Antigone is faced with an ethical dilemma at the beginning of the tragedy when King Creon ordered that one of her brothers, Eteocles, would be given the burial of a hero. Her other brother, Polynices, was to be left outside of the city unburied for wild animals to pick apart. Anyone who disobeyed this decree would be put to death. Antigone is forced to make a life-altering decision: to risk death and bury her brother or to go against the will of the gods. Antigone decides to go against the will of the King and bury her brother. No one knows that it was her who went against the king. After the king has his men uncover the body, the guards of the body catch her burying him a second time. Was her action justified? In her defense, she proclaims that the gods order that he must be buried. In Euthyphro, however, it was determined that an action is not just simply because the gods command it. Furthermore, there was no need to bury him a second time, especially in broad daylight. This shows that it was no longer about honoring her brother or the gods; she wanted to spite the king.
After her decision, King Creon is forced into an equally challenging ethical dilemma. He must decide to follow through with his word and sentence her to death or to have mercy on her. Despite his son and other's belief that it was a noble deed, the king believes that his power and authority will be jeopardized if he lets her live. He orders that Antigone be sealed in a tomb and left for dead. King Creon changes his mind, but it is too late. Antigone hung herself in her tomb. This triggers a causal chain, in which his son and his wife also commit suicide. He is left alone to suffer the consequences of his decision. The inflexibility of both parties caused the tragedy to occur.
After her decision, King Creon is forced into an equally challenging ethical dilemma. He must decide to follow through with his word and sentence her to death or to have mercy on her. Despite his son and other's belief that it was a noble deed, the king believes that his power and authority will be jeopardized if he lets her live. He orders that Antigone be sealed in a tomb and left for dead. King Creon changes his mind, but it is too late. Antigone hung herself in her tomb. This triggers a causal chain, in which his son and his wife also commit suicide. He is left alone to suffer the consequences of his decision. The inflexibility of both parties caused the tragedy to occur.