Essay Example on Although Banquo and Macbeth's reaction to the Witches

Although Banquo and Macbeth's reaction to the witches are almost identical there are some key differences in their reactions that greatly reveal their characteristics They key difference between the way they respond to the prophecies lie in the fact that Macbeth chose to take action in their predictions giving into his overriding ambition whereas Banquo did not give into his ambition the same way as Macbeth but remained quite skeptical Both of these men have a lot in common but seeing how they reacted to the prophecies highly emphasized their characteristics The witches appearance were a supernatural segment in the play they have the appearance of a woman but Banquo questioned their gender because of their beards Those unusual characteristics of the witches sparked intrigue and mystery because their appearance usually cue a big type of change or transition for whichever human is involved Macbeth Speak if you can What are you First Witch All hail Macbeth hail to thee 

Thane of Glamis Second Witch All hail Macbeth hail to thee Thane of Cawdor Third Witch All hail Macbeth that shalt be King hereafter And to Banquo they say Third Witch Hail First Witch Lesser than Macbeth and greater Second Witch Not so happy yet much happier Third Witch Thou shalt get kings though thou be none So all hail Macbeth and Banquo In the dialogue above the witches foretold that Macbeth would not only be the Thane of Cawdor but also King whereas Banquo's predictions said that he would not become King but would be Macbeth's subject he was lesser than Macbeth However Banquo held onto his integrity and the respect he had toward those who knew him while Macbeth through his ruthlessness lossed the support and respect from those who once cared about him Macbeth had no suspicion that the witches were basically leading him into self destruction all he knew was that becoming King was in his future When Macbeth first met with the witches he questioned them and demanded more from them He begged the witches multiple times for more information before he demanded more Tell me more I know i am Thane of Glamis But how Cawdor When the witches refused to respond back macbeth demanded the answer Speak I charge you And after that of course the witches vanish leaving Macbeth to his thoughts As soon as the witches vanished Macbeth got promoted to Thane of Cawdor This promotion resulted with his ambition taking over him and he started to imagine how he will become King 

 Macbeth Even though Banquo was intrigued by what the witches has told the both of them he did not harbor any thoughts of treason Banquo and Macbeth s actions toward the prophecies differed to a great extent During the interaction with the witches Banquo remained particularly skeptical Banquo's reaction to the witches revealed his personality in multiple ways Banquo was a man of integrity and that was greatly revealed all throughout the play he was brave in battle but exceedingly cautious in his actions Banquo's response to the witches was much wiser than that of Macbeth After the encounter with the witches Banquo warned his friend Macbeth not to be won over by small truths Banquo sensed that the women were evil and he was expecting a trick Unlike Macbeth Banquo refused to compromise his honor and integrity to get what he wanted Even though what the witches has told him sparked intrigue he did not take action to fulfill them He was willing to wait for the fullness of time to bring him what he wanted So taking all of Banquo's personality traits it seems as if Shakespeare described Banquo's character the way he did because he wanted to show how a man of honor would respond to the kind of temptation that Macbeth gave in to