King hereafter Prophecies for Banquo The three witches also make confusing prophecies for Banquo They say that Banquo will be lesser than Macbeth and greater He will be not so happy yet much happier And Baquo shalt get kings though thou be none These prophecies mean that Banquo will not be a king like Macbeth but unlike Macbeth he will live and die as a respectable man Moreover Banquo s children will be future kings Reaction and Significance Both Macbeth and Banquo are confused They do not understand what these prophecies mean Macbeth knows he is Thane of Glamis but the other two titles sound impossible He demands an answer from the witches but they vanish Macbeth becomes curious and excited The prophecies plant the seed of ambition in his heart Ultimately Macbeth kills King Duncan and takes the throne of Scotland He also sees Banquo as a threat and kills him Hence the witches prophecies push him towards the path of tragedy