Banquo

Banquo remains loyal to King Duncan

In Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Banquo is a general in King Duncan’s army and friends with Macbeth, his fellow general. In Act 1, Scene 2, a wounded sergeant describes how Banquo and Macbeth fought bravely for King Duncan “as cannons overcharged with double cracks” (1.2.41), meaning they fought twice as hard as the enemy. This shows us that Banquo is a brave soldier who is loyal to king and country. 

Banquo remains loyal to King Duncan throughout. In Act 2, Scene 1, right before the murder of Duncan, Macbeth hints that Banquo would do well to support him in the future. Banquo answers that he will support Macbeth as long as it does not clash with his sworn loyalty to Duncan: “So I lose none / In seeking to augment it, but still keep / My bosom franchis’d and allegiance clear, / I shall be counsell’d.” (2.1.33-36). Sadly, this loyalty is eventually what has Banquo killed as Macbeth decides to get rid of him.

Banquo is not seduced by the witches’ prophecy

We see a crucial difference between Banquo and Macbeth in Act 1, Scene 3 when they receive the witches’ prophecy. While Macbeth seems to believe the predictions, Banquo is practical and skeptical. We see this when he asks the witches whether they are real or just figments of his own imagination: “Are ye fantastical, or that indeed / Which outwardly ye show?” (1.3.55-56). This fits the idea of a soldier b...