Droit and Engin: Mesencius and Drances as Feudal Counselors in Le Roman d’Enéas

Abstract

This article examines the radical revisions made to two characters from the Aeneid, Mezentius and Drances, in the twelfth-century French romance Le Roman d’Eneas. In particular, Mezentius and Drances are portrayed largely as vicious or unpleasant in the Aeneid, making their depictions in the Eneas surprising; from a torture-prone exiled tyrant in the Aeneid, Mezentius becomes a reasonable advisor advocating restraint and the rule of law, and the cowardly, jealous Drances becomes less obsequious, more clever, and more devoted to the well-being of the state. Although the relationship between the Aeneid and the Eneas is a popular area of inquiry for critics studying the romance, the changes made to these two characters are not often explored in any depth, perhaps because they are seen as less important to the central narrative and indicative of careless adaptation for the sake of the plot. I argue, however, that the transformations Mezentius and Drances undergo are carefully considered appropriations of their Virgilian characterizations. The author does not simplify the complexities of the Virgilian characters but instead reappropriates them to comment on the historical role of the courtly counselor and his theme of balance between private emotions and public duty for the sake of the state. By so doing, he cleverly engages twelfth-century audience’s expectations to make relevant political commentary and gives twenty-first-century readers new insights into medieval methods of adaptation.