GCSE-ready- Home
- Lessons
- GCSE & IGCSE English Literature
- Macbeth: Banquo, Macduff, the witches and the kings
Macbeth: Banquo, Macduff, the witches and the kings
🎬 The doodle video for this lesson is coming soon. Subscribe on YouTube to see it first.
The other characters act as mirrors for Macbeth. Each one shows the reader something Macbeth has lost or thrown away.
Banquo: the road not taken
Banquo hears prophecies too, but he does not act on them. He is a foil to Macbeth: loyal where Macbeth is treacherous.
He suspects Macbeth: "Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / Thou play'dst most foully for't."
His ghost later haunts Macbeth at the banquet.
He suspects Macbeth: "Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, / As the weird women promised, and I fear / Thou play'dst most foully for't."
His ghost later haunts Macbeth at the banquet.
Macduff and the good kings
Macduff finds Duncan's body and refuses to attend Macbeth's coronation. When his family is murdered he says grief must be felt "as a man", showing a gentler kind of masculinity than Lady Macbeth's.
Duncan is a trusting, generous king, but he admits: "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face."
Malcolm restores order and calls the Macbeths "this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen".
Duncan is a trusting, generous king, but he admits: "There's no art / To find the mind's construction in the face."
Malcolm restores order and calls the Macbeths "this dead butcher and his fiend-like queen".
The witches
The witches speak in rhyming chants ("Double, double toil and trouble") which set them apart from other characters.
They never tell Macbeth to kill. They tell him what will happen, and his own ambition does the rest. This lets you debate fate versus free will.
They never tell Macbeth to kill. They tell him what will happen, and his own ambition does the rest. This lets you debate fate versus free will.
Why is Banquo called a foil to Macbeth?
- A foil is a character who contrasts with another to highlight their qualities.
- Both hear prophecies, but only Macbeth commits murder to make them happen.
- Banquo's restraint makes Macbeth's choice look worse.
Answer: He hears the same kind of prophecy but stays loyal, which highlights Macbeth's guilt.
Banquo (loyal, suspicious), Macduff (grief, true manhood, kills Macbeth), Duncan (trusting), Malcolm (restores order) and the witches (prophecy, fate versus free will) all throw light on Macbeth.
Check you have got it
Answer 6 quick questions with instant marking. If you get one wrong, GCSE-ready shows you why and gives you another go. It is free, and you do not need an account.