Instructing the herdsman that he does wrong by not “telling of the child,” Oidipous directs the witness to reveal to him his own identity; the child is the man himself, Laios’ killer, Laios’ son, Iokaste’s son, and Iokaste’s husband. The revelations of Oidipous’s identity and his wrongdoing seem about to converge; the god’s complex plan is about to reach fruition. In insisting that the herdsman answer truthfully, Oidipous satisfies the requirements of god, of myth, and thus: of necessity. By facing the facts no matter how bitter, he cannot but do right, and to face the facts means to do everything in his power to bring them to light. This general truth is pertinent to the Athenian audience, which is faced by the bitter prophecy of a Spartan victory and promise of the god’s help for the Spartans in their effort to achieve it. The Spartan victory is a necessity to which Apollo can contribute a plan and help in effecting it. Athens cannot, however, hope–any more than Oidipous can hope–to understand Apollo’s plan on its own. Like Oidipous, the city must do everything in its power to bring to light the facts, no matter how bitter they may be, and in this endeavor it should expect and even ask the god to take a hand. [Gt-a] [Mp] [Ap] [Mi]