id, Thomas Sutpen's character qualities are clearly seen and understood. Both of these men have had one of their sons killed by another son because of an incestuous relationship that have been partaken in. The first son of Thomas Sutpen is Charles Bon and he is likened unto Amnon the son of King David (Lind 888). Through feelings, actions, and even death, the two men are closely related. The story of Hamlet is used as an allusion to the character of Henry Sutpen as well as Thomas Sutpen. Because of the instability of Henry and psychological forces that drive Thomas, they are likened unto the character of Hamlet. The novel Absalom, Absalom! alludes to a particular story in the Bible and the play Hamlet in order to descriptively develop the characters.
             There are detailed parallels between the character of King David in the Bible and Thomas Sutpen in the novel, which allows for the development of Thomas Sutpen's character. Like David, Sutpen is overwhelmed by his preoccupation with the crime of incest (Gray 255). Because of his desire to be with his half-sister in an incestuous relationship, Charles Bon, a son of Thomas Sutpen, is killed by his half-brother Henry Sutpen. The comparison between King David and Thomas Sutpen is that they both mourned over the murder of their one son by another son and over the idea of an incestuous relationship among their children. Although he has committed his own unethical deeds, he is still grieved at the thought of incest. Sutpen is also characterized as a worthy soldier just as David is noted as being a great and mighty soldier (Magill, Magill's Survey of American Literature 676). During the Civil War, Sutpen is an elected commander of a specific group of men. The two men are likened unto one another because of their ability to kill many foes and enemies. Another way in which Thomas and David are compared is that they are both alienated from their particular society ...