Whatever Oidipous is about to say to Kreon, calling the gods as witnesses seems disingenuous or contradictory, for Oidipous has yet to acknowledge the extent to which the gods have always been both witnesses and active participants in the events of his life. Freely calling upon the gods to ratify his speech again makes of them—or his concept of them—instruments in endeavors that he has conceived and that he will carry out. [P] [Md] [Mpe] [Apa]