Benedict Arnold (January 14, 1741 - June 14, 1801) was a general during The American Revolution. He originally fought for the Patriots, scoring some major victories, but later switched sides and fought for the British. To this day, his name is a synonym for "traitor" in the United States.
Fictional depictions of Benedict Arnold run the gamut from those that portray him as a Card-Carrying Villain to those that sympathetically examine his reasons for changing sides. Arnold gave his own reasons in an open letter called, "To the Inhabitants of America." In it, he claimed that recent British peace overtures had sufficiently addressed the colonists' grievances, and he also condemned the American alliance with absolutist Catholic France. However, many suspect that he may have had other motives. One common theory is that he was fed up after having been repeatedly passed over for promotion. Additionally, he may have been influenced by the pro-British Peggy Shippen, whom he married in 1779.
Portrayals
- Robert Douglas in the 1955 film The Scarlet Coat
- Stephen Macht in the 1984 Mini Series George Washington
- Aidan Quinn in Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor, a 2003 Made-for-TV Movie
- Chris Parnell in Drunk History, alongside Winona Ryder as Peggy Shippen
- Owain Yeoman in Turn
- Voiced by Andy Samberg in America: The Motion Picture
- Voiced by Dustin Hoffman in Liberty's Kids
- Voiced by Paul Hopkins in Assassin's Creed III
