Antigone's Character

          The governing metaphor in the passage is birds. The Sentry refers to a bird returning to her nest, and finding that her family has left. Sentry describes Antigone by stating, " And she cried out a piercing cry, like a bird come back to an empty nest, peering into its bed, and all the babies gone..." (Lines 473-475). He calls Antigone a bird, a bird that comes home and finds both of her brothers gone. Both of her brothers disappear like the baby birds leaving the nest. The nest is Thebes and the babies the brothers, Polynices and Eteocles. When she realizes that both of her brothers are dead, she cries out a sharp, piercing cry which is also described as a long, shattering wail later in the passage because she mourns their deaths. In this passage, the birds symbolize a maternal figure. Antigone is described as a person who cares for her family and will follow her religion even if it means breaking the laws. Furthermore, birds symbolize free spirit. Antigone represents free spirit because she buries the body by herself. It shows the audience that she is an independent individual that will do what she believes in. She strongly believes in the laws of god  more than man-made laws. When Antigone is compared to a bird, it expresses her character and her personality. This moment ultimately leads to her tragic fall. She admits to the crime and is punished to death, which she accepts. When Sentry describes the situation to Creon, Antigone's life  leads to the question of whether she should lie or tell the truth about the transgression. Antigone decides to be strong and recognize the truth hoping to be honored, but leads to her fall instead.