost stimulated as to play with Macbeth’s mortality to implicitly degenerate his ambitious goals. This would have left society to almost threat Banquo as a character as he is personified literally as a honourable man to his king and now he is presented as the witches’ gambler almost. It could be interpreted that Banquo himself could have intervened with the supernatural and as a consequence lays in the witches’ court for his mortality to be spelled upon.

Another way Shakespeare constructs Banquo’s character as the witches’ stimulation to further corrupt Macbeth’s mortality for his interference with supernatural, through the prophesies exemplified through the witches themselves towards Banquo and Macbeth simultaneously. Macbeth is implied to “be king hereafter” whilst Banquo is yet prophesied that he “shalt get kings, though thou be none”. The use of predicaments tend with Macbeth’s mortality which leaves him to feel envy over the witches’ prophesied events. This highlights the aim of Shakespeare’s purpose as the witches emphasises much more intensional ones to Banquo compared to Macbeth to persuade and play with Macbeth’s mortal state so that he eventually flips and corrupts his mortality. The witches stimulating Banquo’s character helps them to also corrupt Macbeth’s protagonist further on in the play as in the Jacobean era - men were implicated to be this “valiant” warrior on the battlefields and do not inflict upon others whilst Macbeth is implied to act as a foil to the contemporary era’s ruling and appearance. This would have made society to have feared the theory of Lombross’s due to the fact that Shakespeare’s replication of façade through his play indicates this. The witches’ insertion within Banquo enables them as characters to further develop their almost ‘trial’ of corruption throughout others around the stimulated Banquo: Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, Macduff. This would have also agitated the Jacobean’s due to this indication of if interfering with the supernatural doesn’t just put consequences on your individual plate, but also on others around you. The who play acts as this stimulation of trialing against the Supernatural and the witches themselves which is why Shakespeare’s construction through the “noble” Banquo is important to show that even his appearance of a loyal character suffer to.

Additionally, Banquo’s presentation implicates the witches stimulation to corrupt Macbeth for his further actions occurrences in the didactic tragedy. Shakespeare aims to warn the attendants of the consequences attached when connecting to the Supernatural. After the prophesied scene, Banquo and Macbeth are later discussing their witnessed ‘humour’ which could be based upon gender stereotypes of women having more capabilities of cleverness compared to a man. Banquo aims to catch Macbeth’s attention to warn him about these three witches. He picks up on the idea of these witches could “win us to our harm” which inflicts the fact that Banquo is metaphorically playing with Macbeth’s mortality to corrupt his mental state. This further elaborates the stimulation controlled by the “hags” themselves and how they trigger Macbeth’s inner-mortality to explode into a cravenness disease to claim what he rightfully “desires”. The use of explicit juxtaposition justifies how Banquo’s character evokes his speech similarly as the witches present such as “fair is foul, foul is fair”. Banquo highlights how “the instruments of darkness tell us truths” which also mimics the controversial characters themselves over Banquo’s possession to degenerate Macbeth’s mortality. The use of the euphemism of “instrument” implies this leadership through the witches to again refer to Shakespeare’s purpose of themselves hypnotising Banquo by playing this “instrument” in his head to put him in this metaphoric stimulation to carry out these “deep and dark” crimes the witches dictate. Shakespeare’s crafts this repetition of “truths” to almost manipulate Macbeth’s mortality to corrupt its state by referring to this “truth” throughout the tragic play: “Can the devil speak true?” The importation of rhetorical question further examines Banquo’s character as an bewildered state due to the implicit stimulation he is under by the witches as his reference of this “truth” can become symbolic to the witches” play towards Macbeth through Banquo to corrupt his mortal being; act of consequence for interest towards supernatural. This would have led the current audience to feel sympathy for Banquo due to the fact that Banquo may have just been fed l these “bloody instructions” by the witches to use his being to torture Macbeth and others he truly cares for; or it is seemed so.

Elaborate even further - Shakespeare conveys Banquo as the witches’ stimulation to corrupt Macbeth’s mortality for his misdeeds he has committed: interference within the supernatural. During the “banquet”, Macbeth starts to hallucinate “THE GHOST OF BANQUO” sat in his seat. Banquo is shown to “shake thy glory locks” towards Macbeth to symbolise this guilt of Macbeth’s to corrupt his mortality even further. The fact that Macbeth hallucinates this graphic event expands the witches creation and how they are stimulating Banquo explicitly and also implicitly. The supernatural element expressed through the term “ghost” links to this immortal world where sounds are to fly bewildered. This connection through this can be foreboding to Macbeth’s fatal ending where he is left slaughtered by Macduff in the resolution. “the glory locks” Banquo is implied through Macbeth to “proceed” symbolises this mimicked graphic scene of Banquo’s slaughter - reminding Macbeth of his blasphemous murder he has committed. This links back to the constructing of theme: guilt. How Banquo’s stimulation of a “ghost” is controlled by the witches to punish him for his interest within the supernatural. These “locks” described through his character can become this microcosm of Banquo’s suffering character within - stimulating his mortality yet his moral judgement of a character is being persuaded to accept the control of the witches’ insertion in his character. These “locks” has imprisoned imagery of Banquo becoming this prisoner of the witches and how he needs to obey by their metaphoric stimulation of his character. As his ghost “vanishes”, this mimics the witches’ insertion further which would have agitated the Jacobean audience even more because of the way Banquo’s “ghost” disappears could symbolise the consequences of intervene if the supernatural: isolation and potential execution.

Inconclusively, Shakespeare presents Banquo’s character as a stimulation of the witches insertion to corrupt Macbeth’s mortality for his actions of inferences with the supernatural element. The aim, Shakespeare targets this didactic message to tell the Jacobean audience the consequences that are in line when intervening with the supernatural itself.