What punishment does Antigone receive for disobeying Creon in Sophocles' Antigone?

Creon is in a notably difficult position in the play Antigone. The city of Thebes has undergone numerous misfortunes, including the death of Laius, a plague, the discovery that the city's savior Oedipus actually murdered his father and married his mother, and finally the fratricidal wars between the brothers Polyneices and Eteocles. In light of these events, Creon is trying to restore some semblance of order and normalcy to the city. Because of this, he makes the harsh decision that while Eteocles shall be buried with honor, Polyneices' corpse shall be left out for the birds and beasts that feed on carrion. He decrees that anyone attempting to bury the corpse of the traitor shall be stoned to death.

When Antigone is identified as the culprit trying to bury the body, Creon is confronted with a dilemma. Not only is Creon Antigone's uncle but Antigone is engaged to Creon's son Haemon. In Greek religion, killing or harming a relative calls down the vengeance of the gods not just upon the perpetrator but also upon the community as a whole. Thus rather than actively kill Antigone, Creon orders her walled up in a cave. If she starves to death, that will not bring ritual pollution and the gods' anger on Thebes and Creon; in a sense, Creon is trying to escape the displeasure of the gods on a technicality.

Of course, one can never escape divine justice in Greek plays, and when Antigone commits suicide, tragedy ensues with Haemon, Creon's son, and Creon's wife, both also committing suicide.

What is Creon's punishment in Antigone?

Creon is punished through the loss of his family for refusing to bury Polynices and for condemning Antigone to death. Antigone hangs herself before Creon is able to tell her that he has reversed her death sentence. Then his son Haemon, whose was betrothed to Antigone, stabs himself to death in response to his grief over losing Antigone. Finally, Eurydice, heartbroken over the loss of her son, also stabs herself to death, cursing her husband, Creon, as she dies.

Creon, his family gone, feels his life no longer has any meaning. He realizes too late that becoming a tyrant and defying the gods has led to him losing everything he values. At the end of the play, he only wishes for death.

As in Oedipus Rex, this play illustrates the tragic fate that befalls those who think they can defy the will of the gods. Creon wants to display his power and punish those who defied him by leaving Polynices's corpse to rot in the open air without a proper burial. However, this violates a deeply important moral law that states that all Greeks are entitled to a decent burial. Creon pays a high price for overstepping the bounds of his power.