Oidipous simply means that he did not seek his position as Thebes’ ruler, but two aspects of his statement prompt the audience to find other ways of interpreting his words. First, the reference to Oidipous’s “hands” may recall the wording (only related later in this play but possibly already made familiar in other versions of the myth, such as Aeschylus’ Laios) of the prophecy given Laios, to the effect that he will die at his son’s hands, as has in fact occurred, though without Oidipous’s awareness of what he was doing. Therefore, it can be inferred that the god worked through Oidipous’s hands to effect the death that had been prophesied for his father. That death of course was also necessary before Oidipous could himself be made Thebes’ ruler, which was cemented by his marriage to the city’s queen, his mother. [Apamu] Thus, it was not primarily the city of Thebes who put its power into Oidipous’s hands, but the god Apollo who, first using Oidipous’s hands to kill Laios and then constructing a riddle ideally suited for Oidipous to solve, arranged for Oidipous’s marriage to his mother. [Apaos] To the extent that Thebes participated in placing power and queen in his hands, the city, in much the same way as Oidipous, was also ignorantly acting in accord with the god’s plan. [Apamu] Second, Oidipous refers to the position he holds as ἀρχή, by which he means “rule,” but which also connotes “primacy”—being both first and foremost. Troubling to the audience from the play’s opening tableau, however, has been the suggestion that Oidipous and Thebes give him first importance, putting him even before the gods. In that sense, both Oidipous and Thebes show their impiety. This is highlighted by the fact that the god Apollo appears to be orchestrating present events (and speaking through Oidipous’s mouth) just as he can be supposed to have managed events in the past and spoken through the mouths of his prophets and oracles. [P]