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Professor Richard Tarrant | 371 pages | 30 Sep 2012 | CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS | 9780521313636 | English | Cambridge, United Kingdom The Aeneid Book XII Summary and Analysis | GradeSaver

Juturna, realizing that there is nothing more that she can do to help her brother, flees into the depths of the river, moaning. hurls his spear at the fallen , and it pierces his thigh. Aeneas approaches Turnus to end his life, but Turnus pleads for mercy, for the sake of his father. Aeneas is moved by Turnus's words and momentarily considers sparing him, but then notices 's belt slung across Turnus's shoulders, and drives his sword through his opponent's chest. One of the most fascinating and perplexing aspects of Virgil 's epic is its ending: even though our hero Aeneas is victorious, the Aeneid ends on an unquestionably tragic note, devoting its final lines to the sad last moments of Turnus's short life. Virgil could have ended the story with, for example, victory celebrations and the joining together of the Latins and the Trojans, but he chooses to end it in a manner that not only takes readers to the opposite emotional pole from the triumphant, positive beginning, but is consistent with his interest in creating multilayered, painfully human characters. The ending of the epic is tragic in order to convey Turnus's complexity, as well as the complexity of the situation at hand compare the funeral of Hector at the end of the , after which the second half of Virgil's epic is patterned. Turnus is arguably one of the most inconsistent characters in the Aeneid. He is by turns courageous, antagonistic, sympathetic, impassioned, and pitiful. This very complexity lends him his humanity. Just as Virgil invests Aeneas with flaws in order to enhance the sense that he is not simply an epic hero but a real person, Turnus's capriciousness enables the audience to view him not merely as a villain but as a person whose misdeeds are motivated by internal conflicts and flaws. Indeed, his motivations, while vastly different from those of Aeneas, are in some ways no less pure. Turnus seems to be truly passionate about , while Aeneas wishes to marry her simply because it his destiny to do so; Turnus wishes to uphold his sense of honor regardless of the challenges that face him, while Aeneas can, to some degree, rest in the security of knowing he is destined to succeed. In the final episode, Turnus's willingness to fight Aeneas even though he knows that he is fated to lose demonstrates his courage, placing him on a level closer to Aeneas than any other warrior. Yet in the last moments of his life he is reduced to begging on his knees to be spared. Readers cannot help but feel pity for this fallen man, and it is exactly this sentiment that Virgil hopes to elicit. Even though the ending is "happy" in that the protagonist, Aeneas, is victorious, the focus on Turnus's sad end demonstrates that no victory is without its downside. In the closing moments of Homer's Iliad , demonstrates his compassion by agreeing to return Hector's body to King . At the end of the Aeneid , Aeneas is confronted with a similar decision, but he does not show a comparable level of empathy even though his loss of Pallas might be compared with Achilles' loss of his friend Patroclus. The fact that Virgil's epic ends with Aeneas's sword plunging through Turnus to his death, and with Turnus's embittered shade fleeing to the underworld, might be even more downbeat than the funeral of Hector at the end of Homer's work. By ending the poem in this manner, Virgil underscores the theme of loss as a consequence of following one's destiny. Aeneas's adventures result in the loss of countless lives, but in the end something even more precious is lost, Aeneas's mercy. Throughout the Aeneid , the protagonist has shown himself to be a just, moral, and kind leader, but in the final moments of the epic he is a fighter, slaying a man who lies pleading for his life at his feet. While Aeneas may be a classic hero, modern readers might want their heroes to mix more mercy with their justice. Aeneus is the titular protagonist of the Aeneid , Aeneas is one of the great epic heroes. A fearless warrior and remarkable leader, Aeneas guides his How does Aeneas illustrate the values of Rome and societal expectations for behavior. Virgil quite clearly intended the Aeneid to appeal to the patriotic spirit of the Romans, documenting the origins of the great Roman Empire. Virgil's contemporaries, who relished their belief that they were direct descendants of the mighty The Aeneid study guide contains a biography of Virgil, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The Aeneid literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Aeneid. Remember me. Forgot your password? Buy Study Guide. Angered, the Rutulians are ready to break the truce. At this moment, a pack of waterfowl dive and threaten an eagle that has seized a swan; when the eagle releases the swan, the Rutulians take this act as a portent signifying that they, too, will be victorious if they resist Aeneas. They are encouraged by an augur, a priest adept at reading bird omens, who hurls his spear at the Trojans and thus initiates a resumption of hostilities. Aeneas, who vainly attempts to restore the broken peace, is wounded by an arrow and forced to leave the field. His withdrawal raises Turnus's fighting spirit to the point that Turnus goes mad with bloodlust and kills as many opponents as he can reach. Meanwhile, heals Aeneas with a magic herb: The enemy arrow drops from his wound, and his strength is miraculously restored. Returning to the field, Aeneas rallies his forces and goes in pursuit of Turnus. , meanwhile, who has cleverly taken control of her brother's chariot by disguising herself as its driver, drives Turnus all over the field, keeping him safe from an attack by Aeneas, who goes wild with frustration and, like Turnus, kills without stint. Venus now directs her son's attention to the fact that Laurentum's citadel has been left undefended by the Latins, whereupon Aeneas commands his men to attack it immediately, to the horror of the citadel's Latin inhabitants. Fearing that all is lost and that Turnus is dead, hangs herself in despair. On the battlefield, Turnus hears cries coming from the besieged citadel and tells Juturna