Direct Effect Of Banquo's Death In Macbeth

In the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Macbeth murders the King of Scotland so he can become the king himself. To maintain this power, Macbeth hires murderers to kill his best friend Banquo because a prophecy claimed that Banquo’s children would be king. His wife Lady Macbeth assists him with the murder of King Duncan, but takes her own life at the end of the play because guilt consumes her. As Macbeth becomes increasingly focused on his power, his sanity and satisfaction with life decrease, which furthers the theme that power causes unhappiness because of the consuming nature of ambition.

The news from the murderers causes Macbeth to abnormally fixate on Banquo’s death, establishing his unstable thought process and mental state. Banquo’s ghost's appearance reveals that Macbeth is not

completely sane.

None of the other guests can see it so it’s only in Macbeth’s mind. He tells the ghost to not “shake thy gory locks” at him, which emphasizes through imagery Macbeth’s preoccupation with how he died, with twenty wounds to the head (3.4.61,62). Focusing on Banquo’s death is a direct effect of Macbeth’s quest to remain in power which only serves to bring continued discontent. After the ghost leaves, a motif of blood is present in Macbeth’s line “It will have blood, they say. Blood will have blood”(3.4.51). This repetition symbolizes the repetition of his brain being stuck on Banquo’s death. Macbeth ignores the others in the room and pays no heed to the appearance of his actions. Any sense of dignity or self preservation have left him in place of the fixation of the death of his friend, a death that he brought about by his ambition and desire to rule. The motif reoccurs later in the scene as Macbeth states that he is “in blood stepped in so far that, should [he] wade no more, returning [would be] as tedious as go oe’er” (3.4.168-170). He feels

that these murders have taken him so far into the metaphorical ocean of blood that it is now just as easy to continue swimming to continued murder as to return to the shore where he was before hearing the prophecy. The metaphor underscores how Macbeth feels trapped by the murderous actions that stemmed from his and Lady Macbeth’s ambition. Earlier, Macbeth equates Banquo and his son to “serpent[s]”, which have a connotation of cunning and evil (3.4.32). This indicates that Macbeth views Banquo and Fleance as a threat despite the fact that they have done nothing to suggest an intention to take his power. Macbeth’s motive is merely the desire to retain his power by any means possible. Ultimately, his ambition becomes an obsession that commences his fall from sanity.

Macbeth's wife's death catalyzes his dissatisfaction with life. After he hears of her death, he launches into a soliloquy. The polysyndeton in the line “tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow” forces to be read slower, which reveals Macbeth’s view that life is continuous and monotonous (5.5.22). Through the cacophony of “petty pace” and “dusty death”, Macbeth emphasizes his harsh feelings towards life. The phrase “petty pace” also indicates how he views life as a slow process building up to an ending where one is forgotten (5.5.23, 26). The word dusty connotes an item left to gather dust on a shelf, not remembered or given specific thought by anyone, further indicating how Macbeth thinks his life and death are insignificant. Shakespeare compares life to a candle with a metaphor to convey the uselessness of living in Macbeth’s mind. Candles are generally linked to fragility, since candles can be extinguished with a mere breath. Macbeth’s call for the “brief candle” to be put out illustrates his underlying desire for the life that he knows to end because it no longer holds any purpose (5.5.27). Whatever feelings of joy that he and Lady Macbeth had hoped would appear from gaining power never appeared, and they are left only with guilt and constant worry. Macbeth also describes life as a “tale, full of sound and fury” (5.5.30). The “sound and fury” obscure any meaning that would have been held in the story through their chaos and distraction. This symbolizes how the murders Macbeth has committed have erased any chance he may have had at being content and worry-free (5.5.30). Shakespeare also personifies life as an actor, or “player” on a stage (5.5.27). The two lines that set up this comparison, lines 28 and 29, are written in iambic pentameter. It establishes a rhythm that imitates the cadence of a nervous heartbeat. The actor who represents life “struts and frets his hour upon the stage”, which makes the audience feel uneasy and dissatisfied because they came to see a well prepared show (5.5.28). This imaginary audience’s emotions mirror Macbeth’s feelings about his position as king. No longer able to sleep comfortably or have peace of mind, his power has consumed his life. Convinced that power would grant him satisfaction, Macbeth kills Duncan. It only leads to more stress; Macbeth worries about whether Banquo was a threat, whether he should eliminate Macduff, and if his power would ever be secure. This highlights how ambition has consumed his life and left him with negative views on the nature and meaning of living.

In Macbeth, Shakespeare conveys the message that one should be wary of blindly following ambition and allowing it to take up one’s whole life. Ambition can be consuming if not kept in check because it takes up all one’s time and leaves them feeling that what they have is never enough. Because he kept no check on his ambition, this is exactly what happens to Macbeth. Becoming king brought him insanity and dissatisfaction because he gave everything for his ambition and gave it the power to consume his life.