Ambition/Banquo Flashcards
“the root and father of many kings”
Shakespeare’s exposure of both Banquo and Macbeth to temptation is necessary for the audience to view the contrasting responses to temptation. This allows them to decide which man is the morally righteous one.
Shakespeare portrays temptation as the crux of the play. It is vital for Banquo to be faced with temptation and ambition as it proves that Banquo is morally strong; his strength doesn’t come from an easy path, but from resisting temptation. Macbeth’s hamartia (a fatal flaw) is that he is too weak to resist the influence of the Witches and Lady Macbeth.
Arguably this is a message from Shakespeare to the audience that everyone is capable of evil and they must resist it. Banquo doesn’t speak out against injustice and corruption, despite being tempted by the promise of being ”the root and father of many kings”. He won’t reveal the evil prophecy that promises him attractive things; perhaps this is because he wants it to come true too and has the flaw of ambition. However, his flaw is not his hamartia; he can resist it.
“speak then to me”
“seeds of time”
Banquo asks the witches to “speak then to me” as he wants to know what the “seeds of time” have in store for him. This demonstrates that though Banquo is interested by the prophecy and does show his own ambition, the ambition he possesses is not as strong as Macbeth’s (or he tries to disguise it).
“Fly”
“thou mayst avenge”
“Boy”
“Sir”
The Witches’ prophecy prompts the question: why does Banquo save his son? He tells Fleance to “fly” – but also “thou mayst avenge”. Therefore, it is clear that he wants Fleance to avenge his death and perhaps kill Macbeth or to take the crown and therefore fulfill the prophecy. Earlier in the play, the father-son relationship is not depicted as being close or loving, as Shakespeare employs the formal language of “boy” and “sir”, rather than ‘father’ or ‘son’. Here, he makes the audience question whether his sacrifice is out of love, or out of ambition.
