Sobek

In the novel Death Comes as the End, Sobek s the second son of Imhotep. He is married to Kait. They have two sons, and a daughter, Ankh. He prefers the goddess Sakhmet.

Renisenb remembered that since childhood, Sobek had argued with Yahmose in a high confident voice. He had a "habit of asserting his views with easy certainty".

Sobek was "extremely attached to his wife", and was in the habit of talking freely to her about all his affairs. He knew that she would appear to listen, but would not remember anything inconvenient, because her mind would have been on the children the entire time.

Sobek was of the opinion that Imhotep was "absurdly old-fashioned in his ideas", and that he lacked vision and courage. He was angry that his father did not trust him and leave things to his judgment. He was also of the opinion that if Yahmose would back him up, they could make their father see reason, but Yahmose was timid, and followed their father's every instruction.

Sobek told Kait that unless his father gave him a free hand, he would leave the family. However, Kait told him not to quarrel with his father, because when his father died, the estate would be theirs, and Yahmose's, and their children's.

Imhotep was of the opinion that Sobek had no judgment, did everything wrong, and was frequently impertinent. He also thought that Sobek was rash, and "much too bold".

On one occasion, Rebisenb saw Sobek killing a cobra. Even when the snake was dead, Sobek continued to hit it, with his "head thrown back", and "his eyes sparkling". Renisenb expressed the opinion that Sobek liked killing things. Hori then told her about an incident when they were children, when Sobek had attacked Yahmose by banging his head with a stone.

The family later received a letter from Imhotep, telling them that he intended to turn Yahmose and Sobek out of his house, and stop supporting them, because they had done harm to his concubine, Nofret. Sobek became angry, and said that he was going to do something, and he would enjoy doing it.

After Nofret's death, Renisenb thought that Sobek could have killed her, and that this was what he meant when he said he was going to do something and enjoy it. However, she later expressed the opinion that threatening was not the same as doing, and that Sobek had always been "full of boastful talk".

Imhotep later decided to associate himself with all three of his sons. Although he had been displeased with Sobek in the past, he expressed the opinion that Sobek had turned over a new leaf. He no longer idled his time away, and he deferred more to both Imhotep and Yahmose.

Sobek and Yahmose were taken ill after drinking wine which had been poisoned. The priest and physician Mersu was sent for, but he was unable to save Sobek, who died at dawn. According to Mersu, Sobek had consumed more of the poisoned wine, because he tossed it off at a draught, while Yahmose had sipped it.

After Sobek's death, Kait revealed to Renisenb that she was thankful to Sobek for giving her children, but that she had little love and respect for him. She considered him a "handsome braggart", who was always going to "ill-famed houses", spending a lot of money, drinking, and "asking for all the most expensive dancing girls". He did not do what she considered to be the decent thing, to take a sister into the house, who would have been able to contribute usefully to the household.