Macbeth, Banquo, and Macduff; Is There a Hero?

William Shakespeare since the year 1590 has been considered one of the best -if not the best- writer in history. His plays touch on the emotions that have warped humans brains since the beginning of our creation. Macbeth, considered to be one of his finer productions, is no exception. In this tragic tale we find our main character so trapped in his own guilt and self pity that he ends up secluding himself from everyone around him, going insane, and eventually getting murdered. Macbeth has gone down in history as a very infamous character in literature, but he isn’t the only one that makes the story worth reading. For example, we have Banquo; vastly considered Macbeth’s contrast. He’s the “good guy” in a sense, but falls victim to Macbeth. We also have Macduff. He’s a very proud, strong, and noble man who has the highest respect for his king and very little for the tyrant Macbeth. We think we know from the beginning who our villain is, but does Macbeth have a hero? When the audience first meets Macbeth he is joined at the hip with Banquo. Obviously, the two are close, having suffered battle together. But their friendship is tested and ultimately destroyed when the two meet the three witches and have the prophecies put above their heads. Macbeth embraces the witches foreshadowing words but Banquo is less easy to convince. He challenges the witches to predict something for him. They tell him in twisted rhymes that he will be less happy than Macbeth but he will still be the father of kings. Banquo, more or less, laughs the whole thing off, unlike Macbeth, who desperately wants it to be true. Banquo sees this in his friend and doesn’t like it. He begins fearing for Macbeth and at one point even warns him to take heed of the witches words, that it could possible be a trick. Though Banquo could very much be considered an all around good guy, there’s one thing that has troubled scholars and readers since Macbeth has been around. Banquo is honestly the only one that