that he has finally seen through her disguise as his charioteer. At this point, a warrior coming in haste from Laurentum informs Turnus about what has been happening in the city and announces the queen's death. He mockingly points out that Turnus, the famous warrior, has been driving over an empty meadow — a fact to which Turnus now fully awakens, filled with remorse. Turnus tells Juturna that now he will fight Aeneas alone, as he promised earlier. Turnus and Aeneas meet outside Laurentum, and the long-awaited battle takes place. Full of confidence, the Rutulian strikes the Trojan with his sword, which is not his own powerful weapon but one belonging to his original chariot driver, taken by mistake. The sword shatters immediately upon contact with Aeneas's armor. Calling on his men to bring him his proper sword, Turnus withdraws as Aeneas pursues him. The Trojan prince hurls his spear at the Rutulian prince, but the spear gets immovably lodged in the trunk of a sacred olive tree in answer to Turnus's prayer to the god . Juturna brings her brother his true sword, but Venus intervenes and enables Aeneas to extricate his spear. The duel continues, watched by and from a golden cloud. Jupiter tells Juno that Aeneas is about to win and that she can do nothing more to hinder him. Juno promises to cease her opposition to the Trojans, but she asks her husband to permit the Latins to retain both their language and their name. Jupiter grants these requests and tells Juno that out of this alliance of Latins and Trojans will come an indomitable race — the epic's final prophecy, which matches the one Jupiter made to Venus in Book I. Jupiter now sends a fury to earth disguised as an owl, which darts at Turnus and fills him with terror. Juturna withdraws in discouragement, realizing her helplessness in the face of such an omen. Aeneas advances at Turnus with his spear as the Rutulian, making a last, desperate effort, heaves an enormous rock at Aeneas. The rock falls short, and Turnus, paralyzed by fear, is knocked down by Aeneas's spear, which strikes him in the thigh. Helpless, Turnus says he is resigned to dying, but he begs Aeneas to see that his body is returned to his father. Moved by this plea, Aeneas considers sparing Turnus's life, but then he sees that the dying warrior is wearing Pallas's swordbelt as a trophy. This reminder that Turnus killed Aeneas's dear friend arouses the Trojan hero's anger, and he remorselessly thrusts his sword into Turnus's chest, killing him. The tragic, somber, final line of the Aeneid and the epic poem's ringing, declamatory opening line signify the two emotional poles of the epic. Their positioning has a symbolic as well as a narrative importance, for between the moods to which they give voice, the poem constantly moves back and forth as it unfolds. The establishment of Rome is achieved only through the human suffering of Aeneas and his people, and of his opponents — in the first half of the epic, and now, at the end, Turnus. Virgil's vision of reality was too honest to allow him to see life other than as a mixture of good and evil elements. Virgil (70 BC–19 BC) - Aeneid: XII

They fight like bulls, aiming to kill. Jove places their fates on his scales—tentatively balanced for now. Turnus powerfully strikes Aeneas, but his sword breaks. It wasn't his father's -made, Styx-treated blade after all, but the one belonging to his charioteer. Turnus runs to try to find his sword. Aeneas has a rather unfair advantage, since a mortal-made sword will never be able to get through his Vulcan-made shield. Though earlier we learn that Turnus seems weaker than Aeneas, when it comes to their duel, they're evenly matched—just this difference of equipment causes Turnus's problem. Aeneas chases Turnus , like a hunting dog chasing a deer. Aeneas pauses to try to pull his spear out of an olive tree stump, not knowing that the olive tree which the Trojans had cut down had been sacred to Faunus, a nature god worshipped by the Latins. Turnus prays to Faunus to keep the spear stuck, and Aeneas can't wrench it free. Meanwhile, Juturna gives Turnus back his spear—but Venus , finding Juturna's helpfulness unfair, releases Aeneas's spear. Back in Book 4, Virgil compared Dido to a wounded deer. Now he uses it again. Though the circumstances are different, the implication is the same, as the hunter is built to kill, while the deer can only run. Turnus, like Dido, has no hope of actually defeating the "hunter" Aeneas. Meanwhile, the intervening gods negate each other. Jove asks Juno when this will all end, and what hope she still has. They both know that Aeneas is fated to win. So why bother to get Turnus back his sword? He tells her that she's given the Trojans enough grief. Finally, Juno agrees to yield. But she asks that the Latins keep their old name and customs, instead of becoming Trojans. Jove agrees, saying that the Latin-Trojan race will bring untold glory to Juno. As if in response to Virgil's rhetorical question earlier in Book 12 about whether Jove likes seeing all this slaughter, Jove asks Juno when she'll stop all this, since, at bottom, this is all her fault. And, in the moment we've been waiting for, she gives in to fate and agrees to give up. Jove sends down a Fury, a goddess of vengeance, to make Juturna cease helping Turnus. The Fury comes down to Turnus disguised as a bird, and Juturna understands what it means. She wishes she weren't immortal, because she wants to stay with Turnus in the underworld. Juturna's wish to stay with Turnus recalls the many others who have wished to die along with those they love—aligning Turnus with other beloved characters who died in the Aenied, like Pallas and . Aeneas asks Turnus why he's dawdling. Turnus says he fears Jove , not Aeneas. Turnus picks up a boulder that would be hard for a dozen men to carry, and tries to throw it at Aeneas. But he can't throw it hard enough because the Fury weakens him and slows his instincts. This might be the most tragic moment of piety in the entire poem. Turnus is right, in general, to fear the gods more than humans—but in just this one case, Aeneas will decide Turnus's end, not Jove. Aeneas then strikes Turnus with his spear. On his knees, Turnus reaches up to Aeneas. He asks Aeneas to pity Daunus, his father, and spare him so he can return to his people. He admits defeat and concedes Lavinia. He tells Aeneas, "Go