Fate is an important part of many tragedies. The lives of the characters have a set end and there are usually hints as to what this end will be and when it will occur. Often, the characters are able to recognize their fate and respond to it. Sometimes, characters accept their fate because it is important to them or they believe it is inevitable.

In the case of Antigone, the play begins with a discussion about burying Polyneices’ body. Antigone and Ismene talk about the consequences of this act, which has been made illegal, as well as the reasons it is necessary. This discussion lays out Antigone’s fate as she decides to bury her brother and face the consequences. She fully understands her fate and accepts it. She believes following her fate set by the gods is more important than following a law set by the king. She informs her sister, who has decided to follow the law, that she should “set [her] own fate in order.”

Throughout the play, Antigone follows her fate. She buries Polyneices and is caught by guards. She is brought to Creon and admits to her crime. The acceptance of her fate is evident when, facing a punishment of death, she says “my fate prompts no tears.” Antigone accepts what she believes is inevitable by committing suicide with her fiance. This recognition and acceptance of fate is an important part of Antigone, as well as many other tragedies.

Antigone was not the only character of the play with a fate that she lived up to. For example, Creon is destined to be alone after his decisions lead to the deaths of almost everyone around him. He ignores the consequences of his actions at first and attempts to correct his mistakes but not until it is too late. By the time he decides to accept that this is his fate and attempt to avoid it by conceding, Antigone and Haemon have already killed themselves. His reluctance to listen to others about his fate throughout most of the play resulted in it becoming his reality.

For the characters of Antigone, their fates turn out to be inevitable, whether it is because they accepted this fate and allowed it to come true or refused to acknowledge it until it was too late.