“a fate worse than death”别理解成“比死更坏的命运”，引申为令人极为不快的事，极其难受的事（尤其是指某种形式的惩罚时）。

【例句】
When you're 16, an evening at home with your parents seems like a fate worse than death.
到了16岁，晚上在家和父母呆在一起似乎是极其难受的事。

Having to eat her cooking for a whole week would be a fate worse than death!
整整一个星期得吃她煮的饭菜，简直太可怕了!