Oidipous enjoins Kreon to see to it that his father’s city not be found deserving of an encounter with him, yet mention of Laios recalls the impiety with which the city’s pollution began. The city has long been polluted, and the attitudes it displays in the course of this play show that it shares the impious views of its ruling family. [P] [Mw] Oidipous’s concern for the city’s wellbeing thus comes at far too late a date for any benefit to accrue to it from avoiding contact with him. Oidipous’s mention moreover of the fact that he himself still lives stands in contrast to his father’s violent death and suggests that while both the god and necessity demanded it, this did not in and of itself rectify the problems introduced by his actions, because the city’s purification required that Oidipous make of Laios’ killing a ritual sacrifice, an act that presumably would have made public the reason for his death and signaled a change in the ruling family’s—and thus the town’s—relationship to the god. Thus, to achieve Oidipous’s wish, namely, that the town not be thought deserving of one as polluted as he, it is essential that a public display be made of his punishment; Kreon must organize or conduct an appropriate ritual cleansing that involves use of Oidipous as the proper pharmakon. Just as Apollo attempted to direct a ritual cleansing through the drawing of Laios’ blood, he would be the appropriate choice to direct the present ritual cleansing. So again, Oidipous’s argument only supports Kreon’s determination to consult Delphi before taking any further action. [Mipd] He is perfectly prudent to act with utmost care and circumspection in regard to Oidipous’s treatment. This he can do by putting his faith and the town’s wellbeing into Apollo’s hands. [Dnt]