William Shakespeare is one of the epic playwriters of all time. Many people praise his work while others who do not understand the depth consider it just some random piece of literature. But do you know Macbeth is among the top plays written by Shakespeare? Have you read Macbeth, no? Today, you will get to know who Macbeth is. What does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? Why did Macbeth tell the murderers he can’t get rid of Banquo? Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo’s son Fleance?
1. What is Macbeth?
A tragedy play was written by the most famous English playwright, poet, and actor, William Shakespeare. The year of writing is not known but according to the researchers, the play was preferably performed in 1606 for the first time and its first publication took place in the Folio of 1623. The full title of the play was The Tragedies of Macbeth. This shortest tragedy is the legend of someone whose desire for more power damaged him psychologically and physically. (See Was Beowulf a Good King?)
2. Who were the Main Characters?
All the works of Shakespeare have a bunch of characters in which everyone adds a particular taste to the story. Here is a list of the characters in Macbeth.
- Macbeth – He was King Duncan’s army general; originally Thane of Glamis, then became Thane of Cawdor, and later became the king of Scotland
- Lady Macbeth – Wife of Macbeth, and later queen of Scotland
- Banquo – he was Macbeth’s friend and was also a general in the army of King Duncan
- Three Witches
- Macduff – Thane of Fife (a council area)
- King of Scotland, Duncan
- Malcolm – Elder son of Duncan
- Ross, Lennox, Angus, Menteith, Caithness – The Scottish thanes
- Fleance – Banquo’s son
Were you not looking for what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? Did you stop to look at the characters?
- Attendants, Messengers, Servants, Soldiers
- First Apparition – Armed head
- Lady Macduff – Wife of Macduff
- Lord – opposed to Macbeth
- Macduff’s son
- Murderers – employed by Macbeth
- Second Apparition – bloody child
- Seyton – Armorer of Macbeth
- Siward – general of the English forces
- Third Apparition – crowned child
- Third Murderer
- Young Siward – Son of Siward
3. How Witches met Macbeth?
At the beginning of the play, three witches are talking about meeting Macbeth, a general in the army of Duncan, the king of Scotland. On the other side, king Duncan is informed about the victory of his generals Macbeth and Banquo who just defeated the allied forces of Norway and Ireland. There in the heath, Macbeth and Banquo are wandering after the victory when the Three Witches enter and greet Macbeth with prophecies. (See Why is King Duncan Unhappy with the Thane of Cawdor?)
4. What were the Prophecies?
Banquo was alerted as the Three Witches appeared out of the blue, but the Witches greeted Macbeth. They hailed him with words like Thane of Glamis, Thane of Cawdor, and the King hereafter. All this shocked Macbeth, and he remained silent when Banquo asked about his fortunes. To this the Three Witches responded in a paradoxical manner saying, he will be less than Macbeth but happier than him, less successful than Macbeth yet more, he will be the father of a line of kings but never will be the one himself. Before they could ask anything else, the witches vanished.
5. Did the Prophecy Come True?
What does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo, was it related to the prophecies? Regarding the prophecies, Macbeth was already Thane of Glamis and after their return, the King of Scotland bestowed him with the title Thane of Cawdor which led to the fulfillment of the second prophecy. With this, Macbeth’s beliefs in prophecies got strong and his ambitions for becoming King started to rise. So, yes, the prophecies did come true. (See The Story of an Hour Themes)
6. Did Macbeth Become the King?
Yes. Macbeth sends the word to his wife, lady Macbeth, regarding the prophecies to which she responded in an unusual manner. She asked him to murder King Duncan to obtain the throne. Macbeth had no intention of killing the King, but his wife persuades him after challenging his manhood and bravery. That night he and his wife killed the King and his two chamberlains (security guards at the door). Eventually, Macbeth has crowned the King of Scotland.
7. Did He get Caught?
No, Macbeth decided to put the blame on the chamberlains for getting drunk and attacking the king with daggers. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth stabbed the king to death and placed the daggers on the drunken sleeping servants. When the Loyal Thane of Fife, Macduff, arrived and investigated the death of the king and the murderers, Macbeth told him he killed the servants because he was angry about what they did. Check out Can Othello be Considered a Tragic Hero?
8. How did He Win the Throne?
You are close to finding out what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? After the death of King Duncan, his sons fled to Ireland and England because they feared the murderer would come after them too. This gave him a chance to Macbeth to claim the throne for being the rightful owner as he was the kinsman and the princes had already fled.
9. What was His Next Plan?
Macbeth remembers the prophecy where the witches mentioned that Banquo will father the line of kings. This instilled a sense of fear in him, and he decided to get Banquo and his son killed. He organized a banquet for the Scottish Thanes after claiming the throne. Banquo attended the event with his son, Fleance. During a conversation Macbeth discovers, Banquo and Fleance will be riding out alone. This gave him the chance to implement his next plan of killing Banquo. Must read Odysseus is called to Adventure When He was?
