La Franciade (known in English as the Franciad) is an unfinished epic poem written in decasyllabic verse by Pierre de Ronsard. Ronsard began writing the poem in the 1540s for Henry II of France, but it was only in 1572 that the poet published, now for Charles IX, the first four books of a planned twenty-four. Various reasons have been given to explain why the poem was never finished. Obviously, the death of his dedicatee Charles IX meant that Ronsard would have to have made certain changes. Another factor might have been the verse form: Ronsard wrote in decasyllables, not alexandrines. Other reasons, too, have been put forward. More recently, it has been stated that "[any] attempt to pin down why the Franciade was left unfinished, while potentially interesting, is probably futile" and that "we must read it despite [the fact it is unfinished], not as a fragment of what might have been, but as a text in its own right". Plot The poem begins in Epirus, where its hero Francus is living a lazy life with his mother Andromache and his uncle Helenus. The poem claims that Francus (the new name of Astyanax) did not die (as Homer wrote in the Iliad), but that he was saved and awaits a new mission: to found France. Jupiter, however, hopes that Francus will give up his lazy ways and set off on his mission. He thus sends down Mercury to remind him of his destiny. Francus eventually builds ships and sets sail. The second book opens with the tale of Francus' journey and shipwreck. He lands on the island of Crete and is welcomed by Prince Dicée. Francus saves the prince's son from a giant, and the prince's two daughters fall in love with him. The third book is focused on the love story between Francus and one of the sisters, Clymène, who eventually dies, whereas the fourth and final book is mainly given over to the other sister Hyante, who delivers to Francus a prophecy about how he will give travel and eventually found France. Most of the book thus takes place on the island of Crete, whose representation owes much both to classical sources and contemporary travel narratives. Reception Ever since Sainte-Beuve published his Tableau historique et critique de la poésie et du théâtre français du XVIe siècle in 1828, the Franciad has generally been considered a failure. But