SHAKESPEARE

Death by 1000 cuts refers to an ancient method of torture in which numerous small cuts were made on a victim's body. None of the cuts were deadly by themselves, but the combination of them would cause them to die a slow, painful death.

• The Roman philosopher Boethius was on death row as he fell out of favour with the King in the year 524 AD. He wrote his last work, Consolations in Philosophy while awaiting death.
• He wrote about why bad things happen, why bad men prosper and live in wealth, while good men stay poor...

If nothing else, death is a constant reminder of the fragility of life. It is a reminder of our existence and the time we have. Through death, we are reminded of why life is so valuable. But the hardest pill to swallow is that we, like everything else in life, must pass.