Banquo's last words were: "Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly! Thou may'st revenge – O slave!"
These poignant words mark a pivotal moment in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, delivered during a desperate struggle for survival.
The Tragic End of Banquo
Banquo's final moments occur in Act 3, scene 3, when he and his son, Fleance, are ambushed by murderers hired by Macbeth. Macbeth, driven by paranoia and the witches' prophecy that Banquo's descendants would be kings, orchestrated this attack to eliminate Banquo and prevent his lineage from inheriting the throne.
A Father's Dying Plea and Command
In his dying breaths, Banquo's words serve two critical purposes:
- Urging Escape: His repeated command, "Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!", is a desperate plea for his son to escape the assassins and save himself from the same fate.
- Charging Revenge: The concluding phrase, "Thou may'st revenge – O slave!", is a powerful, implicit charge for Fleance to one day avenge his father's murder and perhaps fulfill the prophecy regarding his own future.
Significance in Macbeth
Fleance's successful escape, despite Banquo's death, is a crucial plot point. It directly challenges Macbeth's attempt to subvert the witches' prophecies and keeps alive the possibility of Banquo's lineage eventually reigning. This event fuels Macbeth's growing paranoia and contributes to his tyrannical descent.
To explore more about Banquo's character and his role in Macbeth, you can refer to literary analyses and character studies.
