Examples Of Sibling Rivalry In King Lear

Sibling Rivalry

Siblings, for a lot of people, are an important part of growing up. They teach children how to interact with others and how to form friendships from a young age. However, like most things in life, they have a negative side.

Sibling rivalry is an incredibly common thing, and has been shown throughout history. Even in the Bible, in the Book of Genesis where Cain becomes jealous of his brother Abel and kills him as a result of this jealousy. Many Shakespearean plays also feature sibling rivalry, such as Richard III and King Lear.

One of the oldest sibling rivalries was between Romulus and Remus, in 7th century BC. They were twin brothers abandoned at the river Tiber to die, and supposedly were found by a wolf who raised them until they were adopted by a shepherd. When they grew up, they wanted to start a city of there own, but disagreements

If they raise their children with equal amounts of attention than there will be less chance of jealousy. Sometimes a parent might treat their children differently due to gender, leading to a child asking why her brother can do this but she can 't and vice versa, but this is becoming less common nowadays.

Stepsiblings or half siblings are also likely to have a rivalry, as they have not known each other for as long as blood relations have. Getting a new mother or father, new siblings and in some cases a new house is a huge change for children, especially younger ones. Often children like this feel forced into a new family too quickly which leads to distant or negative relationships with step siblings and the stepparent.

An only child having to live with step siblings can also be difficult, as the child will be used to having all their parent 's attention exclusively. An only child might be more reluctant to share toys or a bedroom with step siblings, as they have never had to do this