According to the gods, the fall of Oedipus will remove the plague from Thebes. This is stated when Oedipus asks Creon what the gods said they should do to remove the plague, and Creon says that it is "The banishment of a man, or the payment of blood for blood" (28). Therefore, after Oedipus delves into the truth and banishes himself, it is implied that the plague has been eliminated from Thebes. The reason for this is because the gods had prophesied this to Creon, that once the impure man, i.e. Oedipus, is banished, Thebes will be purified. In essence, Oedipus' exile eliminates the plague, bringing Thebes back to