Comparison: "Hamlet" versus "Last Breath"
             One of the most difficult things any young person will have to face in life is seeing the death of an older parent or grandparent, and being unable to do anything about it. However, both the protagonists of Shakespeare's dramatic tragedy of "Hamlet" and the author John DeCarlo's essay "Last Breath," strive to at least learn from the experience of witnessing a loved one's passing. The scene depicted in Shakespeare's "Hamlet," shows the young, Danish prince encountering his father's ghost, and learning the true nature of the old king's death. In "Last Breath" by John F. DeCarlo, the author sits beside his grandfather as the soul of the old man ebbs into the great beyond of death.
             DeCarlo's memories are tender: "With the love I felt for him, I followed his awareness from one realm into another" (De Carlo 18). Although his old grandfather has some regrets, not all of the man's memories are bitter. DeCarlo is willing to sit beside his grandfather and listen, because he is certain that his grandfather is undergoing a natural process, of dying and leaving the mortal realm. In contrast, Hamlet is not even sure that his father's ghost is a real ghost or a devil, at first. Rather than follow his father willingly, as DeCarlo follows his grandfather's memories, Hamlet is worried that the ghost means him mischief: "Where wilt thou lead me? speak; I'll go no further," Hamlet says, unwilling to leave his living friends to far away (I.5).
             The memories of DeCarlo's Grandpa, who is "older than anyone could remember," are full of blessings. The man looks at them from an "altar," his current vantage point at the end of the life stage, and even the painful events of his life, like his wrongful imprisonment are "guideposts" as to what he has l...