L’enjeu triangulaire de la trame romanesque du Roman d’Enéas

Abstract

The heroic path of Aeneas is generally defined by three linear events: his stay in Carthage, his descent into Hell, and the founding of future Rome. However, upon the grounds of the narrative plot, this path is triangular in shape, made up by three points on the map (Troy, Carthage and Laurente) which are, respectively, the starting point of his exile, a deviation from it, and his arrival. This triangle, which is relevant from the point of view of the interpretation, and which was brought about by war, love and power, is expressed within a symbolic geometry, adapted to a tri-functional scheme of the judgement of Paris, as a structure connected with the project of rewriting the middle Ages.