When Oedipus murders King Laius, his biological father, he does so unknowingly. Further, Laius had actually been aggressive toward Oedipus when they ran into each other on the road. Oedipus only thought that he was killing some stranger, a nobody, who had treated him violently first (remember, too, that Oedipus grew up as the prince of Corinth, so he's used to respectful treatment, and Laius, as the king of Thebes, was used to being treated...
When Oedipus murders King Laius, his biological father, he does so unknowingly. Further, Laius had actually been aggressive toward Oedipus when they ran into each other on the road. Oedipus only thought that he was killing some stranger, a nobody, who had treated him violently first (remember, too, that Oedipus grew up as the prince of Corinth, so he's used to respectful treatment, and Laius, as the king of Thebes, was used to being treated deferentially as well -- so, lots of pride in that interaction).
On the other hand, when Macbeth kills King Duncan, he does so with his eyes wide open, in full knowledge of who he's killing and why. He kills his kinsman, his king, his guest, and his friend, all in one, and he does so in order to usurp the king's power and position. Oedipus does not; he's not trying to achieve power, he's just trying to get some answers. This is just one reason that Oedipus seems to be a much more sympathetic tragic hero: he only wants the truth -- a truth which has been withheld from him for his whole life. Macbeth doesn't pursue truth; he pursues power, and this makes him a lot less sympathetic of a tragic hero.
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