Because what the god showed Oidipous was not “sweet to look upon,” he failed to see what he ought to have seen, failed to do what he ought to have done, and so caused a world of trouble for himself, his family, his friends, and his city. This brings the audience’s focus to his antipathy for bitter truths. [Md] Rather than reacting with aversion to an unpleasant message, it would have been better to accept the necessity to look into it more carefully. Since the unpleasant truths were first delivered to him at Delphi, the audience might recognize its own aversion to the bitter prophecy promising Sparta the victory and even offering the god’s help in attaining it. Rather than reacting to this aversion by eschewing Delphi, Athens would, like Oidipous, do better more fully to explore the untoward prophecy and accept the god’s guidance in achieving the least onerous outcome. [Gt-a] [Mg] [Mipd]