no further down the road of hatred. Here's the perfect chance for Aeneas to follow Anchises's advice, to spare the vanquished. Turnus is defeated and humiliated—it seems like enough. Aeneas considers Turnus 's pleas, but then he sees Pallas 's belt that Turnus had removed and wears as a trophy. Aeneas's feelings of mercy change to fury, and he proclaims that Pallas is the one killing Turnus. He plunges his sword into Turnus's heart, and Turnus's soul flies to the Underworld. The ending showcases Aeneas's total pious devotion to his friend—a bond so deep that vengeance is more important than mercy. But in avenging Pallas, he fails at the Romans' unique skill, to know how to make peace, not just war. The sudden ending, with no falling action whatsoever, leaves no chance to untangle the complex morals of Aeneas's final action. Though Aeneas has finally fulfilled his fate, the Aeneid ends in anger, not joy, a fact that has caused much discussion and debate among critics. Cite This Page. Home About Story Contact Help. LitCharts uses cookies to personalize our services. By using our site, you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Cookie Policy , Privacy Policy , and Terms of Service. Previous Book Next Themes. She is able to inflame them into action, and Tolumnius, calling himself their new leader, hurls his lance at the Trojans. It kills a young warrior, and the Trojan army rushes the Latins. Once again, the battle begins in earnest, and King retreats to his castle to mourn the broken treaty. Aeneas begs his men to calm themselves and leave him to battle, but he is hit in the leg with an arrow and must flee. Turnus is heartened by Aeneas's departure and begins slaying a great many Trojans. Aeneas, back at the camp with his comrades, wishes only to return to the battle, but the physician, Iapyx, cannot remove the arrow from his leg. Venus , upset by her son's pain, sends a healing balm to mend his wound. Thus recovered, Aeneas embraces and returns to battle. Aeneas and Turnus both slay a great many warriors, although Juturna is able to distract Aeneas momentarily by riding around in Turnus's chariot while Aeneas, believing his foe to be inside it, pursues her. Finally, Venus urges Aeneas to move towards the unguarded Latin city. He pledges to annihilate the city if the battle is not resolved that day. Queen Amata, terrified at the sight of the approaching Trojans and believing that her beloved Turnus has been killed, hangs herself in the castle. At last Turnus realizes the tragedy that he has wrought, and he calls for Aeneas to meet him on the field once again to decide the battle once and for all. The fight begins by both men throwing their spears. Then they rush toward each other to battle with swords. Turnus's sword breaks off, forcing him to retreat, and Aeneas pursues him despite his pain from the arrow wound. Aeneas, unable to catch Turnus, notices his spear embedded in an olive tree and struggles to free it. Meanwhile, Juturna takes on the guise of Turnus's charioteer and returns her brother's blade to him. Angered by this interference, Venus helps Aeneas remove the spear from the tree. Jupiter , himself angered by this continued meddling in mortal affairs, calls his wife to him. She knows, he says, that Aeneas is fated to win, so why must she persist in staving off the inevitable? Jupiter tells her that the end has come. Jupiter sends down one of the Furies to frighten Turnus into submission. As often as he set eyes on his enemy, and tried to match the flight of the swift horses in his course, as often Juturna turned and wheeled the chariot. Ah, what to do? Vainly he fluctuated on the shifting tide, and diverse concerns called his thoughts away. , who happened to be carrying two strong spears tipped with steel, advanced lightly towards him, levelled one, and hurled it with unerring aim. Aeneas stopped, and gathered himself behind his shield sinking on one knee: the swift spear still took off the tip of his helmet, and knocked the plumes from the crest. BkXII Aeneas And Turnus Amongst The Slaughter What god can now relate for me such bitter things as these, who can tell of such varied slaughter, the deaths of generals, whom Turnus now, and now the Trojan hero, drove in turn over the field? Jupiter was it your will that races who would live together in everlasting peace should meet in so great a conflict? Aeneas meeting Rutulian Sucro in the first battle that brought the Trojan attack to a halt quickly struck him in the side, and drove the cruel steel through the ribs that protect the heart, where death come fastest. Turnus threw Amycus from his horse, and Diores his brother, attacking them on foot, striking one with the long lance as he advanced, the other with his sword, then hanging both their severed heads from his chariot carried them away dripping with blood. Like fires set burning from opposite sides of a dry forest into the thickets of crackling laurel, or foaming rivers falling swiftly from the mountain heights, roaring and racing seawards, each leaving its path of destruction, so Aeneas and Turnus with no less fury swept through the battle: now anger surged within: now their hearts which knew no defeat were bursting: now with all their strength they set out to do harm. Turnus met Hyllus as he charged, roaring with boundless pride, and hurled a spear at his gilded forehead: piercing the helmet the weapon lodged in his brain. The Laurentine field saw you fall also, , on your back, sprawled wide on the ground. BkXII Aeneas Attacks The City Now his loveliest of mothers set in his mind the idea of moving against the walls, and turning his army on the city, swiftly, to confound the Latins with sudden ruin. While he tracked Turnus here and there through the ranks and swept his glance this way and that, he could see the city, free of fierce warfare and peacefully unharmed. Suddenly an image of a more ambitious act of war inflamed him: he called the generals , and brave Serestus, and positioned himself on a hillock, where the rest of the Trojan army gathered round in a mass, without dropping their shields or spears. Do you think I can wait until Turnus can face battle with me, and chooses to meet with me again, though defeated before? O citizens, this man is the fountainhead and source of this wicked war. Quickly, bring burning brands, and re-establish the treaty, with fire. Some