Shakespeare's Macbeth is a tragedy in
which one man rises to a high position then falls, a series of events some blame either
on the witches or fate. The scene to which your question refers is a picture of how
even a villainous traitor can die with dignity.
The former
Thane of Cawdor has been discovered as a traitor, and he has been sentenced to die, of
course. The report of his demise has been delivered to the king, and it's clear the
traitor was more honorable at the end than at the peak of his
life:
...very frankly he confess'd his
treasons,
Implored your highness' pardon and set
forth
A deep repentance: nothing in his
life
Became him like the leaving it; he
died
As one that had been studied in his
death
To throw away the dearest thing he
owed,
As 'twere a careless
trifle.
This
incident, appearing so early in the play and directly prior to Macbeth's entrance,
serves as a both a foil (contrast) and a foreshadowing of Macbeth's death at the end of
the play. The traitor understood his wrongs and repented, knowing he deserved his
fate; in contrast, Macbeth understands he deserves his fate, but he dies
fighting.
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