Kreon’s observation that Oidipous becomes overbearing (βαρύς) whenever his spiritedness (θυμός) goes too far seems apt in view of Oidipous’s responses to Teiresias and Kreon. The audience may also already be aware (from other versions of the myth repeated later in this play) that Oidipous killed his father in a flash of indignant anger as he was on the road from the sacred precinct at Delphi, which he had left in angry haste. If Oidipous’s reasoning seems to have been derailed, as Kreon says, by an excess weight of θυμός, the audience may observe that this state arises in him whenever he is confronted with an unpalatable prophecy. Supposing Athens to have been having similar feelings towards Delphi in response to the prophecy favoring Sparta, the criticism of Oidipous for his predilection to respond aggressively to untoward prophecies, Kreon’s words might sting the Athenian audience. [Gm] [Mi] [Md] [Gt-a]