Ronsard and the Ghost of Astyanax

This article examines the emergence and transformation of Francion’s epic character in Ronsard’s works from 1550 to 1578. This study of Francion’s genesis in Ronsard’s works relies on the close reading of the variations of the ‘Ode de la paix’ and the beginning of the Franciade, as well as on the analysis of the myth’s reception before and after 1572. In the 1550 ‘Ode de la paix’, the memory of the Virgilian intertext directly undermines the epic hero’s identity since he is presented as Hector’s only son, who in the classical tradition is named Astyanax and dies in Troy. Drawing on the problematic memory of Astyanax, the author studies how Francion’s fragile identity illustrates the complexity of the Renaissance concept of imitation and the difficulty of creating a national myth for France.