To put these lines into context, Macbeth has just been named the Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, just as the witches prophesied. In lines 122-123, he speaks privately to Banquo and asks what he thinks about the other prophecy, the one that says Banquo's children will be kings.
Banquo's response is one of caution:
That, trusted home,
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
Besides the thane of Cawdor. But ’tis strange.
And oftentimes, to...
To put these lines into context, Macbeth has just been named the Thane of Cawdor by King Duncan, just as the witches prophesied. In lines 122-123, he speaks privately to Banquo and asks what he thinks about the other prophecy, the one that says Banquo's children will be kings.
Banquo's response is one of caution:
That, trusted home,
Might yet enkindle you unto the crown,
Besides the thane of Cawdor. But ’tis strange.
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths,
Win us with honest trifles, to betray's
In deepest consequence.
In other words, Banquo thinks it is possible that Macbeth will next become king, as the witches told him. But Banquo cannot shake the feeling that this whole experience is "strange." He is worried that the witches are, in fact, trying to lull Macbeth into a false sense of security: by telling him a small truth, they may actually be leading him to his own destruction ("to win us to our harm"). Banquo therefore acts as the voice of reason in this part of the scene. He wants Macbeth to realize that there may be more to these prophecies than first meets the eye. This also creates a contrast between the two men: Macbeth is happy to believe the witches because it compliments his sense of ambition. Banquo, however, questions their intentions.
On the whole, these lines are also significant because they foreshadow Macbeth's destruction later in the play.
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