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LADOMYA, LAODOMYA, LAUDOMIA. Laodomia was the wife of Protesilaus, who was killed when the Greeks landed at Troy, even before the main battles began (Iliad II.695-699). Laodomia killed herself when he did not return (Heroides XIII). Jerome mentions her among faithful wives, Epistola adversus Jovinianum (Letter Against Jovinian) I.45 (PL 23: 275).

The Man of Law lists a story of Ladomya among Chaucer's works, MLI 71, but no story exists. Dorigen thinks Ladomya is exemplary of wifely virtue, FranklT 1445; Laudomia appears in the catalogue of love's martyrs, LGW F 263, LGW G 217. [Dorigen: Protheselaus]

The forms appear to be scribal variants, all with four syllables. Ladomya occurs in final rhyming position, MLI 71; Laodomya appears in medial position, FranklT 1445; and Laudomia occurs medially, LGW F 263, LGW G 217.

G. Dempster, "Chaucer at Work on The Complaint in The Franklin's Tale." MLN 52 (1937): 6-16; Homer, Iliad, ed. and trans. A.T. Murray, I: 102-103; K. Hume, "The Pagan Setting of The Franklin's Tale and the Sources of Dorigen's Cosmology." SN 44 (1972): 289-294; Ovid, Her, ed. and trans. G. Showerman, 158-171.
From CHAUCER NAME DICTIONARY
Copyright © 1988, 1996 Jacqueline de Weever
Published by Garland Publishing, Inc., New York and London.
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