In his first encounters with the city of Thebes, Oedipus found them under the curse of the Sphinx. He actually gained his position of King of Thebes by rendering unto the city a great service, namely the salvation of the city from the Sphinx's plague. Aristotle praised this type of cleverness and practical wisdom Oedipus exhibited in his solution to the riddle as being a component of overall goodness. If it were not for Oedipus' cleverness, the citizens would have suffered untold disasters at the merciless hands of the Sphinx. After proving his worth as a good man and his concern for the citizens of what was seemingly a foreign city, Oedipus was well liked by the people of Thebes.

The people of Thebes liked their ruler, and he in turn ruled over them in a good and just way, trying to help them in their times of need. Aristotle believed that good in man existed in doing his job well. A good carpenter was one who worked with his wood

Another way of looking at Oedipus' devotion to finding the truth of the matter of his prophecy and the plague on Thebes may be divined from an analysis of his motives, which he was seeking to benefit from his actions. Aristotle praises those who act in the interests of others, saying "the best man is not who practices virtue toward himself, but who practices it toward others, for that is a hard thing to achieve." By equating selflessness with the best man Aristotle assigns especially high value to this virtue of character. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus acted without regard for who would benefit or suffer from the fruition of his inquiry. "Oedipus announces that he will search for the killer as a duty to Thebes, Laius, and himself" (Scodel 58). He knew full well that in his uncovering the awful truth of the old prophecy he would be cursed and disgraced. Oedipus realized the seriousness of the situation as far back as his conversation with Jocasta where he said "My curse! Oh, ignorant! Alas! I see it was myself I cursed" (79), and probably had suspicions even sooner. Still Oedipus went dragging the wretched truth out into the light, saving the city from its distress but ruining himself as well. Oedipus sacrificed himself in order to deliver his city from the plague, establishing himself as a good person according to the Aristotelian definition.

Similarly, in Oedipus' quest for the truth, he established his goodness under another category of Aristotelian virtue. When warned by Teiresias of the painful news the prophet bears, Oedipus insisted on hearing what he has to say. When Jocasta pleaded with him to stop his interrogation of the messenger, Oedipus replied "I cannot yield my right to know the truth" (87). When the herdsman balked at spelling out Oedipus' dreadful fate, Oedipus threatened him,

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