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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 11.1387  Wednesday, 12 July 2000.

[1]     From:   Abigail Quart <aquart@worldnet.att.net>
        Date:   Tuesday, 11 Jul 2000 13:27:25 -0400
        Subj:   Re: SHK 11.1382 Female Birth-Order

[2]     From:   Arthur D L Lindley <elllindl@leonis.nus.edu.sg>
        Date:   Wednesday, 12 Jul 2000 09:24:29 +0800
        Subj:   Re: SHK 11.1382 Female Birth-Order


[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Abigail Quart <aquart@worldnet.att.net>
Date:           Tuesday, 11 Jul 2000 13:27:25 -0400
Subject: 11.1382 Female Birth-Order
Comment:        Re: SHK 11.1382 Female Birth-Order

Primogeniture is not what's operating in Lear. The play is based on myth
served up as history, with vestiges of the triple goddess in Lear's
three daughters. Lear was going to divide his kingdom among them.
Primogeniture would give it without question to the eldest.

If you consider that ultimogeniture, youngest girl inherits, would have
made more sense if a fertility function was important to a pagan female
ruler, then Cordelia should have gotten the lot, which might mean the
myth was about the breakup of such a system.

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Arthur D L Lindley <elllindl@leonis.nus.edu.sg>
Date:           Wednesday, 12 Jul 2000 09:24:29 +0800
Subject: 11.1382 Female Birth-Order
Comment:        Re: SHK 11.1382 Female Birth-Order

As 23 other people will probably have said by now, the expectation that
the eldest daughter will marry first is taken as the norm in Taming of
the Shrew.

Arthur Lindley

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