By calling Teiresias “obdurate” Oidipous suggests that he is as unfeeling as a rock, the very image that he applied to himself a moment ago. He must mean that Teiresias has no feelings for his fellow mortals, but the audience might well understand him to mean “unyielding,” “rock solid,” in which case Oidipous pays unwitting tribute to Teiresias’ss steadfast devotion to the god he serves. The audience, having been confronted with the question of compassion, might now wonder whether the god whom Teiresias serves might not himself be lacking in compassion, for at this point the god is clearly not contriving Oidipous’s happiness, but his misery. Oidipous, however, charges Teiresias with feeling nothing for the city, and if the audience considers that Oidipous’s suffering may be necessary to cleanse Thebes of pollution and so return the city to health, then it would find Apollo’s actions, which include subjecting his loyal seer to Oidipous’s wrath, to express considerable compassion for the city. [Mpi] [Apama] [Ad]