A letter from Banquo Essay

I write to all of you hoping that this letter will find you in the best of health. As all of you know, in the past few days Scotland was struck with a great misfortune when King Duncan was gruesomely murdered in his sleep while on his visit to Macbeth. And I have reason to believe that Macbeth is the one responsible for King Duncan’s murder because he had the motive and the opportunity to do so. And as I recall our encounter with the three witches when we were returning from the battlefield I realize that the witch’s prophesy to Macbeth, â€Å"All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter† [Act1, Scene3,Line54] has embedded in him a desire to rule and be king which was further implanted deeper in him by his wife whose grandfather, Kenneth III was overthrown by King Duncan’s ancestor, Malcolm II, many years ago and was waiting for a chance to avenge her grandfather’s death. But what Macbeth didn’t realize was that he had started to believe what he wanted and did not see the three witches for what they really are. And with each day passing by Macbeth thought more and more of the prophecy that he shall be king until it was the day to name an heir to the throne of Scotland during which King Duncan named Malcolm as the heir. As Macbeth watched I overheard him talking to himself and saying â€Å"The Prince of Cumberland! that is a step on which I must fall down, or else o’er-leap, For in my way it lies. Stars, hide your fires; Let not light see my black and deep desires.† [Act1, Scene4, Lines55-58] which shows that Macbeth was seriously thinking about the throne and the prophecy. It seemed as if greed, ambition and voracity were beginning to take hold of Macbeth. And on the night we escorted King Duncan on his visit to Macbeth’s castle, I  noticed how Macbeth didn’t come out to welcome the King like Lady Macbeth did. Instead he only showed up at dinner time. And after everybody went to their rooms Macbeth came to my room and we agreed to discuss the prophecies at a later time. But I also said to Macbeth, † So I lose none in seeking to augment it, but still keep my bosom franchised and allegiance clear, I shall be counsell’d.† [Act2, Scene1, Lines32-35] hoping that this will stop Macbeth from thinking that I will help him make the prophecy true. Nevertheless what I had feared the most happened on that night; King Duncan was murdered. And as we all came to see what happened I could see a look of fear and guilt in Macbeth’s eyes. I realized that Macbeth had done what he wanted to in order to make the prophecy true. However Macbeth had not only killed his King who praised him for his courage and his valor, he also killed his cousin who was of his own flesh and blood. Indeed! What a true cousin Macbeth is. He was no different from the butcher who kills innocent lambs. All this time he thought that killing King Duncan would make the prophecies true but he never realized that he was deceiving and leading himself into a pit of trouble. None of us could have imagined that the courageous soldier who was loyal to his king could be easily corrupted by the witches’ prophecies. We all knew Macbeth as the soldier who fought for his king without mercy but it appears that his strive for ambition and his insurgent desire made him kill his own king and cousin without mercy. And if any one among you still does not believe that Macbeth is responsible for King Duncan’s murder then think back as to who had the strongest motive to kill the King and who could have done the crime without being suspected easily. It is Macbeth. My fellow Scots I believe that now we should take action against Macbeth for it shall be unjust if we let him go without punishing him for his bloody deed. In the end I hope that you may have found my letter convincing enough and I am certain that all of you will do what is best for Scotland.