Iokaste explicitly puts the demand for interpersonal respect second to the demand for respect for an oath sworn on the gods. She clearly wants Oidipous to respect Kreon’s statements, but she cannot expect him to accede to them simply because she wants it; there must be another way of adjudicating competing judgments. Thus she insists upon the sacredness of an oath that references the gods. Her need, which echoes the city’s need for a mechanism, assigns the gods an essential role in the regulation of mortal affairs. [P] [Mpi] [Mg]