BANQUO
What, sir, not yet at rest? The king's a-bed: He hath been in unusual pleasure, and Sent forth great largess to your offices. This diamond he greets your wife withal, By the name of most kind hostess; and shut up In measureless content.
MACBETH
Being unprepared, Our will became the servant to defect; Which else should free have wrought.
BANQUO
All's well.
Banquo registers his surprise at seeing Macbeth and sets up 2.2 by telling us "the king's a-bed". The sleeping Duncan establishes his vulnerability; now that "time" and "place" now "adhere", our minds race forwards with anticipation. It is easy to miss the rest of Banquo's speech – it strains with the language of false etiquette as both Banquo and Macbeth skirt around the elephant in the room, the witches' prophecies. Whilst they wait for the other to bring up the topic, Banquo describes Duncan's "unusual pleasure" and the "great largess" and "this diamond" bestowed on the Macbeths. From a plot perspective, it is unclear why Banquo would have the diamond, though it perhaps serves thematic purpose by turning the abstraction of value and honour into something more material and enticing. The play is interested by the need to measure and account materially for honour and virtue, and the physical nature of the "diamond" contrasts the "measureless content" of service. The material value gives security, and we recognise the foolishness of Macbeth's intended crime: he risks tangible present favour for the uncertain prophecies of the witches. Macbeth reciprocates the self-depreciating language of the court, but in doing so separates out his desire (his "will") from his actions, a separation which will become much less distinct as the play progresses. Here, though, his "will" is synonymous with duty and there is nothing Macbeth's words to worry Banquo.
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