The Aeneid: Book 10 Summary & Analysis

Jove calls a council of the gods on Mount Olympus. He reminds the gods that he commanded that Italy and Troy should not fight, and asked why they've ignored his orders and what has caused the war. Venus responds first, describing the Trojans' great suffering, Turnus's pride, Allecto's troublemaking, and more. She begs Jove at least to save Ascanius, saying he can do whatever he wants with Aeneas. She proposes that the Trojans return home to rebuild Troy.

Juno angrily responds that Aeneas chose to make Turnus his enemy, and that he brought war to a peaceful land. She says that Jove could have helped Aeneas more if he'd wanted, though she acknowledges that he twice saved the Trojan ships. She finishes by saying that Jove's anti-war complaints come too late.

Jove rules that the war should proceed, since there's no other solution. The war's results will be left to fate.

Back on earth, as the battle rages on, Aeneas continues to search for allies. He finds Tuscans (also called Etruscans), whose king, Tarchon, along with many Tuscan warriors, sail back to Latium. As Aeneas steers his ship in the night, the nymphs that his other ships transformed into in Book 9 swim up to him. The nymph Cymodocea describes the battle situation back in Latium, encourages Aeneas to fight well, and speeds up the boats.

Aeneas and the Tuscan troops arrive at the battle in the morning, and Aeneas's Vulcan-made shield shines impressively. Turnus rallies his men to fight on the beach with the famous line: "Fortune speeds the bold!" The fighting begins and Aeneas successfully kills many men, though Achates, his trusty friend, is injured.

Pallas, the young son of Aeneas's ally Evander, sees some of his men, the Arcadians, fleeing in fear on their horses, and gives them a heartening speech. Pallas rushes into battle and his men follow. Pallas fights with Lausus, a boy his age, the son of Turnus's important ally Mezentius. Fate has determined that neither will return to their homes.

Turnus's sister Juturna tells him to go help Lausus. Turnus tells the soldiers crowded around to back off so he can kill Pallas, and says he wishes Pallas's father were there to see. Pallas bravely responds that his father will be able to handle any outcome.

Pallas prays to Hercules, who watches from the heavens and groans that he can't help. Jove comforts Hercules, saying that the fates are unchangeable, but human bravery brings lasting glory. Pallas throws his spear but barely nicks Turnus. Turnus tauntingly says that he might be able to do better than that, then throws his spear and hits Pallas right in the chest. As Pallas dies, Turnus says that he'll get a proper tomb. Turnus takes Pallas's belt as a prize. Virgil foreshadows that in the future Turnus will wish he'd never touched Pallas.

When Aeneas hears of Pallas's death, he goes into a killing frenzy. He takes several Latins alive to use as human sacrifices at Pallas's funeral, then continues to slaughter his enemies. Aeneas even kills men who beg for mercy, insults the corpse of one of his victims, and makes fun of another after he's already killed him. Ascanius and other Trojans finally appear at the battle.

Back on Mount Olympus, Jove tells Juno that Venus has been helping the Trojans. Juno asks to remove Turnus from the battle, where the Latins are badly losing, so he can at least see his father, Daunus, before his death. Jove agrees, but warns Juno that she will not be able to use this as an excuse to change the whole war. Juno sends a phantom Aeneas down from the heavens. Turnus throws his spear at the fake Aeneas, then chases the phantom onto a boat, which Juno quickly sets sail away from the battle.

Aeneas searches unsuccessfully for Turnus. Meanwhile, Turnus realizes he's floated away, and makes a desperate speech to the gods, unsure why he has to suffer so much, why he's doing what he's doing, and even who he is. He says that he wants to commit suicide, or to jump in the water and swim back to the battle, but Juno stops him.

In Turnus's absence, Mezentius takes over leadership of the Rutulians. Mezentius is described as resembling a cliff unaffected by crashing waves, a wild boar so ferocious that hunters are afraid to come near. Making a kill, he resembles a hungry lion feasting on his prey's blood. One of his victims, Orodes, warns in his dying words that Mezentius doesn't have long to live, but Mezentius scoffs, saying Jove protects him.

Mezentius moves across the battlefield like the giant Orion, so tall that his head is in the clouds. When Aeneas catches up with Mezentius, Mezentius throws his spear at Aeneas. Aeneas deflects it with his shield, though it unfortunately kills one of Aeneas's allies. Then Aeneas throws a spear, which travels through Mezentius's shield and pierces him the groin, though it doesn't kill him.

Lausus cries out for his injured father, and Virgil praises Lausus's bravery as deserving lasting recognition. Lausus jumps in to protect Mezentius. Aeneas tells Lausus he's being foolish. Lausus refuses to move, and Aeneas kills him, stabbing him. When Aeneas sees the corpse, however, he grieves, thinking of his own son Ascanius, and promises to treat the body respectfully and return it to his parents.

Mezentius cleans his wounds at the Tiber. When he sees the Tuscans carrying his dead son Lausus, he makes a tragic speech, acknowledging that his son's sacrifice saved him. Mezentius gets on his horse, ready to kill Aeneas or die trying. He finds Aeneas and denounces him for taking his son, and fails again and again to spear Aeneas. Finally, Aeneas throws his spear at Mezentius, killing him in one try. In his last words, Mezentius acknowledges that even his own people hate him, and asks for a proper burial with Lausus.