Instructing the people in prayer posture before him to remove their wreaths, his explicit recognition of their suppliant status (ἱκτῆρας) underscores the fact that their petitions were formally directed to a god, despite which he judges their purpose to have been achieved. Because, however, the god is even now demonstrating his power through Oidipous’s speech, the audience will understand that their purpose may indeed have been achieved; the god has heard them and come in answer to their prayer. This makes more evident the impiety in Oidipous’s comfort with the idea that he, and not the god, shall be the one to supply their needs. So where at his first appearance the audience may have been willing to accept him in lieu of the god, it knows this now to be a grave error. If the people get up now, they give a sign of accepting their ruler’s sufficiency in lieu of the god and thereby contaminate themselves with his error. [P] [Mpea] [Gd] [Apcmu]