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Similarities Between Macbeth And Banquo

Decent Essays

A homograph is a word that is spelled the same but can be pronounced differently or have different meanings. Different pronunciations of the word are used based on the context of the sentence it is in. This same idea is also true of people. Two people can have the exact same experiences, yet react to it in completely different ways. Characters in literature often reflect this same phenomenon, foil characters with identical aspects who react differently to circumstance. In Shakespeare’s tragic play Macbeth, Banquo serves as a foil character to Macbeth emphasizing Macbeth’s unchecked ambition, a fatal flaw, that leads to his ultimate moral decline. At the beginning of the story, Shakespeare establishes the foil between Macbeth and Banquo to …show more content…

By encouraging Macbeth not to fear his prophecy, Shakespeare establishes that his foil Banquo also has a sense of ambition. Unlike Macbeth, however, Banquo has the ability to control his ambition. These opening scenes establish a foil between Banquo and Macbeth in order to show their shared positive characteristics prior to Macbeth’s moral decline. After Macbeth and Banquo receive prophecies, the foil characters start to diverge as Banquo’s takes the moral path of goodness while Macbeth takes the immoral path towards his ultimate decline. Banquo and Macbeth have the opportunity to pursue the same path, but because of his unchecked ambition, Macbeth deviates from Banquo's path of good morals. Immediately after the witches tell their prophecies, Banquo’s mindset is wary and rational. He warns Macbeth that, “oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / the instruments of darkness tell us truths...” (1.3.125-126). Banquo is not obsessed with the prophecies and the idea that one day his ancestors will be kings. On the other hand, Macbeth speculates, “Two truths are told, / as happy prologues to the swelling act / of the imperial theme.” (1.3.130-132) Because two of the three prophecies have come true, Macbeth is blinded by his ambition and seems to fantasize about the idea of being king. These contrasting reactions show that Macbeth takes a

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