Question

In shakespeare's tragedies, often the main character is given a chance to say something significant before he dies. What speech might function as Macbeth's farewell, even though it doesn't occur in act v, scene 8?

Answer 1

Macbeth's "tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow" speech in Act 5, scene 5 acts as Macbeth's farewell. In it he thinks about the meaning of life and decides that death is something that comes to everyone, people are all just walking the earth with no importance. "Signifying nothing" at the end refers to man's life, it means nothing, according to Macbeth. He relates a person's life to an actor who plays a part on a stage for a couple hours and then disappears, doesn't exist anymore. 
This speech shows that he has essentially given up (in his mind) and thinks that life is meaningless.

Answer 2

In Shakespeare's tragedies, often the main character is given a chance to say something significant before he dies. The speech that may function as Macbeth's farewell, occurs in Act V, Scene V, of "The Tragedy of Macbeth". Macbeth is told by a messenger that his wife is dead and he says that she should have died later and that life is like a tale told by an idiot. This speech starts  with "She should have died hereafter...it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."