Overview of The Aeneid as it relates to the Mezentius episode in Book 10 In AP Latin next year we will focus much more on books 1-6: Aeneas leaving Troy and landing at Carthage due to the storm, the telling of the Fall of Troy, his love story with Dido, and Aeneas’ trip to the Underworld. Books 7-12 are set in Italy, though, and involve Aeneas developing alliances there in order to face his opponents in war. The first alliance he makes is with King Latinus of Latium who has been told in a prophecy that he should marry his daughter Lavinia to someone from abroad. Unfortunately, his wife Amata has already affianced their daughter Lavinia to Turnus, the young leader of the Rutulians. In Book 7 Juno and Allecto send anger like a snake into Amata and Turnus’ hearts so a new war will start in Italy. Book 8 introduces his ally Evander of Pallanteum (a Greek and an enemy of the Latins) and his son Pallas. In this pair we find yet again the good father-son relationship. Evander is too old to go to battle but sends his son Pallas under the mentorship of Aeneas. Book 9 Turnus is ready to fight, but Aeneas is still gone and has told his men to stay inside the camp. Turnus, therefore, sets fire to the ships, but they turn into nymphs and like birds escape. Nisus and Euryalus- a pair who plan to break out at night to go talk to Aeneas about what is happening. Book 10 The council of the gods. Battle scenes- now that Aeneas is back. Turnus kills young Pallas in a very sad scene. Then Turnus is whisked away to save him from Aeneas’ wrath. Mezentius instead comes to the fore. A cruel Etruscan king who is hated by the Etruscans, he nevertheless, is an affectionate father of Lausus. The rest of the Etruscans despise him so much that they side with Aeneas against Mezentius. N.B. In book 12 the whole tale of the Aeneid ends with the death of Turnus at Aeneas’ hands. .