Final answer:
The theme where a man's greed leads to death is prevalent in various literary pieces, such as the myth of King Midas, the Qur'anic story of Cain and Abel, and Sophocles' 'Antigone'.
Step-by-step explanation:
The story that embodies the theme where a man's greed ends by bringing him death can be found across various literary works. However, a classical example of this is the ancient Greek myth of King Midas.
who was granted the wish that everything he touched would turn to gold. His insatiable greed eventually led to his sorrow when he turned his own daughter into gold, which is a metaphorical form of death emanating from avarice.
In the provided excerpts, several stories illustrate the tragic consequences of greed or avarice, albeit not all leading to physical death. Here, the focus is more on the spiritual decay, the moral demise, and the inner emptiness caused by greed. One of the snippets references the story of a crow sent by God.
which may be derived from the Qur'anic account of Cain and Abel, where one brother's envy and greed led to the murder of the other, signifying a loss in moral and spiritual terms.
Another example in the provided texts is from Sophocles' 'Antigone', in which Creon's greed for power and control leads to the loss of his family and ultimately his own spiritual ruin. In each case, the greed of individuals leads to their downfall, showing that the consequences of such a vice can be as severe as death, whether it be physical, spiritual, or relational.