Banquo & Deception
Why Banquo Must Die
Having seized the throne, Macbeth finds that power brings no peace. His thoughts turn immediately to the witches’ prophecy about Banquo: that Banquo’s descendants, not Macbeth’s, will be future kings. In Act 3, Scene 1, Macbeth delivers a soliloquy in which he describes his fear of Banquo: “There is none but he / Whose being I do fear.”
Macbeth acknowledges Banquo’s “royalty of nature” and “dauntless temper of his mind” — qualities that make him both admirable and dangerous. Shakespeare shows that Macbeth recognises virtue in Banquo precisely because he has lost it in himself. The contrast between the two men, established in Act 1 as a foil, now becomes a matter of life and death.
Macbeth fears Banquo not because Banquo suspects him, but because the witches prophesied that Banquo’s children would be kings. Macbeth has murdered Duncan to gain a “fruitless crown” — a throne with no dynasty to inherit it. He has committed regicide for nothing.
The “Fruitless Crown” Soliloquy
Macbeth’s soliloquy in Act 3, Scene 1 is a turning point. He complains that the witches have placed a “fruitless crown” upon his head and a “barren sceptre” in his grip. The natural imagery of fruitlessness and barrenness contrasts with the organic growth imagery Duncan used earlier (“I have begun to plant thee”). Duncan’s Scotland grew naturally; Macbeth’s is sterile.
This soliloquy also marks a critical shift in Macbeth’s character. He no longer agonises over the morality of murder. Instead, he arranges Banquo’s assassination coolly, hiring murderers rather than acting himself. Lady Macbeth is not consulted. Macbeth has moved from reluctant murderer to calculating tyrant.
In a scene that mirrors Lady Macbeth’s earlier manipulation of him, Macbeth persuades two murderers to kill Banquo by questioning their manhood: “Do you find / Your patience so predominant in your nature / That you can let this go?” He uses the same tactics Lady Macbeth used on him — questioning courage, invoking masculine pride.
This echo is important. Macbeth has learned manipulation from Lady Macbeth and now applies it independently. He has internalised the toxic equation of masculinity with violence. Shakespeare shows how evil propagates: the manipulation Lady Macbeth used to push Macbeth is now being used by Macbeth on others.
The Banquet Scene (Act 3, Scene 4)
The banquet scene is one of the most dramatically powerful moments in the play. Macbeth has arranged a feast to celebrate his kingship and consolidate power. When the murderer reports that Banquo is dead but his son Fleance has escaped, Macbeth’s composure begins to crack. Then Banquo’s ghost appears and sits in Macbeth’s chair.
Only Macbeth can see the ghost. He reacts with terror: “Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake / Thy gory locks at me.” His outburst bewilders the assembled lords and threatens to expose his guilt. Lady Macbeth attempts damage control, telling the guests that Macbeth suffers from a childhood condition: “The fit is momentary.”
Banquo’s ghost sits in Macbeth’s chair — symbolically occupying the throne that Macbeth has stolen. The ghost represents both Macbeth’s guilt and the prophecy that Banquo’s line, not Macbeth’s, will inherit the crown. Only Macbeth can see it, which isolates him from everyone else on stage.
As with the floating dagger, Shakespeare leaves the nature of the ghost deliberately ambiguous. A Jacobean audience would likely have accepted the ghost as real — spirits and apparitions were widely believed in. A modern audience might interpret it as a projection of Macbeth’s guilt.
Either interpretation works in the exam. The key point is that the ghost represents Macbeth’s inability to escape the consequences of his crimes. Whether it is a supernatural punishment or a psychological breakdown, the effect is the same: Macbeth’s guilt is destroying his ability to function as king.
The Collapse of Deception
The banquet scene represents the moment when Macbeth’s carefully maintained deception begins to collapse. Until this point, he has successfully performed the role of innocent king. The ghost’s appearance shatters that performance. His terrified outbursts — “Avaunt! and quit my sight!” — alarm the thanes, and Lady Macbeth is forced to end the banquet abruptly.
After this scene, Macbeth increasingly abandons pretence. He tells Lady Macbeth: “I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” This metaphor of wading through a river of blood shows that Macbeth has passed the point of no return. He can no longer go back to innocence; he can only press forward into more violence.
“There is none but he / Whose being I do fear” (Act 3, Scene 1) — Macbeth identifies Banquo as his only threat.
“Upon my head they placed a fruitless crown / And put a barren sceptre in my gripe” (Act 3, Scene 1) — Macbeth realises his dynasty will die with him.
“Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake thy gory locks at me” (Act 3, Scene 4) — Macbeth’s terrified address to Banquo’s ghost.
“I am in blood / Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, / Returning were as tedious as go o’er” (Act 3, Scene 4) — Macbeth is past the point of no return.