Who Is The Ghost Of Banquo In Macbeth

In The Tragedy of Macbeth, Macbeth hires murderers to kill Banquo. At the banquet in the next scene, Banquo’s ghost appears, but only Macbeth can see it. This causes Macbeth to act strangely, and he seems crazy to the other guests at the banquet. Directors have debated whether or not there should be an actor playing the ghost of Banquo. In Act 3, Scene 4 of William Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, it would be more effective to have an actor playing the ghost of Banquo appear onstage in order to help the audience understand better and add drama to the play. Being able to see Banquo’s ghost would add more dramatic effect to the play. When Macbeth sees the ghost, he exclaims, “Which of you have done this?” (3.4.49) and “Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!” (3.4.93). The presence of the ghost would go along with Macbeth’s dramatic yelling, and it would add a supernatural element to the play. Some people think the ghost might be too gory for the play, since Shakespeare wrote the battle in the first act and the murder of …show more content…
Macbeth talks to the ghost, saying “Never shake / Thy gory locks at me” (3.4.50-51) and “Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold; / Thou hast no speculation in those eyes / Which thou dost glare with” (3.4.94-96). The ghost would be shaking its head and glaring at Macbeth, and the audience would be able to see and understand what Macbeth is talking about. On the other hand, if there is no ghost, the audience sees the scene from the guests’ point of view, in which Macbeth seem as if he is going crazy. But, without a ghost. the audience may not realize what is happening if they do not know the storyline, leading to confusion. Therefore, if the audience is able to see the ghost from Macbeth’s point of view, they won’t be confused, and it will help them understand the storyline of the play