The Aeneid - Part 2

War has broken out between the Trojans and the Latins, led by Aeneas and Turnus respectively. Both sides clash furiously, both with high hopes and prayers for victory. In the Latin line-up though, none but Turnus can match Mezentius in ferocity and fervor. He is described as having no respect for the gods and therefore can be even more reckless and savage than others. Droves of noble fighters lie in his wake. It is as if he has no heart, that he lives for the hunt of human flesh and blood upon the field of Mars.

But an interesting point in the story for me was when Mezentius’ son Lausus is killed by Aeneas in battle and the impact it had on Mezentius. Upon hearing his men weeping, the father knows at once that he has been bereft of his son. His grief is so beautifully expressed in the following lines:

Gouging up dust he soiled / His white hair, spread his hands to heaven; and when / the body came, he clung to it. / “Did such pleasure / In being alive enthrall me, son, that I / Allowed you whom I sired to take my place / Before the enemy sword? Am I, your father, / Saved by your wounds, by your death do I live? / . . . / My son, I stained your name with wickedness - / Driven out as I was, under a cloud, / From throne and scepter of my ancestors. / . . . / I should have given / My guilty life up, suffering every death. / I live still. Not yet have I taken leave / Of men and daylight. But I will.” (10.1181-88, 1191-93, 1195-1198)

Here is the heart of father pouring forth his grief and remorse over his lost son. Compared to earlier images of the might Mezentius, this is a complete turn-around. Where once he was harsh and brutal, he is now gentle and caring. In battle, he roared commands amidst the flurry of men and arms. Yet here, he weeps and pleads to a son long gone from the world of his father. For me, this was one of the most touching scenes in the whole Aeneid.