# Stepfather

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{{short description|Male stepparent}}
{{Redirect|Stepdad||Stepfather (disambiguation)}}

A '''stepfather''' or '''stepdad''' is a biologically unrelated male parent married to one's preexisting parent.

A stepfather-in-law is a stepfather of one's spouse. Children from his spouse's previous unions are known as his [stepchildren](/source/stepchildren).

==In fiction==
Though less common in literature than stereotypical evil [stepmothers](/source/Stepmother), there are also cases of evil ''stepfathers'', such as in the fairy tales ''The Gold-Bearded Man'' (in a plot usually featuring a cruel father) and ''[The Little Bull-Calf](/source/The_Little_Bull-Calf)''. One type of such tale features a defeated villain who insists on marrying the hero's mother and makes her help him trick the hero and so defeat him. Such tales include ''[The Prince and the Princess in the Forest](/source/The_Prince_and_the_Princess_in_the_Forest)'' and ''[The Blue Belt](/source/The_Blue_Belt)'', although the tales of this type can also feature a different female relation, such as the stepsister in ''[The Three Princes and their Beasts](/source/The_Three_Princes_and_their_Beasts)''.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}}

In media, evil stepfathers include Claudius in ''[Hamlet](/source/Hamlet)'' (though his role as uncle is more emphasized), Walter Parks Thatcher in ''[Citizen Kane](/source/Citizen_Kane)'' (though this is debatable), Murdstone in [Charles Dickens](/source/Charles_Dickens)'s ''[David Copperfield](/source/David_Copperfield_(novel))'', the King from the movie ''[Radio Flyer](/source/Radio_Flyer_(film))'', and Gozaburo Kaiba (who adopted Seto and Mokuba Kaiba) from ''[Yu-Gi-Oh!](/source/Yu-Gi-Oh!)''. ''[The Stepfather](/source/The_Stepfather_(1987_film))''  depicts an evil father who has murdered his family and subsequent families.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} 

In his opera ''[La Cenerentola](/source/La_Cenerentola)'', [Gioacchino Rossini](/source/Gioacchino_Rossini) inverted the tale of ''Cinderella'' to have her oppressed by her stepfather. His motive is made explicit, in that providing a [dowry](/source/dowry) to Cenerentola would cut into what he can give to his own daughters.<ref>Warner, pp. 213–4</ref> An analogous male figure may also appear as a wicked uncle; like the stepmother, the father's brother may covet the child's inheritance for his own children, and so maltreat his nephews or nieces.

==See also==
* [Adoption](/source/Adoption)

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Family}}

Category:Stepfamily
Category:Parenting
Category:Terms for men

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Stepfather](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepfather) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepfather?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.