Where Oidipous registers a complaint that his injuries have subjected him to a “terrible reproach” or “awful disgrace” (δεινόν γ᾽ ὄνειδος) ever since he was in swaddling clothers the audience will anticipate that that shame will be nothing in comparison with what he is about to experience. But what shame does he mean? He cannot have known that his scars resulted from the aspects of a ritual exposure, for then he would also know that Polybos and Merope were not his parents. If his shame stemmed from a disability that limited his agility in battle or sport, it certainly did not slow his lightning-fast and murderous response to the provocation at the crossroads, nor has it reduced his standing in Thebes. It did not get in the way of marriage to the queen, impede his capacity to rule, or hinder him in the begetting of children. Thus, what he takes to be a cause for shame seems in fact to be blown out of all proportion. He might have been curious about his scars, and to the extent that he has any disability, he might be vexed as well, and this could have increased his curiosity. Yet he does not seem to have pursued the question. His response to his injuries parallels his response to the untoward prophecy; instead of investigating or supposing them to be signs of divine providence (as the audience now knows them to be), he simply takes offense, just as he took offense at the drunken reverl’s comment that he was not the true son of Polybos and Merope, and just as he took offense at what he took to be the god’s inadequate response to his question about his parents. His pride or vanity seems too often to cloud his judgment and put him at odds with the gods. This predilection will in the audience’s judgment be a cause for real shame. [Mipd] [Ad] [Md] [P]