The second descriptor of the indefinite subject of this conditional sentence is that he or she is “of justice unafraid.” It is more difficult to see how this characterizes Oidipous. If the Chorus means by this the wrongdoer’s confidence that he is too clever or too powerful to be caught, brought to trial, and convicted, this could only apply to one who knows that he has committed a crime, and this has until just now not been true of Oidipous. If he knows better now, it is due entirely to his own efforts on behalf of justice and the god. In his pursuit of justice he has in fact been so utterly fearless that when his criminal investigation began to indicate to him that he may in fact have killed Laius, he showed no sign of wishing to use his position to subvert or even delay the investigation. To the contrary: despite the severe penalties which in accordance with the god’s instructions and his own edict he will be required to pay if he is found guilty of Laius’ killing, Oidipous continues to push his investigation forward with undiminished vigor and determination. He is, then, remarkably unafraid of justice, but not at all in the critical implied by contemptuously. The only check on the audience’s admiration for Oidipous’s steadfast commitment to justice comes from the sense that he mistakenly and even arrogantly holds himself above all suspicion. [Md] [Mpea] Once more respecting the broad scope of the indefinite pronoun, the audience might try applying this, as it has just done, to Athens. Is the city unafraid of justice? Perhaps, and perhaps for a similar reason to Oidipous, because it sets itself beyond justice’s reach. It is due to this, after all, that Athens is willing to take on Sparta. Athens cannot be brought to trial without first being defeated in war. If it takes Oidipous as its example, however, it should give thought to the possibility that it has misjudged its own vulnerability. [Gt-a] [Md] [Mpea]