Birth Marks reexamines the body of French classical tragedy from the perspective of recent theories about the sibling bond and, in particular, birth order.

Through a study of the evolution of inheritance issues in seventeen tragedies written over the course of half a century the Corneille brothers, Pierre and Thomas, and by Jean Racine, Richard E. Goodkin questions the pervasive assumption that classical tragedy, a form written for the aristocracy, is informed exclusively by an aristocratic ethic.
Instead, a fresh reading of both canonical and noncanonical texts demonstrates that even the most formal body of literature produced by French classical writers expresses a conflict between a declining aristocratic hierarchy based on inherited privilege and a rising capitalistic ethic that favors competition and enterprise.

"As Stephen Greenblatt has shown about purgatory for the Elizabethan Age, Goodkin argues that sibling rivalry, a vital and enriching element of tragedy, has been swept off our horizon. The book makes a strong and compelling case for dramatic motivations that we would prefer to forget. In the midst of many elegant and enduring studies of classical theater Goodkin offers compelling interpretation." - Tom Conley, Harvard University