Old Piece of Writing

Austin Kosater

British Literature

Mrs. Kitchings

18 February 2009

Banquo: A Noble Thane

            Winston Churchill once said of the nuclear weapon, “With great power, comes great responsibility.” The idea that leaders should wield their power with caution rescinds to the time of the Magna Carta, the first instance of peasants acknowledging that power can corrupt. This theme is prevalent in William Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, and perhaps the most obvious example is Macbeth’s killing of the loyal thane, Banquo. Throughout the play, Banquo shows his continued loyalty to the Scottish throne, yet Macbeth knows Banquo’s posterity will inherit the throne after he dies. In order to retain his power as king, he allows his power to corrupt him and he murders Banquo and attempts to murder Banquo’s son, Fleance. Shakespeare reverses Macbeths noble and honorable character into a power hungry, foul tyrant; however, Banquo remains innocent and fair throughout the play. His constant noble qualities allow his killing to become a move obvious example of Macbeth’s corruption. Shakespeare employs Banquo’s loyalty, his role as foil, and his ambitious nature to exemplify the theme that power corrupts.

            At the beginning of the play, Banquo is portrayed as a thane devoutly loyal to the crown and country. He is described and named alongside Macbeth, thus suggesting that, at this point in the story, they are on equal ground. The wounded captain describes both Banquo and Macbeth as, “sparrows eagles, or the hare the lion.” (1.2 35) His patriotism is shown throughout the story, but perhaps no more than in Act III when he confronts the newly crowned Macbeth, “Let your highness command upon me; to the which my duties are with a most indissoluble tie forever knit.” (3.1 15-18) In this scene, he is undeniably suspicious of Macbeth, yet Banquo is still deeply loyal to him because he wears the Scottish crown. His loyalty overrides his ambition in Act II, Scene one, when he asks Fleance to take his sword and dagger. Henneberger, a literary scholar, suggests that Banquo’s surrender of his sword and dagger are to prevent him from succumbing to his murderous temptations. (Henneberger 18) However, she also states that Banquo “ is distinctly aver (sic) that he will have no part in plans, present or future, which would compromise his sense of steadfast loyalty to the King.” (21) Though Banquo would never do anything to mar his steadfast nature to the crown, he is also fiercely loyal to his family, namely Fleance, his son. When Macbeth and Banquo consult the weird sisters, it is prophesied that Banquo “shalt get kings thou thou be none.” (1.3 67) His children will become royalty, even if he will never sit upon Scotland’s throne. Gene Fendt, an English professor at The University of Nebraska, states that “ he revolts not merely from thinking further on it (regicide), but from any reduction of duty to the new king.” (Fendt 205) Perhaps the most obvious example the bard gives the reader of Banquo’s familial fidelity are his final lines. As he is being murdered he cries, “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge. O slave!” (3.3 17-18) He remains fair and faithful in his final words, not only proving his loyalty to his son, but also his want for his son to prosper and become king. Even though Banquo is staunchly loyal to both his king and his family, it is this blind devotion that ultimately causes his death. Shakespeare uses him as a lamb, led to slaughter by his trust in others’ intentions. Fendt points out that, even though his head is suspicious of Macbeth, Banquo’s heart forces him to remain in Macbeth’s court. (Fendt 205) He suggests that this is similar to Psalm 23: “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (English Standard) Banquo is fearless and comfortable because he has the king’s favor; therefore, no one could plausibly harm him, except the king. Unfortunately for Banquo, Macbeth is corrupted by his power and does exactly that. Even though Banquo is a devoted thane, he is murdered by a paranoid king, proving that one’s greatest quality can also be one’s greatest flaw.