10. What does Macbeth Tell the Murderers about Banquo?
Macbeth hired Three Murderers to get rid of Banquo and Fleance. Two were to kill them and one to report back to him. Two murderers succeeded in killing Banquo, but fortunately, Fleance managed to escape. The third murderer was hired to make sure and report to Macbeth about the completion of the task. So, what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? He tells the murderer that Banquo is their common enemy and if they want to rise up, they will have to kill Banquo and his son.
11. Why did Macbeth Tell the Murderers He Can’t Get Rid of Banquo?
What does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? After getting the news of Fleance escaping he was furious and said with an heir of Banquo alive he cannot get rid of Banquo. He recalls the prophecy and feared that his powers are in danger. But Fleance did not return, in the banquet, Macbeth found the ghost of Banquo sitting on the throne. He was scared to the core and the ghost disappeared, but after a while ghost returned again but vanished.
12. What did Macbeth Tell the Murderers about Banquo’s Son Fleance?
After the Banquo ghost disappeared Macbeth called the murderers and asked them to find and kill Fleance at all costs. Unless all the heirs of Banquo are killed, his throne will be in danger. He cannot let any of them live if he wants to secure his position as the king.
13. What were Other Prophecies?
After knowing what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo, did you understand the reason behind his unrest mind? Macbeth became uneasy and visited the Three Witches again to unveil the meaning of their prophecies to him. Once again, the witches summon scary apparitions and reveal new prophecies. New prophecies were in three forms,
- An armored head
- A bloody child
- A crowned child holding a tree
A child with an armored head was a sign of the upcoming danger from Macduff. Next, they crave a bloody child about it. Witches told him that he would not be harmed by anyone born from a woman. Lastly, the child with the tree was interpreted that he will be safe until the Great Birnam Wood moves itself to his kingdom, Dunsinane Hill. Macbeth was relieved that he will be invincible because a forest never moves and there is not a single human born without a mother. (See Who is the Tallest Dwarf in LOTR?)
14. What was the New Prophecy about Banquo?
Macbeth asked the witches about Banquo becoming the king. The Witches show him a procession of 8 crowned kings with similar appearances to that of Banquo. The last of those kings held a mirror that reflects more kings. This was interpreted to be the descendants of Banquo who will become the kings of different nations in the upcoming time.
15. What happened to the Lord of Fife?
What does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo has been answered. Macbeth was not at peace so he sent another murderer now to kill Macduff. Macduff, once Loyal to King Duncan, fled to England to meet the prince. Here Macbeth, seeking the chance, attacked the castle and killed Lady Macduff, her young son, and every single person in the castle. He sends murderers to kill Macduff. (See What is the Setting of the Gift of the Magi?)
16. What was the Next Step of Prince Malcolm?
After fleeing to England after the death of his father, King Duncan, he succeeded in raising an army in England. Macduff went to England to support him along with other Scottish Nobles who were frightened by the tyranny and murderous behavior of Macbeth. As the news of the execution of his family reached Macduff, both vowed revenge and Prince Malcolm began his journey toward Scotland to reclaim his land.
17. What happened to Lady Macbeth?
Overwhelmed by her guilt of being the reason behind the deaths of so many people, Lady Macbeth lost her sanity. She was often seen sleepwalking and even doctors were unable to understand her condition. She used to walk around the castle with a candle in her hand and think of all the horrible things she pressed her husband to do. When her own thoughts took over, and she could not handle them, she killed herself. (See How many Harry Potter books are there?)
18. Did Macbeth realize his Mistake?
By now you know what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo. Just like other lords, his hunger for power was not satisfied even after the death of his wife. He was relaxed that he is invincible as per the prophecies of the Three Witches. His world shook with the news of the English army advancing towards his kingdom with shields made from the Birnam Wood reaching him. With the Birnam wood moving towards him he understood that one prophecy was fulfilled. But he never realizes his mistake.
19. What was the Interpretation of the Next Prophecy?
Soon the English forces took over and suppressed the army of Macbeth and seized the castle. Finally, Macduff and Macbeth confront each other. Macbeth is scared, but he boasts about being invincible because any man born from a woman cannot kill him. But this is where the tables turn because Macduff was not born by normal delivery instead, he was born through cesarean, which is when the next prophecy turned out to be true. But it was too late for Macbeth. The witches had foretold Macbeth that he is safe until a man not born of a woman kills him. (See Why is it Called Lamb to the Slaughter?)
20. What happened next?
Macduff finds Macbeth, and they both engage in a verbal fight initially and then fight physically. Macduff urged him to surrender, but Macbeth continued to fight, which ended up in his death. Macduff beheaded Macbeth had presented it to Malcolm. With this, the third prophecy was also fulfilled when Macduff took the head of Macbeth and Malcolm declared that the order has been restored.
21. Was the Prophecy about Banquo Fulfilled?
The prophecy about the descendants of Banquo becoming the king was not fulfilled in Dunsinane when Malcolm was crowned to be the king. But according to the story, the upcoming kings of Scotland were from the bloodline of Banquo and supposedly his descendants.
So, today you learned what does Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo? Why does Macbeth tell the murderers he can’t get rid of Banquo? Was it because he saw the ghost of Banquo? What did Macbeth tell the murderers about Banquo’s son Fleance? As for this, he told them to kill him too, right? (Also read What was Odysseus Call to Adventure?)
