A Fratricide A Fratricide "A Fratricide" (German: Ein Brudermord) is a short story by Franz Kafka written between December 1916 and January 1917. It is one of Kafka's most realistically descriptive and graphically violent stories, and tells the story of a murderer, Schmar, and his victim, Wese. Although no clear motive for the murder is given anywhere in the story, it can be ascertained that the crime is a matter of jealous passion. Apart from the title, there is no obvious indication that the two characters are brothers, and the title may be an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and
Fratricide Punished to those who would seek power through foul play to reconsider, as they will likely be repaid by similar means. The remainder of "Fratricide Punished" seems at once familiar to readers of "Hamlet", yet at times strange. There are some important differences in the naming of characters. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is Corambus, a name familiar in Q1 "Hamlet" but changed to Polonius in Q2 and the folio editions of Shakespeare's text. Corambus' son, Leonhard, is similarly named Laertes in those texts. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are noticeably absent, their roles replaced in part by unnamed Ruffians. The text