Characters’ Rhetoric and Persuasion Chart
Complete this chart for the following characters: Antigone, Creon, Ismene, and Haimon. Each character must have three entries linked to him or her
in this chart. To clarify, each of these four characters get three chart entries related to rhetoric and persuasion
Major Characters Example of rhetoric
used (with citation)
Antigone “No one should bury him,
no one should mourn for
him, but his body must lie
in the fields, a sweet
treasure for carrion birds to
find as they search for
food”.
“But I will bury him; and if I
must die, I say the crime is
holy”.
“Leave me my foolish plan:
I am not afraid of the
danger; if it means death, It
will not be the worst of
deaths- deaths without
honor”.
Type of Rhetorical Analysis: How does
Strategy: Ethos, Logos, Character X use this
or Pathos persuasion method?
Pathos Antigone uses this
persuasion method by
using phrases/ words such
as “fought as bravely and
died as miserably” and “no
one shall bury him, no one
should mourn for him”
which makes the
connotation sad which
would persuade people to
think he should be buried.
Ethos Ethos persuasion is your
ethical view. Antigone uses
ethos because she is trying
to persuade Ismene to
follow her plan by telling
her ethical view.
Antigone is using pathos
because she is saying if
Pathos she has to die for her
brother to buried then she
will sacrifice her life for him
to be buried. She is saying
this to convince Ismene to
go along with her plan.
Evaluation:
Is this method
effective? Strengths?
Weaknesses?
No , this method is not
effective because it did not
convince Creon to bury
Polyneices which was also
a weakness.
No, this method was not
effective because it did not
persuade Ismene to follow
along with her plan. This
would also be a weakness.
No, this method was not
effective because Ismene
did not go along with her
plan. Even though she said
she would die for her
brother Ismene did not go
along with her plan. The
weakness is this did not
convince Ismene to follow
Antigone's lead.
Creon
“I am aware of course, that
no ruler can expect
complete loyalty from his
subjects until he has been
tested in office”.
“Polynices, who broke his
exile to come back with fire
and sword against his
native city and the shrines
of his fathers’ gods, whose
one idea was to spill the
blood of his blood and sell
his own people into
slavery- Polynices, I say is
to have no burial…”
“He shall have my respect
while he is living and my
reverence when he is
dead.”
Ismene
“Bury him! You have just
said the new law forbids it.
Logos is using logics.
Creon states that he does
not expect complete trust
Logos because he is a new ruler
however he thinks that the
trust of the people will build
up. He is persuading the
people to trust him by
making the right choices.
Creon made an ethical
decision by backing up
why polyneices should not
have a burial. Creon is
stating why Polyneices
Ethos should not have a burial
and to convince the public
that Polyneices should not
have a burial.
Creon is speaking off of
ethics and his beliefs in
this quote. This would
Ethos persuade the public to
respect him so they have a
pleasant death and respect
from Creon.
Logos Ismene is speaking off of
logics because the law tells
her not too.
Yes, Creon method was
effective because most
people ended up trusting
him. Creon's strength was
making the right decisions
and eventually that led to
the trust of the people.
No, this method is not
effective because Antigone
took the risk and buried
Polyneices. A weakness of
this method was
Polyneices was buried so it
did not convince everyone
in the public.
Yes, this method was
somewhat effective
because many people had
respect for Creon. A
strength of this was the
public respected him.
No, this is not effective
because Antigone still
buried Polyneices. A
weakness was the law
never prevented Antigone
to bury Polyneices.
 Ethos Ismene believes that she Yes, this was effective
can not fight Creon because she did not go
because he is more against Creon. A strength
“We are only women, We powerful and she believes in this was she did not go
can not fight with men, that she can not win the against Creon and still had
Antigone! war. respect for Creon.

“They mean a great deal to
me, but I have no strength
to break laws that were
made for public good.”
Ethos Ismene believes that the No, the laws were not
law were made for her and effective because they
the public's on good were broken by Antigone
therefore she can not because she buried her
break them and take the brother. A weakness of this
risk with Antigone. was not everyone obeyed
the laws.

Haimon

Don’t forget: ​Rhetoric is the language used to persuade or impress others. Some of the persuasion methods the
characters used were rhetorical appeals: ethos, pathos, logos. These characters have their own beliefs that they are
trying to impress upon others.Think about HOW they do this and if they are effective or not.