The Chorus appears to be asking a rhetorical question to express an inference it is making about what Oidipous’s example leads it to expect from life. The townsfolk see him either as the epitome of misfortune or as the victim of divine enmity. The question nevertheless demands that the audience consider Oidipous as an example of good fortune and divine blessings, and it will recognize that it cannot deny that Apollo has taken a profound interest in this man, his family, and the town he has been ruling. But where Oidipous himself has presumed Apollo to be inimical towards him, the audience has begun to see that in fact the god may have been endeavoring to help Oidipous into the clear. Granted, necessity required that he take his father’s life, but that was a consequence brought on by Laios and Iokaste, who knowingly risked it; their punishment was sealed by their disobedience. This made of Oidipous an object of the god’s special care; Apollo saved his life, saw to his upbringing, and when the time was ripe, summoned him to receive his instructions. [Apa] [Apc] Had Oidipous submitted to aiding the god in return, it can be surmised that he would have continued to enjoy the god’s protection and to receive the god’s blessings. [P] [Mw] [Dnc] Mortals are therefore mistaken to suppose their sufferings to be signs of the gods’ disregard or enmity; the opposite may very well be the case. [Mpea] To discover the meaning and significance of their misfortunes mortals have at their disposal the Oracle at Delphi. [Mip]