Mezentius and Lausus

• book 7, book 8, book 10, book 11
• Virgil gives Mezentius the epithet of 'scorner of the gods'
• he is the complete opposite of pious Aeneas
• his son, Lausus, is 'known for his beauty'
• he 'deserved a father whom it would have been more of a joy to obey'
• Mezentius' form of torture, where living men are roped to dead bodies to die a lingering death, is horrific
• his own people, the Etruscans, have driven him out, and he has allied himself with Turnus
• while Mezentius is under attack from Aeneas, Lausus throws himself in the way of Aeneas's spear to save his father
• suddenly, the world is upside down
• the son has saved the father, reversing the role of protector
• Aeneas, raging because of the death of young Pallas, is now killing Lausus, a boy similar age and delicacy to Pallas
• Mezentius changes too
• he is devastated by his son's sacrifice to save him and begins to demonstrate heroic behaviour
• like in the Elysian Fields, Mezentius has his horse as his companion
• he understands that he is only mortal and accepts his fate
• he is not a coward not that his final test has come
• he knows it will be either victory or death
• with his helmet gleaming and his hands laden with javelins, he is presented as a hero
• Virgil doesn't show him with feelings of base revenge
• he is a monster, but to us, Aeneas is perhaps almost the more base character when he throws his spear between the eyes of the horse to kill its rider