Antigone is a classic example of a greek tragedy. the purpose of tragedy is to produce , that is, to purge negative emotions from the audience. greek tragedies are also marked by swift reversals of fortune known as . these reversals are the effects of a major incident that occurs within the play called , which has a profound impact on the main character. the conclusions of greek tragedies are marked by the element of , which is the final act of the protagonist’s downfall and failure.