The demonstration of Olympian power rests, in the words of the Theban Chorus, with “these self-evident matters,” by which it must mean the clear and unambiguous punishment of those who exceed the bounds of propriety, and while the Chorus may not be thinking of Oidipous and Iokaste, the audience is acutely aware that, just as Laios met his end years ago, this pair will be made to suffer, and that their suffering will take the form of discovery. Oddly, the word that the Chorus uses to refer to the improprieties requiring divine justice is χειρόδεικτα, literally meaning “displayed at hand.” The demonstration of divine power rests, as the current circumstances show, not only in the execution of justice, but in its being made manifest. If it is not graspable, it is nothing. Considering how much time has passed since justice was executed through Laios’ killing and Oidipous’s marriage to Iokaste, the manifestation of justice is as problematic, if not more so, for the god to accomplish as its execution. The audience can marvel at the subtlety with which the god not only fulfilled his promise, but has been leaving marvelously subtle signs pointing towards this. These signs abound in nearly every word, circumstance, and deed, even those spoken or performed with the clear intention of contravening prophecy and the divine justice that it described. That the Chorus’s demand for a sign comes at the precise moment when a variety of signs is making itself painfully evident in forms varying from the plague itself to its own speech demonstrates its obtuseness. The signs are literally now “at hand” as they have always been “afoot” in Oidipous’s name, in the injuries to his feet, and even in his success with a riddle pertaining to feet. The demand for a manifestation, then, suggests that skepticism is unreasonable and an indication, consequently, of impiety. The Chorus would do better to trust that the god is certain to deliver justice, to look for ways to identify signs that this is already occurring, and to put itself at the god’s disposal to help in the process. The metonymy of plague in both Thebes and Athens transfers these judgments to Athens, with the consequence that the audience will recognize the likelihood that the god has already recognized the impiety concealed by its own obtuse refusal to recognize circumstances such as plague as divine interventions. The grounds towards which Athenians may point to justify their skepticism only point up Athens’ impiety. Punishment is headed Athens’ way, and the city’s only hope is to reverse its impiety and put itself at the god’s disposal. [Gd] [Md] [Gt-a] [P] [Aj] [Mw]