How did Sophocles portray Antigone and Electra as tragic women?

In the works of Sophocles, both Antigone and Electra are portrayed as tragic figures defined by their intense devotion and the extreme circumstances surrounding their familial loyalties.

Antigone

Antigone’s tragedy arises from a conflict between civic law and religious or personal obligation. By choosing to bury her brother, Polyneices, in defiance of King Creon’s decree, she acts on her instincts of love and humanity. Her tragedy is sealed by her unwavering commitment to these moral duties, which leads to her imprisonment and eventual suicide, ultimately leaving those around her—including Creon—desolate and broken.1

Electra

In Sophocles’ Electra, the protagonist is depicted as a woman consumed by the trauma of her father’s murder. Her tragedy is characterized by the psychological toll of her environment; she experiences a vast range of emotions, from profound grief and despair to intense hatred and resentment. While she achieves a form of triumph through the death of her mother and Aegisthus, the play leaves open the question of whether she is a virtuous avenger or a woman permanently damaged by her long-held bitterness.2