ran to the gates and cut down the leading defenders, others hurled steel, and darkened the sky with missiles. Aeneas himself, among the leaders, raised his hand, at the foot of the wall, accused Latinus in a loud voice, and called the gods to witness that he was being forced into battle again, that the Italians were doubly enemies, another treaty was broken. As soon as the wretched Latin women knew of the disaster, first her daughter Lavinia fell into a frenzy, tearing at her golden tresses and rosy cheeks with her hands, then all the crowd around her: the wide halls echoed to their lamentations. The breeze bore a clamour to him mingled with an unknown dread, and the cheerless sounds of a city in chaos met his straining ears. What is this clamour that rises from the distant city? Aeneas is attacking the Italians, and stirring conflict: let our hands too deal cruel death to the Trojans. But who desired you to be sent down from Olympus to suffer such labours? What can I do? What chance can offer me life? I saw Murranus fall, before my very eyes, calling out to me, loudly, no one more dear to me than him remains, a mighty man, and overwhelmed by a mighty wound. Unfortunate Ufens fell, so he might not witness our shame: the Trojans captured his body and his armour. Shall I turn my back, and this country see Turnus run? Is it indeed so terrible to die? Oh be good to me, you Shades below, since the gods above have turned their faces from me. I will descend to you, a virtuous soul, innocent of blame, never unworthy of my great ancestors. The Latins turn their faces to you, their eyes are on you: King Latinus mutters to himself, wavering as to whom to call his sons, towards what alliance to lean. Moreover the queen, most loyal to you, has fallen by her own hand, and fled, in horror of the light. Messapus and brave Atinas, alone in front of the gates sustain our lines. Around them dense squadrons stand on every side, a harvest of steel that bristles with naked swords, while you drive your chariot over the empty turf. As soon as the shadows dispersed, and light returned to his mind, he turned his gaze, with blazing eyes, towards the walls, and looked back on the mighty city from his chariot. See, now, a spiralling crest of flame fastened on a tower, and rolled skyward through the stories, a tower he had built himself with jointed beams, set on wheels, and equipped with high walkways. I beg you let me rage before I am maddened. Whatever fate is here, is mine: it is better that I alone make reparation for the truce and decide it with the sword. BkXII The Final Duel Begins Now Aeneas the leader hearing the name of Turnus left the walls, and left the high fortress, cast aside all delay, broke off from every task, and exultant with delight clashed his weapons fiercely: vast as Mount Athos, or Mount Eryx, or vast as old Apennine himself when he roars through the glittering holm-oaks and joys in lifting his snowy summit to heaven. Now all truly turned their eyes, stripping the armour from their shoulders, Rutulians, Trojans and Italians, those who held the high ramparts and those whose ram battered at the walls beneath. Latinus himself was amazed at these mighty men, born at opposite ends of the world, meeting and deciding the outcome with their swords. As soon as the field was clear on the open plain, they both dashed quickly forward, hurling their spears first from a distance, rushing, with shield and ringing bronze, to battle. The earth groaned: they redoubled their intense sword-strokes, chance and skill mingled together. Jupiter himself held up two evenly balanced scales before him, and placed in them the diverse fates of the two, to see whom the effort doomed, with whose weight death sank down. Turnus leapt forward thinking himself safe, rose to the full height of his body with uplifted sword, and struck: the Trojans and the anxious Latins cried out, both armies were roused. But the treacherous blade snapped, and would have left the eager warrior defenceless in mid-stroke, if immediate flight had not saved him. He ran swifter than the east wind, when he saw that strange hilt in his exposed right hand. So Turnus ran madly this way and that over the plain, winding aimless circles here and there: on all sides the Trojans imprisoned him in their crowded ring, and a vast marsh penned him on one side, on the other the steep ramparts. Aenaeas, no less, though his knees, slowed at times by the arrow wound, failed him and denied him speed, pursued and pressed his anxious enemy hotly, foot to foot: as when a hound in the hunt presses on a stag, chasing and barking, one found trapped by the river or hedged in by fear of the crimson feathers: the stag, terrified by the snares and the high banks, flies backwards and forwards a thousand ways, but the eager Umbrian clings close with gaping mouth, almost has him, and snaps his jaws as though he holds him, baffled and biting empty air: Then a clamour breaks out indeed, the pools and banks around echo, and the whole sky rings with the tumult. As he fled Turnus chided the Rutulians, calling on each by name and calling out for his own familiar sword. Aeneas in turn threatened death and immediate destruction if any one approached, and terrified his trembling enemies threatening to raze the city, and pressing on though wounded. BkXII The Goddesses Intervene By chance this was the place where a bitter-leaved wild olive, sacred to Faunus, had stood, a tree revered by sailors of old, where, when saved from the sea, they used to hang their gifts to the Laurentine god, and the votive garments: but the Trojans had removed the sacred trunk, allowing of no exceptions, in order to fight on open ground. While he tugged and strained fiercely, Juturna, the Daunian goddess, changing again to the shape of Metiscus, the charioteer, ran forward and restored his sword to her brother. But Venus, enraged that this was allowed the audacious , approached, and plucked the javelin from the deep root. The Aeneid: Book XII | SparkNotes

