Judgment of Solomon: Difference between revisions

== [[Comics]] ==

* Even the classic comic strip ''[[Doonesbury]]'' found time to do this. Ambassador Duke was the Solomonic figure, and he even references the original:

* Subverted in ''[[FoxTrot]]''. Jason and Paige are arguing over an object, until their mother has finally had enough, and suggests they remember what Solomon said. "Something about ''cutting children in half''." The two immediately try to foist the object on each other.

* Subverted in ''La Biblia Contada a los Pasotas'', a Spanish comic-book adaptation of The Bible. King Solomon uses this trick but {{spoiler|only to walk near both candidates and watch them closely. He identifies the biological mother because she has the same eye color as the baby}}.

*** It's worth noting that Granny would probably have won the contest hands down, had she not spent the night holding back the [[Eldritch Abomination|elves]] inadvertently summoned by the [[Too Stupid to Live|young rival.]]

* Subverted in the ''[[Myth Adventures]]'' novel ''Hit And Myth'', where Skeeve ([[Emergency Impersonation|disguised as King Roderick]]) makes the ruling during a dispute over a cat.

* Used in Leo Frankowski's ''Cross-Time Engineer'' series. Conrad Stargard, the titular engineer, becomes a feudal lord, and and is asked to arbitrate a dispute. A man and his neighbor each owned a pig, and one day, they only found one pig. They both claim it is theirs. Conrad agrees with both of them, and tells them the court cost from each of them is half a pig. They divide the pig between them, and later give Conrad the other pig when it is found.

* Played straight in Book V of ''[[The Faerie Queene]]'', when Arthegall, Knight of Justice, arbitrates a dispute between a squire and a knight over a woman (who is apparently incapable of telling them herself). It turns out the knight kidnapped the woman ([[Complete Monster|and killed his own girlfriend when she objected to his running off with her]]) and is subsequently sentenced to carry her severed head around for a year as punishment.

== [[Western Animation]] ==

* Memorably subverted in ''[[The Simpsons]]'':

** There were also Ned Flander's ultra-gory retelling of Bible stories that had Solomon actually cutting the baby in half himself before either can say anything, and then killing himself after he [[My God, What Have I Done?|realized what he just did]]. By cutting himself in half.

** This trope inspired Reverend Lovejoy to come up with a solution when he and his wife were fighting with Homer and Marge over a mattress that somehow seems to invigorate the sex life of any couple that sleeps in it. Marge's only complaint was that Lovejoy cut the mattress diagonally, making it look like a grilled cheese sandwhich.