Oidipous repeats the Staffperson’s final comment that no bane is absent (l. 1285), but couched as a rhetorical question, it will prompt the audience to reconsider it. The audience will find that in the context of this play, every bane has been realized; Oidipous, his children, and his city are all condemned to suffering. Indeed, although Laios’ killer has been identified, no salutary effect can yet be discerned. Impiety’s destructive potential has manifested itself and laid waste to everything and everyone, save perhaps Kreon, although given the future conflict he will have with Antigone and its result in the death of his son , one cannot look with optimism upon his prospects. But the question need not be confined to the situation in Thebes; the audience may respond to the rhetorical question by asking itself how matters stand for Athens. With war and plague surrounding and penetrating the city, the only unresolved issue seems to be whether the opportunity for rectification has passed. Is the presently unfolding calamity bound to pass to the next generation? Can nothing be done to reverse the tide of destruction? Have the gods been hopelessly alienated, or is there still an opportunity for purification, a fresh start, and a more salubrious outcome? [Mw] [Mg] [Mi]