These three lines are spoken by the three witches in act 1, scene 3 of Macbeth. Macbeth and Banquo have just encountered the witches. They are amazed at the appearance of these strange creatures, and Macbeth calls on them to speak, asking them what they are. They hail Macbeth as the thane of Glamis, the thane of Cawdor, and the king. Banquo is intrigued and asks them to speak to him as well, if they can “look into the seeds of time, / And say which grain will grow and which will not.” They answer with these three lines.

The first witch proclaims that Banquo is “lesser than Macbeth, and greater.” Banquo is lesser in rank than Macbeth but much greater as a human being. Banquo does not give in to ambition and kill a king as Macbeth does. Indeed, Banquo dies, but he is innocent of wrongdoing. Therefore, he is greater than the murderous Macbeth.

The second witch declares that Banquo is “not so happy, yet much happier.” Indeed, Banquo is not to be as “happy” as Macbeth by reaching the highest rank, and of course, Banquo is murdered by Macbeth as well. This is hardly a happy event. Yet he remains happy in his innocence, and Macbeth suffers in his guilty regrets.

The third witch announces to Banquo, “Thou shalt get kings, though thou be none.” Herein lies the prediction that gets Banquo killed. He will never be a king, but his descendants will be kings. With this line in mind, Macbeth kills Banquo and tries but fails to kill his son, Fleance. Fleance does not become a king within the scope of the play, but the audience may assume that he does later.