Sign in. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. Sign In Sign Up. Literature Poetry Lit Terms Shakescleare. Download this LitChart! Teachers and parents! Struggling with distance learning? Our Teacher Edition on The Aeneid can help. Themes All Themes. Symbols All Symbols. Theme Wheel. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Aeneid , which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. In a rage at the turn of events against the Latins, Turnus announces to Latinus his intention to fight Aeneas and win Lavinia 's hand. Latinus begs Turnus to reconsider, but Turnus is resolute. He says he's strong enough, and Venus won't be able to protect Aeneas when they fight man-to-man. Amata cries that if Turnus , she'll die too, rather than see her daughter with Aeneas. Turnus tells Amata, whom he calls "mother," not to bother him further with her fears. Tomorrow he'll fight Aeneas. He puts on his armor, including his special sword, inherited from his father, which was made by Vulcan and dipped in the river Styx. It seems that Turnus's sword may be able to get past Aeneas's shield, since both were made by Vulcan, but given the attitude of Latinus's family no one believes that Turnus can actually win. Nonetheless, he bravely plans to fight Aeneas and fate. The love that the Latin royal family feels for Turnus, and the way they already treat him as a son, ensures that no matter who wins this battle, it will be a tragedy. Active Themes. On the Trojan side, Aeneas accepts Turnus 's challenge, and comforts his friends and Ascanius by talking about fate. Morning comes and both armies march to the battlefield, not to fight but to accompany their leaders for the duel. Juno , watching from a nearby mountain, speaks to Turnus's sister Juturna , a nymph of lakes. Juno explains that she's been helping Turnus, and tells Juturna to go try to stop Turnus's fate, because Juno can't bear to watch the fight. Or, Juno says, Juturna could stir up the war again. Aeneas's friends are much less concerned about him battling Turnus, since fate is on his side. Juno reaches a turning point in her harassment—knowing she's on the losing side, she can't bear to be directly involved. This demonstrates both her pride and her love for Turnus. Latinus , Turnus , and Aeneas enter in separate chariots. Aeneas prays and asks Juno to be more kind. He says the Trojans will leave peacefully if he falls, but he hopes that instead of enslavement or humiliation of one side, the Trojans and Latins will "undefeated, under equal laws, march together towards an eternal pact of peace. Like Anchises said of the Romans, back in the Underworld in Book 6, Aeneas knows when to fight, but, more rare, he knows when to promote peace. Most leaders would enslave their defeated enemies, but Aeneas wants to join together as one nation. Related Quotes with Explanations. The Rutulians are nervous to see how uneven the duel will be, with Turnus looking scared and weak compared to Aeneas. Juturna sees her chance, and, disguising herself as the soldier Camers, she tells the Rutulians they should fight or they'll be enslaved. The other allies on Turnus's side also get riled up, and then Juturna makes a sign—an eagle, the bird of Jove, snatches a swan from the stream, but has to drop the swan when other birds attack it. The Latins, encouraged by the seer Tolumnius, think this means that they, like the smaller birds, can win. Juturna tries both to cheat fate and save Turnus and fake fate with a sign. The scene again shows that humans interpret signs in the way that fits with their worldview. Virgil here shows us Turnus from the Latin point of view, making it impossible for us to fully cheer for Aeneas without feeling a pang for poor Turnus. The Gods and Divine Intervention. A Latin named Tolumnius throws a spear which kills A Trojan, restarting the war. With his peace efforts destroyed, Latinus runs back to his city. Aeneas attempts to regain control of the situation, but an arrow hits him. The name of the shooter is unknown, since no one ever wanted to boast of having hit Aeneas. Seeing this, Turnus regains hope and kills many men. Achates and Ascanius , along with Mnestheus, another Trojan, bring Aeneas back to the camp. Aeneas wants them to cut him open to take out the arrowhead so he can go fight again. Virgil, as the creator of the Aeneid, of course could have made it that the name of the person who shot the arrow that killed Aeneas was known. But he makes Aeneas seem even greater by imagining how even his enemies would have respected him and wouldn't have found any glory in gloating about causing him injury. War and Peace. Iapyx, a healer and favorite of , tries to pull out the arrowhead, without success, since Apollo refuses to intervene. Venus flies to Crete to pick some dittany, a healing herb, and then invisibly mixes it into Iapyx's treatment. The arrow now comes out easily, and Aeneas feels well enough to fight. Iapyx realizes that his human skills couldn't have cured Aeneas—it's a god's work. Apollo doesn't help to cure Aeneas, but Venus does. This highlights the way that the gods play favorites. Surprisingly, despite Aeneas's status as a great hero and forefather of , not all the gods rally behind him. Aeneas 's return to the battle demoralizes the Latins and the Trojans kill many enemies. Juturna sees Aeneas stalking Turnus. She pushes Metiscus, Turnus's chariot-driver, out of his seat, taking the reigns and using her nymph-powers to disguise herself as him. She steers the chariot far from Aeneas. Juturna's dedication to her brother makes him a more sympathetic character. Despite Turnus's anger which might be more Juno's fault than his , he's brave and important to his people. Like when Juno tricked him into getting on a boat, here his sister, attempting to protect him, makes him seem more cowardly. Messapus, Turnus's ally and a son of , knocks off Aeneas 's helmet with a spear. Aeneas, frustrated by this and by Turnus's flight, gives up just trying to find Turnus for the duel, and throws himself fully into the battle. He kills so many people so ferociously that Virgil wonders what god can even help him sing about all the slaughter. Virgil wonders if Jove liked seeing all this: "Did it please you so, great Jove, to see the world at war, the peoples clash that would later live in everlasting peace? The battle is so horrible it defies not only Virgil's powers to describe it, but also the powers of the muses. His ironic question to Jove dramatically details the ruinous pointlessness of this war, and makes a larger point too. How can we continue to believe in gods in the face of such a disaster? Even piety is thrown into doubt. At the same time, it also highlights the Roman's great ability