In Sophocles' play, Antigone, the main character uses rhetoric to effectively persuade her audience to sympathize with her. In the comedy, Antigone's brother, Polynices, dies as a traitor to the Theban people. King Creon decrees that no one should bury the traitor despite the necessity of burial for proper passage into the afterlife. Believing that Creon's decree is unjust, Antigone buries her brother. When brought before the king, Antigone uses this speech in defense of her actions. In his speech, he uses allusions, diction, and a particular sentence structure to increase the effectiveness of his argument. A key factor in the power of her speech is Antigone's consideration for her audience. The first of these audiences is Creon, king of Thebes. Creon receives this argument as an explanation for Antigone's defiance of his law. Creon's statement, “Yet you dared to defy the law,” evokes this response, in which Antigone says, “Your edict, king, was strong” (“Antigone” 1035 line 56-59). This confirms that his argument is directed at the king. The second audience is the people of Thebes. In the show, the choir represents the citizens of Thebes. They are almost always present when the king speaks, and this scene is no exception. Anitgone forms her argument to appeal to the citizens' thoughts and emotions. Antigone's two purposes in giving this speech center on her two primary audiences, Creon and the citizens of Thebes. In reference to Creon, Antigone's purpose is to convey that, even after being captured, she does not fear his power, nor his punishment. She wishes to show him that she supports the rightness of his actions and the wrongness of his beliefs. To prove this, he refers to his... middle of paper..., is the guilty factor in the situation. As explained before, Antigone states that her death “is of no importance” and that the important factor is the denial of a proper burial to Polyneices (“Antigone” 1035 line 70). The rhetorical devices he uses in his argument enhance its overall persuasive power. In conclusion, Antigone uses a developed persuasive skill to support her argument when she confronts Creon and the people of Thebes. Antigone uses her moral foundations, her religious roots, and the events of her past to form a sophisticated argument. Although she is unable to convince Creon to reverse his punishment, Antigone manages to convince the people of Thebes that she was right in her actions. After Antigone's death and the deaths of many others, Creon reflects on this monologue and realizes the honest truth behind Antigone's actions and words..