Abstract: In the allegorical poem, Renart le Nouvel, written in 1289 and attributed to Jacquemart Gielée, courtesy is omnipresent. In Renard’s animal court, the customs, rituals and codified gestures of the aristocracy are described. These polished behaviours do not succed in concealing the vices of the characters, whom use violence and treachery to achieve their ends. Courtesy is devoid of moral substance. It only serves as an instrument for the powerful.
