Banco—Macol

Banco—Macol is a father–son relationship hidden behind Macol’s public adoption by Duncan. Its late disclosure transforms Banco’s frustrated expectation of a royal lineage into a present danger: Macbett, having learned of the prophecy, kills Banco to prevent that lineage from beginning, while Macol later names Banco as his natural father and vows revenge.

Concealed Parentage

For most of the action, Banco does not know that he has a son. Reflecting on the witches’ predictions, he expects to father a line of kings, princes, presidents, and dictators, yet says he has no children and is not married. He considers marrying the Lady in Waiting and imagines that, once he has a family and a position at court, he might curb Macbett’s power. His plans reveal how seriously he takes the prediction, but also how little he understands his own connection to it: Macol has already been born.

Macol’s parentage is disclosed by Lady Duncan. She explains that Banco was his father and that his mother was a gazelle whom a witch transformed into a woman. After giving birth, the woman changed back into a gazelle. Lady Duncan had secretly left the court before the birth so that no one would know she was not pregnant; Duncan wanted an heir, and Macol was consequently taken to be the child of Duncan and Lady Duncan. Macol’s public identity as Duncan’s adopted son thus concealed the biological line that the witches had foretold through Banco.

Prophecy and Banco’s Death

The revelation is preceded by Banco’s private reckoning with the prophecy. He resents Macbett’s ascent from Baron Candor to Baron Glamiss and, as he expects, to king, while Banco himself appears to receive nothing. He recalls that the witches promised him descendants who would rule, but his lack of children makes that promise seem distant. His envy and remorse coexist: he admits that he helped kill Duncan out of a grudge, doubts Macbett will honor a promise to make him chamberlain, and cannot escape the thought that others may judge him by the same betrayal he condemns in Macbett.

Macbett overhears Banco’s reflection and seizes on the prophecy about Banco’s descendants. He fears that he killed Duncan only to put Banco’s offspring on the throne and decides to destroy the threat at its source. Calling Banco over, he accuses him of ingratitude and stabs him in the heart. The murder is therefore driven by Macbett’s effort to defeat a dynastic future before he knows the full circumstances of Banco’s already-existing son. Banco’s death does not end the line: Macol survives, and the concealed relationship becomes explicit only when Macol confronts Macbett.

Macol’s Claim and Vengeance

After the revelation, Macol says he will resume his father’s name and establish a dynasty lasting for centuries. Lady Duncan urges him to retain the family name of Duncan, reminding him that Duncan cared for him and sent him to Carthage University. Macol nevertheless identifies both Banco and Duncan as fathers: he intends to avenge his natural and adoptive fathers, while refusing to give up his name. The exchange keeps biological descent, public identity, and upbringing distinct rather than treating them as interchangeable.

The relationship thus gives the witches’ prediction a concrete, if paradoxical, fulfillment. Banco dies believing that he has no children and hoping to begin a family; his son, already raised under another father’s name, emerges as the avenger of both men. Macol’s claim connects Banco’s promised lineage to the political violence that follows, while his refusal to surrender his name leaves the inheritance unsettled between bloodline and adopted family.