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Banquo

The Tragedy of Macbeth · 33 speeches across 7 scenes

Macbeth's ally turned rival; a noble, wary general who suspects Macbeth's treachery.

Who they are

Banquo is a Scottish general and close friend of Macbeth. He hears the Weïrd Sisters' prophecies with Macbeth but remains skeptical and morally upright. His suspicion that Macbeth murdered Duncan grows into silent fear, and his own prophecy—that his children will be kings—makes him a threat Macbeth must eliminate. Banquo's ghost haunting Macbeth dramatizes Macbeth's guilt and unraveling sanity.

Playing them

Play Banquo as grounded, watchful, and gravitas-filled—contrast with Macbeth's spiraling ambition. His vocal quality should be measured and low, with occasional sharp skepticism (e.g., 'What, can the devil speak true?'). Physicality: still, observant, often in the presence of darkness or supernatural. In the banquet scene, the actor playing Banquo's ghost must choose either a silent, accusatory stillness or a slow, predatory movement.

Where they appear

Play Banquo

Take the part and Yorick reads every other role aloud, following you line by line as you speak.

Rehearse Macbeth on your phone: App Store · Google Play

Shakespeare the way it was meant to be had — out loud

These plays were written to be performed, not silently read. Yorick is a rehearsal app that lets you perform them: you take a part in any of Shakespeare’s 38 plays, and Yorick reads every other role aloud, listens while you speak your lines, keeps your place, and prompts you the moment you dry.

It is built for the person who has to be off book by tech week — school and college productions, community theatre, festivals, drama students and classical auditions — and for anyone who wants to hear a scene rather than skim it. Alongside the performance you get a plain-English translation of every speech, scene context, performance notes, and the ability to ask about any line and get an answer that already knows the play, the scene and who is speaking.

The text is the public-domain Cambridge/Globe edition. Translations and notes are AI-generated rehearsal aids for actors and students, not a scholarly apparatus. Yorick runs in a browser with nothing to install, and on iPhone and Android.