Antigone the bird

The sentry has a very strong opinion of Antigone and the kind of women she is. Throughout his tirade the sentry compares Antigone to a bird. The sentry says ". She cried out a sharp, piercing cry, like a bird come back to an empty nest, peering into its bed, and all the babies gone...." He is comparing into to a bird because of the reaction she had when Antigone saw her brothers body bare. The metaphor between Antigone and the bird revels that she is free and cannot be contained. The bird also revels that Antigone is motherly and cares for her family and especially her brother in this case. A mother bird always cares for her babies just like Antigone is caring for her brother. This moment is significant to Antigone's character development because this is when she has her first moment of slight defeat. Antigone screaming shows she is having a hard time staying strong and knows she will have to give in to the consequences. This is when her tragic fall begins to show. This moment is also important to the theme of the tragic hero because Antigone tries to be the hero and honor her brother by burying him but it leads to her demise.