Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Banquo
References
Images
Macbeth and Banquo encounter the Three Witches, illustration by John Gilbert for an edition of Shakespeare's works, 1858–60.
Britannica AI Icon

Banquo

fictional character
Written by
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of  EncyclopĂŠdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them.
The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Last updated

Quick Summary

Macbeth and Banquo encounter the Three Witches, illustration by John Gilbert for an edition of Shakespeare's works, 1858–60.
Macbeth and Banquo encounter the Three Witches, illustration by John Gilbert for an edition of Shakespeare's works, 1858–60.

Banquo is a fictional character and a Scottish thane featured in William Shakespeare's tragedy, Macbeth. He is a general serving King Duncan of Scotland alongside Macbeth.12

In the play, Banquo and Macbeth encounter three Witches who prophesy that Macbeth will become Thane of Cawdor and then king, while Banquo's heirs will also become kings. This prophecy fuels Macbeth's ambition, leading him to murder King Duncan. Later, fearing Banquo's prophecy, Macbeth arranges for Banquo's death, though Banquo's son, Fleance, escapes. Banquo's ghost later haunts Macbeth.2

The character of Banquo is based on a historical figure, though Shakespeare took significant dramatic license. The play Macbeth was written around 1606–1607 and is thought to reflect themes relevant to King James I of England, whose lineage claimed descent from a Banquo.342

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
4 Britannica Sources
  1. Banquo
  2. Macbeth
  3. Malcolm
  4. Macbeth

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.