Antigone, by Sophocles - 996 Words

In Sophocles’ play, Antigone, the main character uses rhetoric to effectively persuade her audiences to sympathize with her. In the play, Antigone’s brother, Polyneices, dies a traitor to the Theban people. The king, Creon, decrees that no one is to bury the traitor despite the necessity of burial for proper passing into the afterlife. Believing that Creon’s decree is unjust, Antigone buries her brother. When she is brought to the king, Antigone uses this speech in defense of her actions. In the speech, she uses allusion, diction, and particular sentence structure to increase the effectiveness of her argument. A key factor in the power of her speech is Antigone’s consideration for her audiences. The first of these audiences is Creon†¦show more content†¦But in reference to the people of Thebes, Antigone uses this to gain their pity, as well as their sympathy. She wants them to think that she is deserving of life because she is so accepting o f death. It is important to discuss Antigone’s point of view on the situation when considering the rhetorical strength of her argument. She stands by the belief that her decision to bury her brother was the right one. Her morals and past experiences have shaped this point of view. Antigone has a strong foundation of family loyalty. This is evident in almost all of her actions, the most obvious being the illegal burial of her brother. Antigone also has lingering discontent towards Creon due to the fact that he took the thrown after her father’s death. These past experience may have shaped attitudes towards Creon beyond the simple unjustness of his law. Antigone uses rhetorical devices, including allusion and repetition of words, to increase the effectiveness of her argument. The most prevalent allusion in the speech is the one to God. She refers to the gods as having the ultimate power over any human being. This reference to the religious beliefs of the Theban people is an effective device to use. It causes her audience to consider the boundaries between the laws of the mortal and immortal. Knowing that her audience has strong religious background, Antigone uses this rhetorical device to ensure that her speech reaches into their beliefs and causes them toShow MoreRelatedAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1478 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout Antigone, Antigone is a presented as a strong woman who is both dedicated to her family and her community. That said, there is much conflict between these two dedications. In this paper, I will give examples of Antigone’s different individual responsibilities and her philosophies and explain how those conflict with the commitment that she is to have to her community and indirectly, her king. Ultimately, I will argue that Sophocles demonstrated his values of family, the way of the godsRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles Essay1869 Words   |  8 PagesIn Sophocles’ play Antigone, two brothers, Eteocles and Polynices fight for the thrown of Thebes. The war comes to an end when both brothers die fighting for the honor, and their uncle Creon becomes the king of Thebes. Upon his coronation, Creon issues a decree that Eteocles, the former king of Thebes, will be honored with a traditional military burial, while his brother Polynices will be â€Å"left unwept, unburied, a lovely treasure for birds that scan the field and feast to their heart’s content† (SophoclesRead MoreSophocles Antigone By Sophocles1892 Words   |  8 PagesAntigone †¢ Title: Antigone by Sophocles †¢ Genre: Play; Tragic drama †¢ Historical context: Written circa, 442 B.C.E. in Athens Greece. Performed circa, 441 B.C.A. Its literary period was classical. 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However, Antigone, one of the few female characters in the book, possessed distinguishable female characteristics that are as remarkable as a male hero. Antigone was determined when she made up her mind to bury her brother. She was an agent of her words a nd took up the risks that accompanied to her deedsRead MoreAntigone By Sophocles Antigone1525 Words   |  7 Pagesneglect nothing that the gods demand† (1349-1350). Sophocles’ Antigone takes place in a trying time for the city of Thebes, when Oedipus, their king, and most of the royal family have died, and Creon has just been appointed the new king. Throughout the play, Creon tries on his power as the new ruler, and seems to believe that the gods will not be angry with some of his choices as king, even though they directly violate the divine law. However, in Antigone, when there is a conflict between the divine law