Ethos and persuasion: an analysis of the judicial speech in Oedipus Rex

• Grant number: 22/00247-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2022
• End date: February 28, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Linguistics - Linguistic Theory and Analysis
• Principal Investigator: Waldir Beividas
• Grantee: Natália Miranda Fernandes da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This research's purpose is to analyze the verbal clashes present in Sophocles' Oedipus Rex in order to observe and describe how the character (ethos) of the speakers is projected in the speeches as a persuasion strategy. In order to accomplish that, Aristotle's Rhetoric shall be the main theoretical support, most specifically his considerations of the judicial genre, virtues, and vices. It will be shown that these two last elements can act as a mainstay in the construction of a judicial speech due to its the potential to create an image of the orator and, as a consequence, confer greater credibility to the defended cause.(AU)