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Macbeth and Banquo Meeting the Three Witches by John Wootton. Many scholars see Banquo as a foil and a contrast to Macbeth. Macbeth, for example, eagerly accepts the Three Witches' prophecy as true and seeks to help it along. Banquo, on the other hand, doubts the prophecies and the intentions of these seemingly evil creatures.
In Act 1, Macbeth and Banquo meet the Three Witches who foretell that Macbeth will be king and that Banquo "shalt get kings, though thou be none". [6] Fleance also briefly appears in the first scene of Act 2, when his father tells him of "cursed thoughts that nature / Gives way to in repose!".
The tension that exists between Fleance, Banquo's son, and Macbeth would be made stronger by the existence of a child of Macbeth, should he be portrayed as having one—whether his own natural son, or adopted. As Lady Macbeth says "I have given suck, and know / How tender 'tis to love the babe that milks me". [3]
The killings of Banquo and Fleance were important to Macbeth and, while the banquet that night was scheduled to start at 7pm, Macbeth did not appear until midnight. Paton believes the Third Murderer extinguished a light to avoid recognition, and later, Macbeth tells Banquo's ghost something that sounds like "In yon black struggle you could ...
Fearing that Banquo will seize the kingdom, Macbeth invites him to a supper where he intends to kill him and his son. He succeeds in killing Banquo, but his son, Fleance, flees to Wales. Macbeth, convinced by the witches of his invincibility, commits outrageous acts against his subjects, gradually becoming a cruel and paranoid ruler.
Despite his success, Macbeth remains uneasy about Banquo's role in the prophecy. Inviting Banquo to a royal banquet, Macbeth discovers that Banquo and his young son Fleance will be riding out that night. Macbeth rapidly arranges to have Banquo and Fleance killed, hiring two men and later adding a third murderer to the plan. During the ambush ...
Macbeth and Banquo encounter the witches. Illustration from Holinshed's Chronicles (1577). Macbeth's life, like that of King Duncan I, had progressed far towards legend by the end of the 14th century, when John of Fordun and Andrew of Wyntoun wrote their histories. Hector Boece, Walter Bower, and George Buchanan all contributed to the legend.
There are also references to the crucifixion, staged with copious amounts of stage blood in medieval Passion Plays, in Macbeth. A war-weary Captain gives an account of the bravery of Macbeth and Banquo during a battle referring to 'another Golgotha': If I say sooth, I must report they were