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[622-626] τί δῆτα χρῄζεις; ... τὸ γοῦν ἐμόν. (1) Verse 624, ὅταν προδείξῃς κ.τ.λ., which the MSS. give to Creon, belongs to Oedipus: and for ὅταν we should (I think) read ὡς ἂν. The argument that the stichomuthia should not be broken shows inattention to the practice of Soph. He not seldom breaks a stichomuthia, when a weighty utterance (as here, the king's threat) claims the emphasis of two verses. See (e.g.) 356-369, broken by 366 f. (the seer's denunciation): Soph. Ant. 40-48, broken by 45 f. (Antigone's resolve): Soph. OC 579-606, broken by 583 f. (where Theseus marks the singularity in the proposal of Oed.). (2) Verse 625 ὡς οὐχ ὑπείξων κ.τ.λ., which the MSS. give to Oedipus, belongs to Creon. (3) Between 625 and 626 a verse spoken by Oedipus has dropped out, to such effect as οὐ γάρ με πείθεις οὕνεκ᾽ οὐκ ἄπιστος εἶ. The fact of the next verse, our 626, also beginning with οὐ γὰρ may have led to the loss by causing the copyist's eye to wander. The echoed οὐ γὰρ would suit angry dialogue: cp. 547, 548 KP. τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ νῦν μου πρῶτ᾽ ἄκουσον ὡς ἐρῶ. ΟΙ. τοῦτ᾽ αὐτὸ μή μοι φράζ᾽. (See also on Soph. Phil. 1252.) The traditional interpretations fail to justify (1) οἷόν ἐστι τὸ φθονεῖν, as said by Creon: (2) πιστεύσων, as said by Oed. See Appendix.

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