When the Chorus agrees with Oidipous that he would be “better dead than living blind,” the audience will encounter two more ambiguities; first, the word that is taken here to mean “better” (κρείσσων) actually means “stronger” or “more powerful.” Now clearly there is no sense in saying that Oidipous would have had more power if he had died as an infant. For Athens, however, the comparative degree of power is precisely what is at issue in its war with the Peloponnesians. Consultation with Delphi on this matter would very likely result in instruction to end the war by making compromises that would reduce Athenian power. Athens’ refusal to consult Delphi expresses the city’s determination to maintain its power undiminished. If the city suffers defeat, however, compromise will seem to have been the better course. [Md] [Mip] [Mw]