Banquo

Family: Scotland · Role: captain · First appears: Macbeth · Act I, Scene II

In Act I, Scene II, Banquo is allied with Macbeth, and in Scene III he is called cousin by Ross, Angus, and Macbeth. When the Weird Sisters prophesy Macbeth’s kingship and Banquo’s future royal descendants, Banquo addresses Macbeth as “My noble partner” and asks what the future holds without seeking either favour or hate. Their friendship continues in that scene, and in Act II, Scene I Banquo answers Macbeth’s appeal for support by promising to keep his allegiance clear.

By Act III, Scene I, Macbeth calls Banquo his enemy and commissions his murder along with that of Banquo’s son, Fleance, whose absence he considers as important as his father’s. Macbeth then conceals the planned deed from Lady Macbeth, arranging for it to happen before the night has passed.

That night, Banquo is ambushed while with Fleance. He cries, “O, treachery! Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou mayst revenge—O slave!” before dying; Fleance escapes. Banquo’s throat is cut, and later his ghost appears at the banquet in Macbeth’s place, terrifying Macbeth and disrupting the gathering.