The threat of violence appearing to have induced the herdsman’s cooperation, he nevertheless continues to prolong the delay by disclosing nothing more than he had previously—that he did give the Corinthian an infant. Yet Oidipous expresses no further impatience, and rather than moving straight to the question for which he desires an answer, he resumes methodically to zero in on the central detail. That central detail, however, is not the one that initially motivated this inteview: the number of brigands that slew Laios. Either Oidipous has accepted the fact that he is Laios’ murderer or he has simply lost sight of his task. He has subordinated the town’s purification to the satisfaction of his curiosity regarding his parentage. And yet this project, as the audience knows, is dear to Apollo. So while Oidipous sets aside, at least for the moment, the god’s instructions to find Laios’ killer, in so doing he completes the god’s project, which is to show him to be his father’s killer and his mother’s husband. The two projects are converging, and Oidipous is seen to be an ally of the god both when he willingly follows instructions and when he ignores or forgets the god’s instructions to pursue his own ends. This has in fact been the pattern of Oidipous’s life; he has always aided the god in achieving the god’s ends, but willingly only when it suits him to do so. He can be compared with the herdsman, who seems never to have received instruction directly from the god, but has nevertheless acted in accordance with the god’s needs. As the herdsman resisted for decades revealing the truth until just now compelled to do so by Oidipous’s greater power, so Oidipous has until now resisted the god. Superior force and insight appear to have the advantage over inferior force and insight, and the god enjoys the use of force and insight superior to those of the most powerful and intelligent of mortals. Since these have the advantage over less powerful mortals, the gods ultimately govern all mortals, either directly or indirectly. Thus the wisest ruler will submit to the god and lead (or compel) his followers to do the same, while the wisest populace will encourage its rulers to consult the gods and submit to their instruction. [Apamu] [Apama] [Md] [P] [Mg] [Mip]