Antigone and the Sentry

The governing metaphor in the passage is when the sentry says " and she cried a sharp piercing cry, like a bird come back to an empty nest, peering into the bed, and all the babes gone..."  This metaphor reveals that Antigone is a bird, that represents freedom, and her cry's represent the breaking point of the birds spirit.  Antigone experiences hatred and loss when she is referred to as a bird.  This moment is significant to Antigone's character development and to the development of themes in the play because it lets the readers know what type of character Antigone has. It also infers that Antigone will have an unhappy life and possibly a tragic end.  The theme of this metaphor is "You can break a birds spirit if you take away what it loves most.  The topic is Antigone is independent.  Antigone's character is reflected off of a bird because of their similarities.  Both share the characteristics of independence, spirit, life, ego, and most importantly freedom.  Antigone was undermined by a family curse, and her bird like features led her into the trap.