Page 8 - LN 2

But, Banquo in an aside to Macbeth cautions Macbeth against believing
the witches, suggesting that their attempts may be devious:

...to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with hones trifles, to betray 's
In deepest consequence. (

This aside is of great importance to the characterization of Macbeth
because he begins to believe that reality and fantasy are equal. As
equals, then chance may bring him good fortune without his "stir." But,
Banquo does not trust in chance, so Macbeth tells him to think more
about it, and they can "speak/Our hearts each to other" (speak freely
about it) later.

THEME:

Theme is an overarching idea present in
a literary piece. Themes in Macbeth,
another masterpiece of Shakespeare,
are aplenty. Not only does it present
excessive ambition, but also shows the
works of supernatural being, violence
and betrayal. Some of the major
Macbeth themes are discussed below.

LITERARY DEVICE FROM ACT 1, SCENE 3

If you can look into the seeds of time

And say which grain will grow and which will not,

Speak, then, to me

In these lines (59-61), Banquo uses the metaphor "seeds of time." He

then says that some seeds "grow" and some do not. This implies that
there are many possible futures and that which ones become true and
which ones do not can depend upon what one does or doesn't do to
make those futures happen or not. This is an important quotation
because it raises questions about the theme of fate. If there are different
possible futures, then perhaps the witches are merely telling Macbeth