Teiresias does not answer Oidipous’s question cum accusation by defending either Apollo or Kreon, nor does he respond to the implication that his words are fabrications. Instead, he once more charges Oidipous with bringing his troubles down upon himself. By declaring that Oidipous is the agent of his own troubles, he corrects Oidipous for jumping to a false conclusion and initiating a fruitless line of questioning. Thus, he deftly steers the discussion back to Oidipous’s culpability. The audience’s assumption that Teirsias’s statements are accurate, insightful, and truthful generates a partial answer to its own interest in discovering why Oidipous is fated to suffer at Apollo’s hands; he has brought his troubles on himself. Although Teiresias still does not specify Oidipous’s responsibility, the audience may begin to understand that it lies in his unwillingness to respect the seer, when the latter’s message does not conform with Oidipous’s own views. [Mpea] [Aj]