Iokaste’s phrase “nothing ever more again” strongly suggests that this is her farewell; the myth expects suicide by hanging. [Gm] That her final words to Oidipous are inarticulate exclamations of pain and pity raises the question—easily answered—why she does not declare herself more clearly: he is not open to receive such a truth from her and she herself may not now even be capable of giving full expression to the implications of her discovery. [Mp] So adamant have the two of them been in building their lives on the premise that the gods are distant, do not take a direct interest in mortal affairs, and lack the power to realize their prophecies that they have made themselves almost completely impervious to the contrary possibilities, so that when confronted by a vivid demonstration of the truth, the effect is literally stunning. [Mpea]