Essay On Why Macbeth Should Not Kill Banquo

“Thou hast it now - king, Cawdor, Glamis all as the Weird Women promised, and I fear Thou played’st most foully for’t.” - Macbeth Act 3 Scene 1 Lines 1-3. In William Shakespeare's tragedy Macbeth, Banquo is Macbeth’s loyal friend and captain, who is with Macbeth when he is anointed Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan and hears the prophecy of Macbeth’s future kingship by the Weird Sisters (the three witches). However, after Duncan is mysteriously killed Banquo begins to suspect that Macbeth was responsible. Macbeth begins to see a threat in Banquo and come to the point that he must decide whether or not to kill Banquo, one of his closest and best friends.

Everyone agrees that Banquo is Macbeth’s friend, but some say that Macbeth should kill Banquo in order to protect his rule while others say he should not. Macbeth should not kill Banquo for three reasons: Banquo is not a threat, it will damage Scotland further, and it won’t bring happiness to Macbeth.

The first reason that Macbeth should not kill Banquo is that Banquo does not pose a

threat to Macbeth’s rule. Banquo is Macbeth’s friend and although he urges Macbeth to be careful of the witches prophecy (Act 1, Sc. 3), he stands by Macbeth after Duncan is killed and Macbeth rises to power. Banquo does not trust the witches entirely from the beginning and he encourages Macbeth to allow events to play out rather than rashly engage and kill Duncan. He extends a hand of friendship to Macbeth, when he rises to power not for his own gain, but in order to remain a loyal friend and companion to Macbeth. Banquo realises that killing Duncan could potentially set off a chain of events that could destroy Macbeth and Scotland. Although Banquo suspects Macbeth as the true killer of Duncan, he did not pursue a course that posed a threat to Macbeth. Even though Macbeth does not heed his wisdom, Banquo stands by Macbeth and acts as a true friend that Macbeth can and should trust.
The second reason that Macbeth should not kill Banquo is that it will damage Scotland further.

Killing your best friend, will display Macbeth’s cruelty to the people of Scotland. Their faith in the security of themselves and their family will evaporate when the learn that Macbeth, as their king, will not even trust his closest friends and that he will go so far as to kill for even the slightest hint of questioning Macbeth’s kingship. All the people of Scotland will be wary of their friends and family for if they cannot trust their king, then who can they trust in their own circles. The nobles and lords of Scotland will begin to feel threatened and if the people lose trust and faith in Macbeth, then they may look to the nobles and lords, such as Macduff, in order to lead an uprising to unseat Macbeth. An uprising of any kind would find Macbeth in a vulnerable position and it could jeopardize his kingship and destabilize

Scotland.
The third reason that Macbeth should not kill Banquo is that it will not bring happiness. When Macbeth killed Duncan it brought him the kingship, but it did not bring happiness. He feels the weight of his sin and has been unable to find refuge from it. If happiness did not come from killing Duncan and becoming king, than why will killing Banquo deliver happiness. After killing Duncan, Macbeth has lost most of his friends, killing banquo will eliminate one of the few remaining friends that he has. How could Macbeth be happy knowing that that he was responsible for Banquo’s death. Also, if Macbeth continues killing people it will become harder and harder to justify to himself all of the deaths and he will have to keep killing people to cover up the last murder. Killing Banquo will leave an even bigger stain on Macbeth’s hands and will require a big cover up, that will bring pain and suffering not happiness.
Macbeth should not kill Banquo because Banquo is not a threat, it will damage Scotland further, and it won’t bring happiness to Macbeth. Banquo had stood by Macbeth in the turmoil since Duncan’s death and he has remained loyal to Macbeth as king, why should someone be killed for being a loyal friend. The citizens of countries around the world would care that Macbeth does not kill Banquo because they want to be safe and trust their friends, family, and leaders.