Char acter Archetype Char acter Archetype Project Project

Adrian Hanson9/16/11

THE VENGEFUL SIBLINGTHE VENGEFUL SIBLING

The unwanted son, he burns with resentment. When he doesn't get what he wants he lashes out at those around him. His intentions are to provoke others into doing what he wants them to do. He may disguise the hate inside using his charms or personality, but inside he is truly evil.

Biblical Biblical

Cain and AbelCain and Abel

The most notable story that describes this archetype in the Bible is the story of Cain and Abel

The story is about the two sons of Adam and Eve who both present offerings to God

Adam presents the best of his flock, while Cain only gives God a small portion of his harvest

God accepts Abel’s offering but looks down upon Cain’s

Cain murders his brother in envy and is banished by God

Joseph and the Coat of Many Joseph and the Coat of Many ColorsColors

Another Example from scripture, Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors is a story about Joseph, son of Jacob.

He is the favorite out of Jacob’s twelve sons, and out of jealousy they sell him into slavery and return a torn and bloodied coat saying Joseph had been attacked by an animal

After a series of events Joseph becomes a ruler of Egypt

When his brothers are brought before him he shows mercy instead of vengeance

Has also been adapted into the musical: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat

American LiteratureAmerican Literature

East of EdenEast of Eden

By John Steinbeck The story is about two brothers, Caleb and Aaron Trask,

whose mother abandons them and their father to gain control of a brothel

The boys never learn of what their mother did. Much after they grow up and Caleb has a job in agriculture

and Aaron plans to drop out of college Caleb is ridiculed at a family dinner after Aaron refuses to

accept the money Caleb offers him in front of their father Enraged Caleb takes Aaron to see their mother At the shock of this Aaron joins the military Upon hearing the news of his son’s death their father

suffers a stroke The books ends with the father refusing to forgive Caleb for

what he did

Cain and AbelCain and AbelEast of EdenEast of Eden

John Steinbeck’s story of Caleb and Aaron mimics the story of Cain and Abel

Caleb is similar to Cain in that he is in agriculture and he doesn’t really try to please his father

Abel and Aaron are similar in that they are two innocents that die because of envy.

In both stories Cain/Caleb is left unforgiven and exiled.

Cultural LiteratureCultural Literature

MythologyMythology

Sibling betrayal is all throughout Greek and Roman mythology

Poseidon betrayed Zeus when the Erinyes sided with Zeus, he gave the Trojans support in their fight against the god of lightning

Siblings also tend to come back as ghosts after being murdered or unintentionally killed by their brothers or sisters to haunt them

Joseph and the Coat of Many ColorsJoseph and the Coat of Many Colors

MythologyMythology

The two are similar in that the siblings come from large familys

Zeus and Poseidon are both sons of Cronus along with Hestia, Demeter, Hera and Hades

Joseph is the 11th son of his father’s 12 sons and is the favorite

Differences between the two are that Joseph showed his brothers mercy while Zeus and and the Erinyes tended not to

SundiataSundiata

Sundiata is forced out of his kingdom by his stepbrother and stepmother

His mother is the second wife of the king who was prophesized to have a son who would be a powerful leader

The older brother who was originally to take the throne and his mother take control because of how weak and unfit to rule Sundiata is

The Man in the Iron MaskThe Man in the Iron Mask

L'Homme au Masque de Fer, one of the final installments of Alexandre Dumas’s Three Musketeers series, is a piece of french literature that elaborates on the story of the man in the iron mask

In Dumas’s story the man in the mask is the twin brother of Louis XIV

Louis has him imprisoned in order to maintain his control over France

SundiataSundiataThe Man in the Iron MaskThe Man in the Iron Mask

These two have similar archetypes in that both are banished or imprisoned over power

They have brothers who decide they deserve the power more than their siblings and so make sure the other sibling is out of the picture

Differences are that the man in the iron mask never came back to power while Sundiata experienced the Death and Rebirth archetype