What final message about human suffering is suggested through the play's ending?

The ending of "Antigone" conveys the message that human suffering is a natural part of life, reflecting the broader themes of fate, mortality, and the struggles inherent in the human condition. Throughout the play, characters face immense pain and loss, illustrating the inevitability of suffering that comes from both personal choices and external events. By the conclusion, the audience witnesses the tragic consequences of human actions—Antigone's death, Creon's profound grief, and the collateral damage to their families—emphasizing that suffering is woven into the fabric of existence.

This view acknowledges that life is punctuated by hardships, and within the narrative, these suffering experiences are layered with moral and ethical dilemmas, suggesting that struggle is an integral component of the human experience. Therefore, the understanding of suffering as a natural phenomenon allows the characters, and by extension the audience, to reflect on their own lives and the universal nature of pain. The other options may hint at different perspectives on human existence, but they do not encapsulate the central thematic conclusion present in the play’s resolution.