That the character who now steps into the place defined by the suppliants as a locus for communication with their god begins his speech by addressing them as “children” implies that his attitude is paternal. In the mouth of a mortal of middle age, even a king, the word “children” signals that he regards himself as a father to all his people, and consequently that he stands on a higher footing than all of them, including both his elders and those who serve the gods as priests. The speaker’s use of this term also lays claim to a degree of intimacy not befitting interpersonal relations in Greek society, whether of the 5th century or the age of heroes depicted in the myths around which tragic drama revolves. It is therefore doubly impertinent, and thus arrogant and irreverent, for anyone other than a god to address them as children. The prompt lies in the audience’s sense that it is inappropriate for a man, no matter how exalted his position or status, to address other men, especially a priest and those older than himself, as children. This fault problematizes the audience’s expectation that he will provide a meaningful solution to a communal problem so challenging that the suppliants feel it cannot be solved without the help of a god. [Mp] If a mortal is nevertheless to tackle this problem, as anyone skeptical of divine intervention might hope, that individual must possess extraordinary abilities. Addressing the people as children suggests, by contrast, that the speaker does not respect even their ability to measure or understand the problem–that he finds their perception of their problems to be overblown. If the audience identifies itself to any extent with the suppliants, who represent a cross-section of the male citizenry, his belittling of problems so great that they believe no mortal can solve them will suggest that his own perceptions are askew. If he misjudges the problem’s severity, will he really be able to solve it? This doubt throws the audience back on its own quandary about the best way to address a problem such as plague (cf. m.01). [P]