Life is a very delicate thing. Last Sunday in Sunday School, I heard a man talk about how the fragility of our lives is comparable to that of sheep. The man said he once heard one of his sheep coming around the corner of his barn and jumped out to scare it, literally killing it instantly in fear. We are not always as harsh and superfluous as we think we are. In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, Hamlet often finds himself much closer to death than he once thought. Hamlet approaches death in Act V through three circumstances: Ophelia's death, Laertes' challenge to a duel, and the king's foolish plans to get rid of Hamlet. First, Hamlet comes close to death due to the passing of his beloved, Ophelia. Hamlet has no idea when the Act opens that not only is Ophelia dead but she is standing right next to her grave. In fact, a few moments before her body is brought on stage, Hamlet jokes with a skull on her. He says, "Now take you to my lady's room and tell her to paint one inch thick, to this favor must come." (scene I, line 179) He jokes unconsciously...