Theatrical Tragedy is Peculiar, Jim...

[Phox]

When the father of your children tries to marry another woman, murder your kids.

Along with your father-in-law and yourself. =P

What, do I look stupid or something? I'm not going to fall for THAT trap. I LEARNED from Medea's story. 

[Jasper]

I believe the original intent was catharsis.  

ETA:  It is cathartic to witness the downfall of someone greater than us.  The reversal of fortunes is the backbone of most tragedies.

The whole thing is, it's not a tragedy if some nobody dies of hysteria.  It's just sad.  It's a tragedy when a great person has several terrible misunderstandings and offs themselves out of grief.  It helps to illustrate the basic human frailty in even great people who seem way beyond our reach.

[LMNO]

Oedipus: If you discover that you're boning your mom after all your attempts to avoid doing so, you may as well just go with it because, hey, it's Destiny.

[Nast]

Oedipus: If you discover that you're boning your mom after all your attempts to avoid doing so, you may as well just go with it because, hey, it's Destiny.

I recall a situation like that in Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami.