In Macbeth, comment on Banquo's character and how he changes.

Very interesting question! In this play one of the main
purposes of Banquo's character is to act as a contrast to the character of Macbeth and
thus when examining Banquo's character we really need to think about how he is portrayed
compared to Macbeth.

A key scene to examine is how both
characters respond to the witches' prophecy. The different responses lie in the fact
that it is Macbeth that chooses to act on their prophecies, giving in to his overriding
ambition, whilst Banquo, although he clearly has ambitious thoughts, does not give into
ambition in the same way.

Interestingly, the first time the
witches appear to Macbeth and Banquo, Macbeth is startled by their predictions, but it
is Banquo that says to Macbeth: "Why do you start, and seem to fear / Things that do
sound so fair?" This shows that Banquo is definitely not averse at first to the witches'
prophecies. However, this quickly gives way to doubt and scepticism, and later Banquo
has troubled dreams regarding the witches and their prophecy, and says to Macbeth:
"oftentimes, to win us to our harm, / The instruments of darkness tell us truths, / Win
us with honest trifles to betray [us]." This is in sharp contrast with the increasing
fascination and obsession that Macbeth (and his wife) have with the predictions of the
weird sisters.

Note too how Banquo is not able to sleep
(like Macbeth) before the murder of Duncan. We are told that Banquo has had his sleep
troubled with dreams of the witches or the "weird sisters". It is clear that these
dreams have not helped him to have a good night's sleep - he
says:

A heavy
summons lies like lead on me,

And yet I would not sleep.
Merciful powers,

Restrain in me the cursed thoughts that
nature

Gives way to in
repose!

We can see therefore
that in some ways in this play Banquo acts as a comparison to Macbeth - and a rebuke to
Macbeth and the path he has chosen to take.

Interestingly,
it is the ghost of Banquo that haunts Macbeth (rather than the ghost of Duncan), and one
of the ghost's rebukes of Macbeth is how Macbeth responded to the witches' prophecies in
comparison with Banquo. Thus the character of Banquo shows us that it is one thing to
have ambitious thoughts (and don't we all), but it is something completely different to
become a slave to ambition and be led into paths which involve committing murder and
treason to satisfy the thirst of ambition.