Oidipous’s sudden interruption of his conversation with his wife to address a question directly to Zeus suggests that, even if she does not see the likely causality in the sequence of Laios’ killing and Oidipous’s arrival, he does. Calling Zeus by name to demand, “What have you planned to do concerning me?” he signals the realization not only that a god has been orchestrating his actions stretching back through decades of his life, but that that god is at hand, overhearing his speech and overseeing his action. By referring to a plan, he seems to recognize that neither the meeting at the crossroads nor his accession to power was fortuitous; both were necessary. He has at last seized upon the coincidence of these events and come to the conclusion that such tight sequencing must have been arranged, and if it was, then only by a god, for his own presence on the road to Thebes was unknown to any person but himself. By posing his question in the present tense, Oidipous seems to allow that the plan is even now still unfolding. And finally, the fact that he is posing this realization as a question indicates that he is open to the idea that the decisions bearing upon the course of his life lie in hands other than his own. He seems at this moment to be altogether free of religious skepticism. By asking the god what he has in mind for him, he seems to indicate acceptance of the god’s power and readiness to submit to the god’s will. Ironically, this submission seems to restore to Oidipous clarity of mind and soundness of judgment. The audience differs slightly from Oidipous: it knows the plan’s author to be Apollo, not Zeus, and it knows that the god’s plan will reach fulfillment with the revelation that Laios was his father and Iokste is mother. Oidipous may be on the path to restoration of his faculties, but he will not be all the way there until he recognizes that he has fulfilled all clauses of the prophecies that Apollo gave to his parents and to him. [Mp] [Apcma] [Apa] [Md] [P] [Dn]