            Banquo is a loyal subject and a fair person who wants the kingdom to thrive, and yet he is killed by Macbeth, a foul, narcissistic tyrant. These seemingly opposite characters are used by the bard to highlight each other’s subtle characteristics. Banquo’s early role as foil is evident in Act One, when he and Macbeth defeat the rebel Macdonwald. Though their levels of bravery are equal, their motives for service are quite different. Macbeth is driven, at least partly, by desire to advance; on the other hand, Banquo is driven by a genuine love for his country. While Macbeth is plotting his ascent to the Scottish throne, Banquo is thankful for all he is given, and states his motives clearly in Act I when he says, “ There is I grow, the harvest is your own”(1.4 33-34).  Banquo is praising the king for giving him the opportunity to succeed. According to a critic at Swansea College, “… we may notice the images of time and growth so frequently used by Banquo, which indicate his acceptance of God’s  order and contrast Macbeth’s attempt to control time for his own purposes” (Banquo). It is evident that Macbeth’s and Banquo’s paths through life are similar by design, yet their reactions are quite different. Banquo is with Macbeth when they encounter the weird sisters for the first time, and Banquo is the only soul who hears Macbeth’s prophecy, other than Macbeth. Macbeth regards the witches as another chance to hasten his rise to Scotland’s throne, Banquo sees the encounter in a much different light. He regards them “much as one would address a fortune teller at a carnival booth“ (Heneberger 19) , but asks them, “If you can look into the seeds of time and say which grain will grow and which will not, speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear your favors nor your hate” (1.3 58-61).  He does not seek advancement from their prophecies, yet he approaches them with an heir of caution. He adds that the devil tries to “win us with honest trifles to betray’s in deepest consequence” (1.3 124-125). His cautious nature lends a foil to Macbeth’s “egotistic assumption of ‘supernatural soliciting’” (Banquo).  Banquo’s role as foil extends to his most basic characteristic, loyalty. On the most basic levels, he is vastly more loyal to the crown than Macbeth; however, it is Macbeth who assumes the throne after murdering Duncan. According to Henneberger, it is “very possible in this connection for Macbeth to make proposals not consonant with Banquo’s sense of honor” (20).  Shakespeare specifically turns Macbeth into a self- centered tyrant to prove that power has the distinct ability to corrupt a fair heart, and Banquo’s exclusive role as foil helps to highlight this metamorphosis.

            Other than his loyalty and his role as a foil, Shakespeare uses Banquo’s natural ambitions in order to show that power corrupts. Banquo’s ambitions are not for himself but his offspring; therefore,  his character is not corrupted be mere prospect of power. The growth of his ego is stunted early in the story when the weird sisters predict that  he will “get kings, though thou be none” (1.3 67). In Act II, Macbeth and Banquo are conversing in the hallway, when Macbeth asks of Banquo, “If you shall cleave to me consent, when tis Is shall make honor for you” (2.3 25-26).  Banquo’s ambitious side is stirred; however, his honor and loyalty interfere and he replies, “So I lose none In seeking to augment  it, but still keep My bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counseled” (2.3 27-30).  Banquo’s loyalty gets in the way of his naturally ambitious nature, scholars at Swansea College suggest that his refusal to become corrupted by Macbeth’s futile ploy is because he “will be involved in no dirty work for worldly gain” (Banquo).  Because he is cautious of the witches, Banquo believes his son, Fleance, will become the Scottish king one day. Banquo realizes that he has no reason to become overcome by ambition or greed, because his glory will be lived through Fleance. Banquo’s ambition pulls strongly at him, and his mind is fixated on the witches prophecy for his children. He rejects these temptations and remains fair throughout the play, but he does mention his children’s future once more at the beginning of Act III when he says of Macbeth’s kingdom, “It should not stand in thy posterity But that  myself should be the root and gather of many kings.” (3.1 4-5), but he quickly dashes out these thoughts. Andrew Bradley, a Shakespearian scholar, interjects that Banquo’s ambitions are far different than Macbeth’s because Banquo has, “no lurking guilt in his ambition” (Bradley).  Bradley also notes that, even in his final hour, Banquo is far more honorable than Macbeth, partly because his conscience will neither allow him to follow his evil ambitions, nor betray the crowns trust. Banquo’s ambitious nature could have altered the plot of the play drastically; however, because they were not pared with an over inflated ego, or a lack of loyalty, his dark ambitions were stifled and confined to the inner depths of Banquo’s mind.