Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, you will understand Book 10's three major deathsâPallas, Lausus, and Mezentiusâand recognise how these deaths explore themes of youth, pietas, revenge, and war's human cost.
Book 10: Three Tragic Deaths
Book 10 is structured around three devastating deaths: Pallas (killed by Turnus), Lausus (killed by Aeneas), and Mezentius (killed by Aeneas). Each death has profound consequences and reveals different aspects of heroism, devotion, and mortality.
Setting the Stage
Council of the Gods
Book 10 opens with Jupiter summoning the gods. Venus complains about Juno's persecution; Juno defends Italian rights. Jupiter declares divine neutrality: "The Fates will find their way" (fata viam invenient). The gods must stop interferingâthough both continue to meddle at crucial moments.
Aeneas Returns
Aeneas sails back with thirty ships of Etruscan allies. His armour gleams; his shield blazes with prophetic scenes of Rome's future. The sea-nymphs (transformed ships from Book 9) guide him, warning of the siege. He arrives in time to save the Trojansâbut too late to save Pallas.
Battle Resumes
Aeneas lands his forces and joins battle. The fighting is fierce, with named warriors falling on both sides. The catalogue of deaths creates a sense of mass slaughter, but certain deaths stand out for their emotional and narrative significance.
The Death of Pallas
Pallas in Battle
Young Pallas, son of Evander, fights magnificently. He rallies his Arcadian troops, kills enemies, displays courage beyond his years. He is everything a young warrior should beâbrave, skilled, inspiring. But his excellence attracts fatal attention.
Turnus Seeks Him Out
Turnus, prompted by divine forces, seeks Pallas for single combat. The warriors clear space for the duel. Pallas recognizes Turnus's superiority but will not flee or surrender. He prays to Hercules (his father's patron god) for help.
Hercules Cannot Help
Hercules hears the prayer and weeps, knowing he cannot intervene. Jupiter comforts him: "Each man has his day; life is brief for all; but to extend fame through deedsâthat is courage's task." Even gods cannot prevent fated deaths. Even heroes must die.
The Fatal Spear
Pallas throws his spearâit grazes Turnus's shoulder, wounding but not stopping him. Turnus hurls his spear with full force. It pierces Pallas's shield, his corselet, his chest. The youth falls, dying. Turnus stands over the body, triumphant and cruel.
The Belt
Turnus strips Pallas's sword-beltâa magnificent piece depicting the Danaids' crime (fifty sisters murdering their husbands on their wedding night). Taking spoils from the dead (spolia) is traditional, but this act seals Turnus's fate. At the poem's end, seeing this belt on Turnus will trigger Aeneas's fatal fury.
et servare modum rebus sublata secundis!
The mind of men, ignorant of fate and future fortune, and unable to keep measure when lifted by success!
The Death of Lausus
Aeneas's Fury
News of Pallas's death reaches Aeneas. His grief explodes into rage. He slaughters enemies without mercy, takes prisoners for human sacrifice (a dark echo of Achilles after Patroclus's death), refuses all quarter. His pietas warps into vengeful furor.
Juno Rescues Turnus
Juno, seeing Turnus about to face the raging Aeneas, creates a phantom Aeneas. Turnus chases it onto a ship that carries him away from battle. He is saved but dishonouredâtricked into apparent flight. The intervention postpones the inevitable confrontation.
Mezentius Enters
Mezentius, the exiled Etruscan tyrant, takes Turnus's place. Known as contemptor divum (despiser of the gods), he is cruel, impious, hated. Yet he fights magnificentlyâperhaps the best warrior on the Italian side. He kills many before Aeneas wounds him in the groin.
Lausus Intervenes
Lausus, Mezentius's young son, throws himself between Aeneas and his wounded father. He knows he cannot match Aeneas but fights anyway, buying time for Mezentius to escape. This devotion to an unworthy father is the highest form of pietas.
Aeneas's Pity
Aeneas kills Lausus but immediately feels pity and remorse. Looking at the dying youth, he sees reflected his own devotion to Anchises: "What can I give you worthy of such deeds, brave youth? Keep your beloved armour. I return you to your ancestors' shades, if that matters to you."
The Death of Mezentius
Mezentius's Character
Mezentius is introduced as a villain: tyrant, torturer, despiser of gods. His cruelties drove the Etruscans to exile him. He represents everything Rome opposedâimpiety, tyranny, contempt for divine order. He should be simply hateful.
His Warhorse
Wounded, Mezentius retreats to the river. His beloved warhorse Rhaebus supports him while he binds his wounds. The tender moment between warrior and horse humanizes Mezentius. Even monsters love something.
Learning of Lausus's Death
Mezentius hears that Lausus died defending him. His grief is absolute. He has lost his only son, who sacrificed himself for an unworthy father. All Mezentius's power, all his contempt for gods, cannot prevent this loss. He is broken.
Return to Battle
Mezentius mounts Rhaebus and rides back to fight Aeneas, knowing he will die. He wants to die. Living with the knowledge that his son died for him is unbearable. Death becomes mercy, not punishment. He fights not for victory but for an honourable end.
The Final Duel
Mezentius charges Aeneas repeatedly. Aeneas kills Rhaebus; the horse falls on Mezentius, pinning him. Mezentius accepts his death: "If you have any human feeling, I ask only thisâlet earth cover me and my son together. I know the bitter hatred my people have for me. Ward off their fury and grant me a shared tomb."
Transformation Through Death
Mezentius dies not as a monster but as a grieving father. His final requestâto be buried with Laususâreveals his humanity. The despiser of gods becomes pitiable through love and loss. Even the wicked love their children; even they deserve burial.