Sentry Reveals All

In the book “Antigone” there is a governing metaphor that reveals a lot about Antigone herself. The Sentry’s speech is where this metaphor is. This metaphor is on lines 471-472 and says,” and she let out a sharp piercing cry, like a bird come back to an empty nest” this right here can tell us a lot about Antigone’s character. Some of these characteristics include freedom because birds are free and the fly anywhere they want to fly and they can go where they want to go. Also, this passage indicates that Antigone values her family more than anything else. Just like a bird or a Duck they do anything to protect their family and they are extremely defensive. Lastly this metaphor tells us that Antigone is a mother figure and this can represent strong ideas and values that she passes down into her young. In this passage these values would show again when she re-buries Polynices and isn’t scared of standing up to death and being rebellious. This is significant to the development of Antigone because it shows what her true and real charachteristics are under the circumstances of life and death. The themes are even more developed because they go from standing up to what you belive in to not letting death stop you from what you belive in. Death can change peoples values when theretened upon you but this says to keep the same attitude towards your cause.