Oidipous accepts the possibility that he will be held responsible for Laios’ death, not because this conclusion is supported by the facts, but out of pity, as he says, for the townspeople’s pain. He declares himself willing to sacrifice himself for their wellbeing; he will indeed serve as the scapegoat (cf. m.01) by which Thebes can rid itself of its affliction. Strangely, while Oidipous views this concession as self-sacrifice, the audience, knowing that he is in fact Laios’ killer, may note that his concession again diverts him from considering the possibility that he was involved in Laios’ death. He is prepared to die an unjust death, but he is not prepared to give thought to the possibility that he has dealt death unjustly. The audience will be struck simultaneously, then, by the nobility of his commitment to city and by the distorting effects of his self-righteousness. It must be struck also by the god’s capacity to put matters right with an economy that requires no superfluous sacrifice; the subject’s commitment to the city is turned to the city’s benefit while at the same time demonstrating that a god’s powers far exceed those of any mortal. [Md] [Mp] [Apam] [Mw]