As soon as the stranger challenges the one central assumption upon which Oidipous’s adult life has been fashioned, Oidipous might be expected to comprehend his error and leap to review the aspects of his life that have been affected by it. If Polybos is not his biological father, then who is? Has he killed him? Was his father one of the men he has killed, such as Laios or his traveling party? Or must he still fear killing his father? And who would his mother be? Has he already had intercourse with her, or is that still to be feared? His thoughts seem not to stray in these directions; rather, for he asks the Corinthian to restate his declaration that Polybos did not father him. The audience will infer that he cannot accept the simple fact, perhaps because he has already realized at least one of its implications, namely, that every action taken since receiving the prophecy years ago has been based upon erroneous assumptions. [Mpea] The audience now knows that that error was one of interpretation; had he taken care to examine the Oracle’s words and perhaps to question the Oracle as now he is questioning the stranger, he would have discovered that he had altogether misunderstood the prophecy, which had no bearing on Polybos and Merope and which was not a prediction but an instruction. It is too late now to avert the catastrophe by pursuing a methodical exposition of the truth; the opportune moment to interrogate his informant was during his interview with the Pythia. [Mipd] [Mw]