Final answer:
The cause of Michael's first wife's death depends on the story context— she either dies by her own hand in grief over her son's death or due to a failed scientific experiment by her husband.
Step-by-step explanation:
The tragic fate of Michael's first wife varies across different stories and contexts. For instance, in one narrative a wife dies in grief after hearing the death of her son, as stated by a messenger: 'Hearing the loud lament above her son With her own hand she stabbed herself to the heart.'
In another context, a wife's death is the result of a scientific experiment gone wrong, leading to her demise: 'As the last crimson tint of the birthmark...faded from her cheek, the parting breath of the now perfect woman passed into the atmosphere...' indicating the end of her life due to her husband's obsessive quest for perfection.