to create peace, as opposed to war. Venus suggests to Aeneas that he attack . Aeneas agrees. As the Trojans rush into Lavinium, Aeneas yells to the gods that the Latins have broken two pacts and so he's been forced back into war. Though Aeneas is responsible for much of the carnage, he also hates the war. He defends his actions by blaming the Latins, and he's right—to achieve his fate, he doesn't have another option. Thymbreus struck mighty Osiris with his sword, Mnestheus killed Arcetius: Achates killed Epulo, Gyas killed Ufens: even Tolumnius the augur fell, first to hurl his spear straight at the enemy. A shout rose to heaven, and in turn the routed Rutulians turned their backs in a cloud of dust, fleeing over the field. Aeneas himself did not deign to send the fugitives to their death, nor did he attack the foot-soldiers, cavalry or those hurling missiles: he tracked only Turnus, searching through the dense gloom, Turnus alone he summoned to combat. As when a dark swallow flies through the great house of some rich lord, winging her way through lofty halls gathering tiny crumbs and scraps of food for her noisy young, now twittering in the empty courtyards, now by the damp ponds: so Juturna was drawn by the horses through the enemy centre and, flying in her swift chariot, criss-crossed the whole plain, now here, now there, she gives evidence of her triumphant brother, not allowing him close combat, flying far away. Nevertheless Aeneas traversed her winding course to meet him, tracking him, calling him loudly among the ranks. As often as he set eyes on his enemy, and tried to match the flight of the swift horses in his course, as often Juturna turned and wheeled the chariot. Ah, what to do? Vainly he fluctuated on the shifting tide, and diverse concerns called his thoughts away. Messapus, who happened to be carrying two strong spears tipped with steel, advanced lightly towards him, levelled one, and hurled it with unerring aim. Aeneas stopped, and gathered himself behind his shield sinking on one knee: the swift spear still took off the tip of his helmet, and knocked the plumes from the crest. BkXII Aeneas And Turnus Amongst The Slaughter What god can now relate for me such bitter things as these, who can tell of such varied slaughter, the deaths of generals, whom Turnus now, and now the Trojan hero, drove in turn over the field? Jupiter was it your will that races who would live together in everlasting peace should meet in so great a conflict? Aeneas meeting Rutulian Sucro in the first battle that brought the Trojan attack to a halt quickly struck him in the side, and drove the cruel steel through the ribs that protect the heart, where death come fastest. Turnus threw Amycus from his horse, and Diores his brother, attacking them on foot, striking one with the long lance as he advanced, the other with his sword, then hanging both their severed heads from his chariot carried them away dripping with blood. Like fires set burning from opposite sides of a dry forest into the thickets of crackling laurel, or foaming rivers falling swiftly from the mountain heights, roaring and racing seawards, each leaving its path of destruction, so Aeneas and Turnus with no less fury swept through the battle: now anger surged within: now their hearts which knew no defeat were bursting: now with all their strength they set out to do harm. Turnus met Hyllus as he charged, roaring with boundless pride, and hurled a spear at his gilded forehead: piercing the helmet the weapon lodged in his brain. The Laurentine field saw you fall also, Aeolus, on your back, sprawled wide on the ground. BkXII Aeneas Attacks The City Now his loveliest of mothers set in his mind the idea of moving against the walls, and turning his army on the city, swiftly, to confound the Latins with sudden ruin. While he tracked Turnus here and there through the ranks and swept his glance this way and that, he could see the city, free of fierce warfare and peacefully unharmed. Suddenly an image of a more ambitious act of war inflamed him: he called the generals Mnestheus, Sergestus and brave Serestus, and positioned himself on a hillock, where the rest of the Trojan army gathered round in a mass, without dropping their shields or spears. Do you think I can wait until Turnus can face battle with me, and chooses to meet with me again, though defeated before? O citizens, this man is the fountainhead and source of this wicked war. Quickly, bring burning brands, and re-establish the treaty, with fire. Some ran to the gates and cut down the leading defenders, others hurled steel, and darkened the sky with missiles. Aeneas himself, among the leaders, raised his hand, at the foot of the wall, accused Latinus in a loud voice, and called the gods to witness that he was being forced into battle again, that the Italians were doubly enemies, another treaty was broken. As soon as the wretched Latin women knew of the disaster, first her daughter Lavinia fell into a frenzy, tearing at her golden tresses and rosy cheeks with her hands, then all the crowd around her: the wide halls echoed to their lamentations. The breeze bore a clamour to him mingled with an unknown dread, and the cheerless sounds of a city in chaos met his straining ears. What is this clamour that rises from the distant city? Aeneas is attacking the Italians, and stirring conflict: let our hands too deal cruel death to the Trojans. But who desired you to be sent down from Olympus to suffer such labours? What can I do? What chance can offer me life? I saw Murranus fall, before my very eyes, calling out to me, loudly, no one more dear to me than him remains, a mighty man, and overwhelmed by a mighty wound. Unfortunate Ufens fell, so he might not witness our shame: the Trojans captured his body and his armour. Shall I turn my back, and this country see Turnus run? Is it indeed so terrible to die? Oh be good to me, you Shades below, since the gods above have turned their faces from me. I will descend to you, a virtuous soul, innocent of blame, never unworthy of my great ancestors. The Latins turn their faces to you, their eyes are on you: King Latinus mutters to himself, wavering as to whom to call his sons, towards what alliance to lean. Moreover the queen, most loyal to you, has fallen by her own hand, and fled, in horror of the light. Messapus and brave Atinas, alone in front of the gates sustain