Oidipous rightly interprets the townspeople’s reticence as an indication of the credibility that they grant to Teiresias’s charges; this, he says, dulls his heart, which his metaphorical language casts as a sharp-edged tool or weapon. Surely this is not what he means, but if the audience gives weight to the unintended implications of his complaint, it will consider that the town can reduce the damage its ruler is inflicting on it by giving more credence (not less, as Oidipous would prefer) to its prophet. It is also worth noting that he is more troubled by what the people think of him than the possibility that he himself polluted Thebes when he killed its king, then married his victim’s widow, assumed his victim’s power, and lived in enjoyment of his victim’s prerogatives. This predilection suggests that preoccupation with the honor in which he is held stands in the way of good rule, which depends upon a proper regard for prophecy. [Md] [Mpea] [Mg] [Mi]