"Macbeth ends himself as a souless man, as a beast chained to a stake and slaughtered like a beast." Discuss in relation to Shakespeare's Macbeth.

I really like this statement! Of course, the statement
refers directly to an analogy that Macbeth makes about his own predicament in Act V
scene 7, abandoned by all of his soldiers and left to defend himself from an attack
alone. Notice how he compares himself to a bear tied to a stake and being bated by those
around him:

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They have tied me to a stake: I cannot
fly,

But, bear-like, I must fight the
course.

We can definitely
therefore agree that Macbeth appears to be like a beast chained to a stake. However, I
personally would disagree with the rest of the statement. It is perhaps ironic that
Macbeth, in the final scene where so much goes against him, is given some of his most
memorable speeches by Shakespeare. Consider his "Out, out, brief candle" speech in Act V
scene 5. There is true eloquence and nobility in the way he faces his doom, and
certainly he does not present himself as a souless man or as somebody who is slaughtered
like a beast. Notice how he meets Macduff in Act V scene
8:

Why should
I play the Roman fool, and die

On mine own sword? whiles I
see lives, the gashes

Do better upon
them.

In this quote Macbeth
is anything but souless and is definitely not slaughtered. He deliberately rejects the
option of killing himself in the Roman fashion, and determines not to go down without a
fight.

So, in conclusion, I think we can agree partly with
the statement, but not in its entirety. Macbeth is not slaughtered like an animal, but
goes down fighting, facing his defeat with courage and bravery. I would also question
the extent to which we could call him "souless."