In Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the solar eclipse is a very important part of the story. The Connecticut Yankee is Hank Morgan, a manager of an arms factory who was knocked out by a bully named Hercules. When he awoke, he found himself in a completely different place: a grassy field under a tree. Then a man in shining armor riding a horse approached him and tried to pick a fight. The Yankee, who thought the knight was part of a circus, went along with the joke and agreed to become the knight's prisoner.
They traveled for a while and eventually arrived at King Arthur's court where the knight Sir Kay brought him to a meeting of the knights of the round table. There he met a page whom he called Clarence and became friends with him. They began talking and Clarence mentioned the year 528. This took the Connecticut Yankee by surprise. He asked for the date which was June 19, but he still didn't really believe he was in King Arthur's court. He thought he was in an illusion, a dream, an asylum or a circus. He started thinking and then he remembered that in the year 528 A.D. on June 21 at 12:03 there was a total eclipse of the sun. He decided that the best way to find out if he really was in King Arthur's court would be to wait until 12:03 on the 21st for the eclipse. If there was an eclipse, he would know it wasn't a dream. If no eclipse happened, he would decide it was a dream. Until the 21st of June, however, he could only wait and try to make the best of the position he was in.
Meanwhile, in King Arthur's Court, the Yankee as well as many of other prisoners were brought to a meeting of the knights of the round table. For the most part, this meeting was made up of all the knights telling tall tales of how they captured prisoners and won battles. When Sir Kay told his tale, he also sentenced the Yankee to be burned at noon on the 21st. Hank Morgan was stripped of his clothes and then cast into a dungeon.
While he was in the dungeon, he fell asleep. The Yankee was just waking up when Clarence came in to talk to him. Hank soon became aware that if he didn't do something soon he would be burned at the stake. He decided being burned would be painful whether it was just a dream or whether it was a reality. Hank quickly asked Clarence if there was any chance for escape. Clarence replied by telling him that not only were there many guards, but also that Merlin, the old wizard of the kingdom, had cast a spell on anyone who tried to escape from the dungeon.
When the Yankee heard this, he laughed and then decided to take advantage of the situation. He told Clarence that he himself was a magician and much more powerful than Merlin. Clarence was surprised, but he believed every word the Yankee said. Then Hank told Clarence to tell the king that he was a magician and to release him at once.
However, when the page left to do as he was asked, the Yankee came across a big problem. He realized that if he told the people he was a magician, they would ask to see some extraordinary magic. If he didn't prove himself to be a magician, the people would most likely kill him on the spot. Hank knew he had to come up with a plan to make a miracle happen. He thought and thought and thought until he came up with a perfect idea: the eclipse would be his miracle. He got this idea from reading about an explorer who used an eclipse to trick some natives. Then Clarence came back and told Hank that the king (after speaking with Merlin) would not release him unless he showed them some magic.
At that point Hank told Clarence to tell the king of his plan: At the time he was to be burned at high noon on the 21st, he would blot out the sun so it would never appear again. Because of the loss of the sun, the plants and animals would all die, and everyone would starve until the entire earth was dead.
The Yankee waited in the dungeon while Clarence sent the message. When it was time, the Yankee was brought to the stake. However, before it was too late for him, the moon started to cross the sun and the people started to get scared. In fear, and with the objection of Merlin, the king ordered that the Yankee not be burned. Then the king asked Hank to spare the sun and he would offer him anything he wanted. Hank decided to delay his answer. He couldn't remember how long the eclipse would last. He also needed to think, because his first reason for seeing the eclipse was to find out if he really was in King Arthur's kingdom. However, when the moon showed that it really would cover the sun, he was certain that he really was in the sixth century, and that it wasn't a dream at all.
Then the Yankee spoke to the king about a bargain. He would spare the sun if he could become the king's executive and minister, and could live in the castle and receive wages. Upon hearing this, all of the thousands of people cheered and brought him some clothes. However, the eclipse was not over, so they all waited impatiently, because Hank told them he would wait until the sun was completely gone. If the king hadn't taken back his promise by that time, Hank would spare the sun.
Whe the eclipse was complete and the king had not changed his mind, the Yankee ordered the enchantment to end, and the sun to come out. Then a sliver of the sun could be seen again, and everyone cheered and thanked the Yankee over and over again.