Why Is Banquo's Ghost So Important In Macbeth

In some renditions of The Tragedy of Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, Banquo’s ghost is played by an actor on stage who sits in Macbeth’s chair. In other renditions Banquo is not onstage so the audience does not see him. Banquo’s ghost should be played as an actor onstage because it creates dramatic irony, it clarifies the scene for the audience, and it creates a bond between the audience and Macbeth as it relates to tragic hero elements.
Banquo’s ghost needs to be played as an actor on stage because it creates dramatic irony. Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something that the actors on stage do not. In Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth act three scene four the conversation is as follows:
Macbeth: The table’s full
Lennox: Here is a place reserved, sir.
Macbeth: Where?
Lennox: Here, my good lord. What is’t that moves your highness?
Macbeth: Which of you have done this?
Lords: What, my good lord?
Macbeth: Thou canst not say I did it. Never shake Thy gory locks at me.
Ross: Gentlemen, rise, his highness is not well (III.iv.46-52).
This creates dramatic irony and also allows the audience to experience the aberration at the same time as Macbeth, creating a connection between them. Although, if the ghost of Banquo is not played by an actor onstage it makes Macbeth appear to be more crazy. However, in the film directed by Rupert Goold, the ghost of Banquo is played as an actor on stage and no one except Macbeth can see him. Banquo’s ghost should be played as an actor onstage because it creates dramatic irony which is a highly effective tool in tragic stories in conveying the downfall of a tragic