Since a tragedy has to do with extreme reactions and not just what it is that happens to a person I believe that death is one of the most suitable ways to show this. In all except Othello someone ends up committing suicide, the ultimate sign that a person's life has gone to utter disaster.
But what does this show? I believe it shows how people are incapable of dealing with issues that they cannot resolve. By having a person take their own life, this shows the ultimate "give up" a person can do. They quit life.
Through this point it is easier to fully determine what an essential piece of tragedy is, and that is the inability for humans to accept that they cannot control every aspect of life. Reinert states this in one of his points in saying that tragedy happens when a person tries to control things and change things based on their moral standards, but is blocked due to a corrupt society.
Also, in the end of each play, the characters end up regretting what they did. This shows a basic human flaw that we all have (except a few), and that is remorse. The people in the tragedy's feel guilty for their rash actions and realize that they are wrong. In Oedipus, he realizes he shouldn't have tried to defy the Gods. In The Wild Duck, Hjalmar realizes that he should have dealt with the family in the tough situation instead of running away. In Romeo and Juliet, the parents realize that they should have let their children be together. And lastly in Othello, Othello regrets killing his one true love, Desdemona.
Tragedies I believe are meant to show the extremeness of human behavior and to warn us against making rash decisions because they can affect a person's life forever.
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