our lines. Around them dense squadrons stand on every side, a harvest of steel that bristles with naked swords, while you drive your chariot over the empty turf. As soon as the shadows dispersed, and light returned to his mind, he turned his gaze, with blazing eyes, towards the walls, and looked back on the mighty city from his chariot. See, now, a spiralling crest of flame fastened on a tower, and rolled skyward through the stories, a tower he had built himself with jointed beams, set on wheels, and equipped with high walkways. I beg you let me rage before I am maddened. Whatever fate is here, is mine: it is better that I alone make reparation for the truce and decide it with the sword. BkXII The Final Duel Begins Now Aeneas the leader hearing the name of Turnus left the walls, and left the high fortress, cast aside all delay, broke off from every task, and exultant with delight clashed his weapons fiercely: vast as Mount Athos, or Mount Eryx, or vast as old Apennine himself when he roars through the glittering holm-oaks and joys in lifting his snowy summit to heaven. Now all truly turned their eyes, stripping the armour from their shoulders, Rutulians, Trojans and Italians, those who held the high ramparts and those whose ram battered at the walls beneath. Latinus himself was amazed at these mighty men, born at opposite ends of the world, meeting and deciding the outcome with their swords. As soon as the field was clear on the open plain, they both dashed quickly forward, hurling their spears first from a distance, rushing, with shield and ringing bronze, to battle. The earth groaned: they redoubled their intense sword-strokes, chance and skill mingled together. Jupiter himself held up two evenly balanced scales before him, and placed in them the diverse fates of the two, to see whom the effort doomed, with whose weight death sank down. Turnus leapt forward thinking himself safe, rose to the full height of his body with uplifted sword, and struck: the Trojans and the anxious Latins cried out, both armies were roused. But the treacherous blade snapped, and would have left the eager warrior defenceless in mid- stroke, if immediate flight had not saved him. He ran swifter than the east wind, when he saw that strange hilt in his exposed right hand. So Turnus ran madly this way and that over the plain, winding aimless circles here and there: on all sides the Trojans imprisoned him in their crowded ring, and a vast marsh penned him on one side, on the other the steep ramparts. Aenaeas, no less, though his knees, slowed at times by the arrow wound, failed him and denied him speed, pursued and pressed his anxious enemy hotly, foot to foot: as when a hound in the hunt presses on a stag, chasing and barking, one found trapped by the river or hedged in by fear of the crimson feathers: the stag, terrified by the snares and the high banks, flies backwards and forwards a thousand ways, but the eager Umbrian clings close with gaping mouth, almost has him, and snaps his jaws as though he holds him, baffled and biting empty air: Then a clamour breaks out indeed, the pools and banks around echo, and the whole sky rings with the tumult. As he fled Turnus chided the Rutulians, calling on each by name and calling out for his own familiar sword. Aeneas in turn threatened death and immediate destruction if any one approached, and terrified his trembling enemies threatening to raze the city, and pressing on though wounded. BkXII The Goddesses Intervene By chance this was the place where a bitter-leaved wild olive, sacred to Faunus, had stood, a tree revered by sailors of old, where, when saved from the sea, they used to hang their gifts to the Laurentine god, and the votive garments: but the Trojans had removed the sacred trunk, allowing of no exceptions, in order to fight on open ground. While he tugged and strained fiercely, Juturna, the Daunian goddess, changing again to the shape of Metiscus, the charioteer, ran forward and restored his sword to her brother. But Venus, enraged that this was allowed the audacious nymph, approached, and plucked the javelin from the deep root. Refreshed with weapons and courage, one relying on his sword, the other towering fiercely with his spear, both breathing hard, they stood, tall, face to face, in martial conflict. What will be left in the end? What are you planning? What hope do you cling to in the cold clouds? Or that the lost sword for what could Juturna achieve without you? Now cease, at last, and give way to my entreaties, lest such sadness consume you in silence, and your bitter woes stream back to me often from your sweet lips. It has reached its end. You have had the power to drive the Trojans over land and sea, to stir up evil war, to mar a house, and mix marriage with grief: I forbid you to attempt more. I counselled Juturna I confess to help her unfortunate brother and approved greater acts of daring for the sake of his life, yet not for her to contend with the arrow or the bow: I swear it by the implacable fountainhead of Styx, that alone is held in awe by the gods above. And now I yield, yes, and leave the fighting I loathe. Let still exist, let there be Alban kings through the ages, let there be Roman offspring strong in Italian virtue: Troy has fallen, let her stay fallen, along with her name. Come, truly, calm this passion that was needlessly roused: I grant what you wish, and I relent, willingly defeated. I will add sacred laws and rites, and make them all Latins of one tongue. From them a race will rise, merged with Ausonian blood, that you will see surpass men and gods in virtue, no nation will celebrate your rites with as much devotion. Men speak of twin plagues, named the Dread Ones, whom Night bore untimely, in one birth with Tartarean Megaera, wreathing them equally in snaky coils, and adding wings swift as the wind. A strange numbness loosed his limbs in dread, his hair stood up in terror, and his voice clung to his throat. What is left for me who have suffered so? With what art can I prolong your life? Can I stand against such a portent? Now at last I leave the ranks. Bird of ill-omen, do not you terrify me who already am afraid: I know your wing-beats and their fatal sound, and I do not mistake the proud command of great-hearted Jupiter. Is this his reward for my virginity? Why did he grant me eternal life? Why is the mortal condition taken from me?

