How Do You Define Tragedy?

A couple of days ago when Ken Lay went to be doorman in Hell, I offered up my little morality play comparing Ken to Ebenezer Scrooge. The joke being that there would be no redemption for the evil mastermind behind the Enron debacle, just eternity near a lake of fire. Maybe that's why he hightailed it up to Aspen before he croaked, just for illusion of "Snowmass."
Legal experts said this week that the death of Enron Corporation's founder will likely cause his conviction to be erased from the record. Some have suggested that Lay's death was Shakespearean in its tragedy. I'm wracking my brain trying to think of a Shakespearean character who outlived the legacy of his actions. Othello? He was pretty much forgiven for killing his wife, right? Lady Macbeth did suggest "A little water clears us of this deed," but no dry cleaning company in the world could get that spot out. No, this is a special case where the man who was convicted of six counts of fraud and conspiracy - as he left thousands jobless and wiped out billions from investors.
Because an appeal was pending, Lay's convictions are abated. "The law views it as though he had never been indicted, tried and convicted," Theus said. Without that, the government cannot continue its efforts to seize Lay's assets through criminal courts, he said. David Berg, a Houston civil litigator, said all that's left is a bureaucratic process in which Lay's attorneys can file court papers, with Lay's death certificate, asking Lake to vacate the convictions. If Lake complies as expected, Lay would no longer be a felon.
Hmm. Once again I return to the words of Lady Macbeth: "To bed, to bed there's knocking at the gate! Come! Come, come, come, come, give me your hand! What's done cannot be undone. To bed, to bed, to bed..."