When he promises to “try everything” (ἐπὶ πὰντ’ ἀφίξομαι) to find Laios’ killer there is in fact nothing that he has not already tried in the way of aggression and usurpation; he has taken Laios’ life, married wife, and assumed his position. There are, however, other avenues that Oidipous never tries, such as considering the possibility that he himself might have killed Laios and considering that prophecy might yet prove potent. These failures are underscored if one takes his word πὰντ’ to be masculine singular instead of neuter plural, in which case he promises that he will not stop short of approaching each and every person in Thebes as a suspect. Yet while these words anticipate the necessity of confronting himself, it is clear that he will be the last person whom he would consider a suspect. He is incapable of overcoming the limitations imposed by his own false assumptions, at the root of which lies his belief that he understands and controls all the relations in which he stands, despite what the gods might have had to say about it. [Gd] [Md] [Mea] [Apc] [Apa]