"As freshe as any rose newe": Imperfection, Fetishization, and the Symbolic Significance of Hector in Lydgate's Troy Book.

This article analyzes John Lydgate's *Troy Book*, commissioned by the future Henry V, focusing on its complex engagement with Trojan history as a foundation narrative for Lancastrian England. While the poem ostensibly serves to legitimize the Lancastrian dynasty by linking it to the prestigious Trojan legacy, it simultaneously expresses ambivalence through its portrayal of Hector, the Trojan hero, as a flawed figure marked by imprudence and covetousness. Lydgate's depiction of Hector's preserved, lifelike corpse further symbolizes the traumatic and uncanny nature of Trojan historiography, reflecting the tension between desire for a noble heritage and anxiety over inherited ruin. The work functions as a "mirror for princes," offering moral instruction amid political uncertainty, and reveals the difficulties of constructing a stable national identity through a past fraught with loss and contested legitimacy.