There is murder and destruction in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, from the horrible existence imposed on the serfs to the imprisoned who languish in Morgan le Fay’s castle, to the knights who meet their demise from machine gun fire on the sand belt.
There is also a great deal of sadness, which pervades not only Twain’s book but Arthurian lore as well. The story of Mordred and his bastard father, King Arthur, for example, is an exemplary tale of unlawful vengeance, frustration, and murder.
Today, we examine the word “patricide” on the blog to understand its definition and how it relates to fiction.
Denotation
To begin, “patricide” is an interesting word as it describes the “act of killing one’s father” or “one who murders one’s father.” Additionally, Wordnik also defines patricide as “The crime of one who murders his father.”
Meanwhile, the Cambridge Dictionary states that “patricide” is “the crime of killing your own father,” which broadens the idea of family, as “fratricide” is the murder of one’s sibling, “matricide” for the murder of one’s mother, and regicide is the murder of one’s king.
Connotation
“Patricide,” connotatively, is a negative word that carries the baggage of rivalry. In history, there are many examples of patricide, from King Sennacherib, murdered by his son Sennacherib, to Alexander the Great’s suspected role in his father’s murder. A more modern example is the case of Lizzie Borden, who “allegedly” killed her father and stepmother in 1892.
In Greek mythology, Cronus is convinced to castrate and murder his father; in return, he would later be overthrown by his own son Zeus. In Norse Mythology, Hreidmar is murdered by his son Fafnir (and possibly Regin) to obtain a valuable ring.
So, patricide is a recurring theme throughout history and myth.
Examples in Literature:
- The patricide-laced court case in “The Brothers Karamazov” (1880).
- In Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” Claudius kills King Hamlet to become the King of Denmark.
- Oedipus kills his father, King Laius, in “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles.
- Edmund in “King Lear” by Shakespeare causes his father’s death by proxy.
Conclusion: Patricide in A Connecticut Yankee
Regarding Arthurian legend, we mustn’t forget that in the third act of most versions, Mordred reveals himself as the lawful bastard child of King Arthur, born from an incestuous love affair with his half-sister, Morgan le Fay, unknowingly.
In Mark Twain’s “A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court,” both King Arthur and Mordred battle off-screen, with the protagonist Hank Morgan only coming to realize what has happened while he is away in France.
“And when Sir Mordred heard Sir Arthur, he ran toward him with his sword drawn in his hand. And then King Arthur smote Sir Mordred under the shield, with a thrust of his spear through the body, more than a fathom. When Sir Mordred felt that he had his death’s wound, he thrust himself, with all the might he had, up to the hilt of King Arthur’s spear. And right there, he smote his father, Arthur, with his sword held in both his hands, on the side of the head, piercing the helmet and the brain-pan, and therewithal Sir Mordred fell…” (Twain).
Arthur, incited by Mordred’s meddling in the kingdom’s affairs, battles Mordred on the field, and both meet their demise at each other’s hands. A son speared by his father, and a father fatally stabbed by his son—patricide defined.
Works Cited
Title: “Patricide.” Cambridge Dictionary. URL: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/patricide
Title: “Patricide.” Merriam-Webster. URL: www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patricide.