Aeneid Book XII by Virgil Omar Sayed Taqi rated it really liked it Jan 24, Emi rated it really liked it Mar 18, Matthew rated it really liked it Jun 15, Inma marked it as to- read Oct 16, Jamie is currently reading it Jun 21, Graham added it Jul 10, Rin added it Mar 20, Alexander marked it as to-read Aug 30, Toryn Green added it Oct 21, Yinzadi marked it as to-read Nov 17, Anthea added it Jan 27, Man Solo marked it as to-read May 07, Ahmed Oraby marked it as to-read Jul 28, Alyssa Picard added it Dec 29, Jeremy marked it as to-read Aug 11, Vera added it Sep 28, Emma Meadows added it Oct 31, Myrina added it Nov 30, Erwin Hosono marked it as to-read Jan 21, Elizabeth Aedyn River marked it as to-read Mar 05, Steven Groenewald marked it as to-read Nov 04, There are no discussion topics on this book yet. About Virgil. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues or Bucolics , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid. A number of minor poems, collected in the Appendix Vergiliana, are sometimes attributed to him. Virgil is traditionally ranked as one of Rome's greatest poets. His Aeneid has been considered the national epic of from the time of its composition to the present day. Modeled after Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, the Aeneid follows the Trojan refugee Aeneas as he struggles to fulfill his destiny and arrive on the shores of Italy—in the founding act of Rome. Virgil's work has had wide and deep influence on Western literature, most notably the Divine Comedy of Dante, in which Virgil appears as Dante's guide through hell and purgatory. Books by Virgil. Related Articles. Finding the 1, Books to Read in a Lifetime. Aeneas, back at the camp with his comrades, wishes only to return to the battle, but the physician, Iapyx, cannot remove the arrow from his leg. Venus , upset by her son's pain, sends a healing balm to mend his wound. Thus recovered, Aeneas embraces Ascanius and returns to battle. Aeneas and Turnus both slay a great many warriors, although Juturna is able to distract Aeneas momentarily by riding around in Turnus's chariot while Aeneas, believing his foe to be inside it, pursues her. Finally, Venus urges Aeneas to move towards the unguarded Latin city. He pledges to annihilate the city if the battle is not resolved that day. Queen Amata, terrified at the sight of the approaching Trojans and believing that her beloved Turnus has been killed, hangs herself in the castle. At last Turnus realizes the tragedy that he has wrought, and he calls for Aeneas to meet him on the field once again to decide the battle once and for all. The fight begins by both men throwing their spears. Then they rush toward each other to battle with swords. Turnus's sword breaks off, forcing him to retreat, and Aeneas pursues him despite his pain from the arrow wound. Aeneas, unable to catch Turnus, notices his spear embedded in an olive tree and struggles to free it. Meanwhile, Juturna takes on the guise of Turnus's charioteer and returns her brother's blade to him. Angered by this interference, Venus helps Aeneas remove the spear from the tree. Jupiter , himself angered by this continued meddling in mortal affairs, calls his wife to him. She knows, he says, that Aeneas is fated to win, so why must she persist in staving off the inevitable? Jupiter tells her that the end has come. Jupiter sends down one of the Furies to frighten Turnus into submission. Juturna, realizing that there is nothing more that she can do to help her brother, flees into the depths of the river, moaning. Aeneas hurls his spear at the fallen Turnus, and it pierces his thigh. Aeneas approaches Turnus to end his life, but Turnus pleads for mercy, for the sake of his father. Aeneas is moved by Turnus's words and momentarily considers sparing him, but then notices Pallas 's belt slung across Turnus's shoulders, and drives his sword through his opponent's chest. One of the most fascinating and perplexing aspects of Virgil 's epic is its ending: even though our hero Aeneas is victorious, the Aeneid ends on an unquestionably tragic note, devoting its final lines to the sad last moments of Turnus's short life. King Latinus and Queen Amata protest, wanting Turnus to surrender and protect his life, but Turnus ignores their pleas, valuing his honor over his life. The next day, the armies gather as spectators on either side of a field in front of the city. Juno worries about Turnus because she suspects that Aeneas outmatches him. Latinus and Aeneas both come out onto the battlefield, and each vows to uphold his side of the pact. But Juturna, not wanting her brother to risk the duel, appears to the Latin army disguised as a noble officer named Camers and goads the Latins to break the treaty and fight now that the Trojans are off their guard. This unprovoked shot ignites both armies. They fly at each other with sword and lance. Aeneas calls for his men to stop, but as he yells, a stray arrow wounds him in the leg, forcing him to retreat. Watching Aeneas leave the field gives Turnus new hope. He enters the battle and lays waste to a slew of soldiers on the Trojan side. Meanwhile, Aeneas is helped back to camp, but the physician cannot remove the arrow from his leg. 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