Macbeth Quote Analysis

Alone on stage, Banquo reflects on how Macbeth has now gained all the titles the witches promised him—King, Cawdor, and Glamis—and voices his suspicion that Macbeth committed murder to obtain them.

The verb 'play'dst' casts Macbeth's rise to power as a game or performance, implying calculation and deceit rather than fate or merit. Banquo pairs this theatrical language with 'foully,' a word that evokes both moral corruption and physical filth, making the audience register Macbeth's crime as something viscerally disgusting. This diction plants Banquo as a moral witness who sees through Macbeth's public legitimacy, positioning the audience to share his suspicion even before any direct evidence appears.

Support a thesis that Shakespeare uses Banquo as the play's moral barometer—this quote shows him articulating what the audience already suspects, confirming that Macbeth's kingship rests on crime, not destiny.