Alliteration In Antigone

"A good man yields when he knows his course is wrong and repairs the evil" (231). In the Greek tragedy, Antigone by Sophocles, a woman is punished for breaking an unjust law. This angers the gods and the maker of the unjust law is warned by an oracle named Teiresias to fix his wrongs before the gods unleash total downfall into his life. Sophocles reveals that man-made laws aren't always correct through Teiresias' speech about how all individuals make mistakes. These themes are revealed with the use of alliteration and appeals to ethos. Teiresias uses alliteration in his speech to prove that rules created by men can be flawed. In order to reveal how important the situation is, Teiresias tells Creon that, "the bare bone burst from the welter," (231) to evoke the emotion of fear in Creon. The alliteration in that sentence …show more content…
Teiresias begins his speech by mentioning that he "was sitting in [his] seat of augury," (231) to show that he was qualified for his job and he was giving correct information. Another way Teiresias uses ethos to attempt to persuade Creon is when he tells him that he's telling him his speech "for [his] own good," (231). Teiresias shows in that part of his speech that he cares for Creon and he is not simply interested in his own personal good. Using ethos revealed to Creon that Teiresias' speech was reliable to listen to. Rhetorical devices such as appeals to ethos and alliteration aided in revealing Sophocles' view that man-made laws can be flawed through Teiresias' speech. Through alliteration Teiresias was able to grab Creon's attention to important parts of the speech. Through appeals to ethos Teiresias' speech sounded more trustworthy and reliable. All in all this speech teaches individuals that humans are not flawless, we all makes mistakes and mess up so our rules may not always be perfect

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