When Macbeth orders the assassins to kill Banquo and his son Fleance, it is an indication that he has truly gone over to the side of evil. Even when he murders King Duncan, he feel extreme remorse and wishes he could undo it. However, with more and more violent deeds, he shows that he has actually become the tyrant he feared he'd be. Even though his plot worked and he has now become the King of Scotland, he is still not content. He still feels extremely uneasy. He thinks that if the prophecy were true thus far (because he has become both the Thane of Cawdor and the King of Scotland, both prophetic visions that seems impossible at first), then the rest of the prophecy that hasn't come true yet must eventually come true. He becomes obsessed with the witches' proclamation that Banquo's children would become kings, and that Macbeth would never have a line of descendants. Although Macbeth will become royalty, Banquo will father royalty. Macbeth thinks that if this is true, then he will have killed Duncan for nothing. He will have sullied and darkened his soul not for his own sake, but for the sake of Banquo's sons, whom he does not care about.
Another point is that it is extremely important to have children to carry on your lineage. If you have descendants, you "live forever" in a way. If you don't, your legacy dies with you. It cannot go on. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have been trying to beget an heir for many years, but they have been infertile and unsuccessful. It angers Macbeth that someone else's children will become king after him.
Macbeth feels eager for the death of Banquo and Fleance. He has become coldblooded enough to order the murders of his good friend and his friend's young son. Every time he sees or thinks about Banquo, he feels sick and uneasy. He tells the hired murderers that they must kill Banquo in order to make everything better.
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