Describe the expressive devices used in Dido's lament 'When I am laid in earth' that portray a character facing death.

Melody: No vocal ornamentation - despair
Use of monotone - emphasise words 'remember me' - the melody in this section is also fragmented - shows they are struggling to continue living
Unequal and inconsistent phrase lengths - instabilty
bar 37. Vocal is unsyncronised with the accompaniment - distracted due to dispair - unbalanced

Harmony: Fate represented via a perfect cadence every five bars (corresponding to the 5-bar ground bass)
Appogiaturas (dissonance) that resolve - represent a weeping sigh 

Tonality: Descending chromatica ground bass - ambiguous tonality - weeping/instablilty
Five-bar phrases (instead of four or eight) - unstable state of mind 
Minor key (G minor) - sadness/depression

Structure: Through composed - no set structure
Not a D.C. aria (which is expected) - no ornaments - dispair