Aristotle says in his poetics that Sophocles drew men "as they ought to be".

Oedipus- His Character Aristotle says in his poetics that Sophocles drew men "as they ought to be". But Oedipus, with heinous acts as he did, is this what he meant by what a man ought to be? Of course not, this isn't the way Aristotle meant us to interpret the statement in this way, and this will be discussed in the following paragraphs. In the opening scene, Sophocles presents Oedipus as a wise and benevolent …

…deeds were bad, in fact very bad, he faced them noblely and fully. As king, he could have easily 'silenced' both the shepherd and the Corinthian, made an excuse for Jocasta's death, apologised to Tieresias and Creon, and kept on ruling. Most people today, if they were found in a similar situiation to Oedipus would do just that. However, the best defination of Oedipus' character come from himself: "I her noblest, most unhappy son" Line 1379