Banquo
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Banquo is a character in the play Macbeth, by William Shakespeare.
At the beginning of the play, Macbeth of Scotland and Banquo lead Duncan's army, bravely fighting side by side. Banquo is with Macbeth during the encounter with the Weird Sisters near the beginning of the play. After predicting that Macbeth will be king, the witches predict that Banquo will never himself be king, but will beget a line of kings (the Stuart family of Scottish and English kings). Later, disturbed that Banquo's descendants and not his own will rule Scotland, Macbeth sends murderers to kill Banquo and his son Fleance. However, Fleance escapes. The ghost of Banquo then returns to haunt Macbeth at the banquet in Act 3, Scene 4.
Although Macbeth was certainly a historical figure (a very different one from the character in the play), Banquo's actual historical existence is more questionable. He is mentioned by Holinshed, and other chroniclers, as an accomplice of Macbeth in his usurpation, and as being the ancestor of the Fitzalan High Stewards of Scotland, from whom the new King, James I, descended. However, this descent was disproven in the 19th century, when it was discovered that the Fitzalans actually descended from a Breton family. Whether or not Banquo, Thane of the Scottish province of Lochaber, actually existed remains in doubt.
However, his name is still spoken of in the area around Fort William, Scotland, and there is even a path lined with beech trees near Torcastle called Banquo's Walk. Some believe that it was a favourite walk of the man himself, and it is said to be frequented by his ghost. [1]
