Macbeth's Lies Essay

As he ponders on the fortunes of the Weird Sisters and their accuracy, he wonders if Macbeth compromised them: “Thou hast it now, King, Cawdor, Glamis, all,/As the weird women promised, and I fear/ Thou play’dst most foully for’t” (3.1.1-3). However, as he starts to gather his thoughts, Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, as well as others enter, interrupting him. Even though he suspects foul play in this situation and has numerous opportunities to speak up, he decides not to tell anyone, making him in some sense responsible for the tragedies of Macbeth’s reign of terror. Banquo later pays for his mistake with his life, when Macbeth kills

As portrayed in the play, lying can be a big deal because it can alter one’s decisions, causing confusion and other dangerous changes in the future. One character who tells many lies throughout Macbeth is Macbeth’s wife, Lady Macbeth. One type of lie she tells is delusion, defined by Ericsson as “the tendency to see excuses as facts”

The story says “ Whatever we do we can blame it on the drunken guards” (Shakespeare). After killing King Duncan, Banquo said to Macbeth, “ I suspect you have cheated to win these crowns” (Shakespeare). Which led Macbeth to also kill Banquo because Macbeth didn’t want it to get out to everyone that he had killed King Duncan. After lies upon lies, Macbeth got stressed about keeping all them. So, when he was sleeping he started to sleep talk and let all those lies out.

Within the storyline Macbeth orders Banquo's death because it is suspected that Banquo believes Macbeth did something dangerous. Macbeth tries to hide the act by setting up and framing the guards. In the play his wife says, “Simply wash your hands of your guilt and wrong doings”. These both support the idea that Macbeth goes to extreme lengths to bury his past, whether by the request of his wife, or for himself. While Banquo is being murdered by the people Macbeth set out for him, he says, “ O treachery, fly good Fleance , Fly, Fly, Fly!

In fact, Macbeth becomes fascinated by them, "would they had stayed." Banquo serves as his conscience, perhaps representing the period audience who would have also thought the witches to be evil and unnatural, and warns him of the dangers of trusting such supernatural messengers; a warning that goes unheeded. After hearing the prophecy, Macbeth already thinks about, "murder," and becomes preoccupied with thoughts of becoming king showing the powerful hold they have over him with only one meeting, scaring the audience who would have believed in Witches. Macbeth believes the Witches as there first prophecy came true and ignores the fact that they’re evil beings whereas Banquo recognizes them for what they are. He even informs his most beloved, Lady Macbeth, who also shares his ambition.

(3.1.9-10). This means that Banquo will not act upon what the witches are telling him. What the witches are telling Macbeth would also never be coming true if he hadn’t acted upon it. As Banquo puts it in the play, “The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/Win us with honest trifles, to betray ’s/ In deepest consequence.”

At the dinner he lies that he has a problem instead of telling the truth that he sees Banquo's ghost. Macbeth also lies that he has not thought about the three witches. We all know that Macbeth had definitely thought about them, which is the reasoning for him trying to gain his seat at the throne. He then lies again to get Banquo killed and says that Banquo is the reason for their ruination and downfall. This shows that Macbeth is trying to bury the past.

Banquo says, “I fear thou play’ds most foully for’t” (Act 3 sc 1 lines 2-3). I feel that Banquo is seeing that Macbeth is getting everything that he wants and Banquo is noticing that it’s out of the ordinary and he ends up getting suspicious of Macbeth. Macbeth notices that Banquo is getting suspicious of him. Also, the weird sister told Macbeth that one of Banquo sons is going to be king one day. Macbeth doesn’t like the idea of both of these, so Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo and his son, Fleance.

With Macbeth being a general in the Scottish military, he had major influences on people and their daily lives. After the murder of King Duncan, Banquo’s suspicion of who committed the murders arose around a single suspect, Macbeth. Knowing that Banquo most likely knew the truth that Macbeth killed King Duncan, Macbeth went back to his evil ways with ease. Through his attendant, Macbeth summons three murderers. Shakespeare introduces the murders with stage direction “[Re-enter Attendant, with two Murderers]” (Shakespeare, 363), in which Macbeth he uses Banquo as bait in order to gain their graces and loyalty “That it was he in the times past which held you so under fortune, which you thought had been our innocent self: this I made good to you in our last conference, pass'd in probation with you, how you were borne in hand, how cross'd, the instruments, who wrought with them, and all things else that might, so half a soul and to a notion crazed, Say 'Thus did Banquo.'”

In the first meeting with the witches; where Macbeth is prophesied to become the Thane of Cawdor and finally king. Banquo, whom had also been prophesized to become the father of many kings, comes to a realisation that “the instruments of darkness tell us truths; win us with honest trifles, to betray in deepest consequence”. By saying this, Banquo believes that the witches will earn Banquo and Macbeth’s trust by telling them truth about little things, but if the witches decide to betray the two men, it may leave a devastating effect. Nevertheless, in contrast to Banquo’s skepticism regarding the witches, Macbeth desires to know more, “stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more”, and the idea of becoming king now occurs to him as a possibility. This suggests that Macbeth already has a deep desire for power and status; although, at this point, Macbeth is “too full o’th’milk of human kindness”, to commit himself to this immoral act of murdering the innocent

Lady Macbeth’s personality is displayed when she lies about Macbeth have a sickness from a young age. “Sit, worthy friends. My Lord is often thus,/ And hath been from his youth. Pray you, keep seat” (3.4.53-54). lady Macbeth does not want the nobles to know that Banquo is dead, so she lies just like when Duncan 's death was to be kept secret.

He reveals that he is not strong minded and is easily influenced by those around him. It is through Banquo that one can actually identify Macbeth with these traits. If it were not for Banquo’s calm and responsible reaction to the foretelling, it would be difficult to hold Macbeth on a basis on the appropriate way to respond to the situation. Banquo is not after sole success, and still considers himself successful even with his sons being heirs to the kingdom. With this genuine appreciation, we are able to view Macbeth as a greedy and irrational character.

Banquo notices Macbeth in a daze after hearing of his rise to power. Intrigued at how Macbeth is in such a state, Banquo asks the witches that if they can truly “…look into the seeds of time,” to speak to him as well. He says to them, “Speak then to me, who neither beg nor fear, / Your favours nor your hate,” (I. iii. 60-61).

Lady Macbeth is trying to cover up Macbeth’s outbursts as he is envisioning the ghost of Banquo; speaking to everyone in the room including Ross, Lennox, and Macbeth, Lady Macbeth says,”I pray you, speak not. He grows worse and worse. Question enrages him”(3.4.144-145). Lady Macbeth sees Macbeth slowly becoming unglued by guilt; he is getting weaker and weaker and Lady Macbeth needs to hide their crime.

Unlike Macbeth, Banquo, from the beginning of this encounter, continues to doubt the witches, “I’th’name of truth are ye fantastical, or that indeed which outwardly ye show?” (1.3.51-52) Banquo didn’t believe what the witches were saying, he questions their intentions and accuses them of raising Macbeth’s hope. Throughout this whole encounter, Banquo continues to protect Macbeth while staying loyal. He never once acted on his prophecies, he simply disregarded what the witches were saying and remained the noble man he is. Even to his death, Banquo has not once acted without honour and