Antigone Quote Analysis

Birds are often a carefree symbol of nature that indicates freedom and peace. Yet, in Sophocles’ Antigone, the most common birds mentioned by Sophocles are the carrion birds that feed upon the decomposing body of Polyneices. The carrion birds’ appearance correlates with that of Creon’s actions against the gods. Creon had refused to bury Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, because he had attacked the city of Thebes. Nevertheless, the Greeks considered not giving the dead a proper burial to be an insult of pride, and the action would result in the spirit going to the underworld, which was an offense to the gods. Because Creon left Polyneices’ body in the open, the carrion birds started to eat his flesh. Creon was warned afterward by Teiresias that

When applied to portray Creon, the birds acted in unnatural ways, such as in the quote, “I heard A strange note in their jangling, a scream, Whirring fury; I knew that they were fighting, tearing each other, dying in a whirlwind of wings clashing. And I was afraid.” (Sophocles 5.784-88). The quote was unnatural because the birds usually don’t fight, especially when Teiresias was performing augury, which is a heavenly procedure in the eyes of the gods. Conversely, Sophocles made Antigone appear in a more positive light. For instance, in the quote, “A mother bird come back to a stripped nest, heard her crying bitterly a broken note or two for the young ones stolen.” (Sophocles 2.336-38). In the quote, Antigone was crying over Polyneices’ dead body. While the bird that Sophocles used to describe Antigone did not have a positive connotation, it made Antigone appear to be a wholesome person. The bird that Sophocles compared Antigone to was acting in a much more natural way than the flesh-eating birds. Moreover, the bird was also a mother. A mother bird is an incredibly significant symbol of nature and a symbol of life. Sophocles may have used the vast contrast between the two types of birds to show the two different natures of Creon and Antigone. Correspondingly, Sophocles emphasizes the cruel nature of the flesh-eating birds by comparing them to Antigone’s pure symbol of a mother