IT ENDS WITH DEATH:

BOOK 12 AND THE FATE OF TURNUS

The twelfth and final book of the Aeneid reveals a final twist in the story. While several

historians say the unfinished epic poem would have continued on to a solid resolution, others

argue that the unfinished aspect of the story lies only in potential revisions and filling partial

lines. Regardless of these speculations, Book 12 remains the final written section of the Aeneid,

with the death of Turnus as its closing scene. The point of this article is to outline the nature of

the twelfth book and to present differing claims about the controversial death of Turnus.

The final book is, as the name suggests, the end of the story. It takes place after the

destruction of Troy, the sailing to Sicily, the storm brought on by Aeolus, the love and demise of

Dido, the journey to the Underworld, the landing in Italy, and the start of the conflict between the

Trojans and the Latins. The violence is brought on by Aeneas seeking Lavinia, the daughter of

King Latinus, and the threat of taking over the Latin kingdom. Turnus, Lavinias suitor, is

enraged at the idea of losing his potential lover and submitting to a Trojan king. His anger causes

the ensuing war. Book 12 tells the resolution of the war, as Aeneas believes that killing Turnus

will lead to peace, and Vergil hints several times in the book that this will be the case. However,

he does not explicitly state that there is peace afterwards, as the book does not continue after the

death of Turnus, and there is of course no sequel to this epic.

The final book of the Aeneid opens with the Latin tribe holding council. Turnus sees how

the tides have turned against them in the war with Aeneas and the Trojans. His perception leads

him to volunteer to fight Aeneas alone, while the rest of the tribe watches to stay safe. Latinus

tries to change his mind. Because Latinus is ready to make peace with the Trojans, he sees no
reason for Turnus to die. However, the words of Latinus only inspire more anger in Turnus.

Turnus believes that if he is slain by Aeneas, he will receive glory, and if he slays Aeneas, he

will receive fame. These possibilities encourage Turnus to fight Aeneas. Queen Amata also tries

to persuade Turnus against his decision, but it is of no use: his mind is set. Lavinia says nothing

and instead blushes, exacerbating the desire of Turnus to fight. Likewise, Aeneas is excited to

fight Turnus. He comforts the Trojans and sends the treaty outlining the duel to Latinus. He

agrees to not treat the Latins as a conquered people, instead only receiving a city and Lavinia

from them. The Latins will get to keep their own customs and the remainder of their kingdom.

Meanwhile, Juno meets with Juturna, the sister of Turnus. Juturna turns into a Rutulian

leader that incites the Latins, and Juno sends a portent that, when interpreted, says that the Latins

can defeat Aeneas and the Trojans. Neither Latinus nor Aeneas can stop his men from fighting.

In fact, Aeneas gets shot by a stray arrow, reigniting hope in Turnus. The healer Iapyx is unable

to help, but Venus sends down a remedy that heals the wound nearly instantly. Aeneas returns to

battle, only seeking Turnus. However, Juturna has assumed the form of his charioteer, keeping

Turnus away from him. Aeneas calls for the attack of the city, and, seeing this attack, Queen

Amata kills herself, for she believes Turnus to be dead. Turnus comes to grip with reality, and

decides, despite Juturnas pleas, to stop fighting random Trojans and fight Aeneas in accordance

with the treaty.

Once Aeneas and Turnus are locked in the confines of battle, Jupiter asks Juno to let go

of her hatred towards Trojans and therefore to cease assisting Turnus. Juno accepts on the

conditions that the Trojan name dies, and that the name of the union between the tribes will be

called Latin. Jupiter agrees and then sends down a Fury to impede Juturna. The Fury causes

her to flee and steals the strength of Turnus, so that he is unable to throw a giant rock at Aeneas.
Aeneas hurls his spear at Turnus, wounding his thigh and causing him to fall. He pleads with

Aeneas, begging him to return him to his father regardless of whether he is dead or alive. He asks

him to give up his hatred in exchange for giving up Lavinia. At first, Aeneas is moved by the

pleas of Turnus, but the shiny belt of Pallas catches his eye, inspiring him with rage. He plunges

his sword in anger into Turnus, exclaiming that it is Pallas who kills him.

Agatha H.F. Thornton argues that the death of Turnus is well-deserved. She cites Book

10, arguing that the posthumous treatment of Pallas was enough for Aeneas to avenge. It should

be noted that Pallas was a very young, skilled warrior fighting on the Trojan side of the war with

the Latins. Turnus challenged Pallas to a duel. The contrast between the bravery of the youthful

Pallas and the imposing figure of the experienced Turnus indicates a completely uneven

matchup. Turnus inevitably slays Pallas. While he gives his body to his father, he takes away the

belt. Thornton argues that the belt was ill-omened, illustrating the crime of unfairly killing

Pallas. Although she concedes that Aeneas kills Lausus, the son of the man he was about to kill

in battle, Mezentius, she argues that Aeneas warned Lausus of intervening, and immediately felt

pity after he killed him. Unlike Turnus, Aeneas does not despoil the corpse of Lausus and allows

the family to find solace in knowing that Lausus became famous by falling at the hands of

Aeneas. She uses this behavioral contrast to justify the death of Turnus. This justification makes

sense contextually, as Aeneas had already displayed the feeling of vengeance against those who

have wronged him or his loved ones earlier in the epic. The Helen Episode in Book 2 depicts his

feeling to kill Helen for causing the Trojan War, leading to the death of so many of his comrades.

It is therefore reasonable to assume that he mourns the death of Pallas and wants to exact

punishment on his killer. However, that reasoning cannot be the sole factor in killing Turnus.

Politically, Aeneas hopes to end the war, and believes that killing Turnus will do just that. He
also sees more of his comrades dying in the war, many at the hands of Turnus himself, most

likely inciting him with further anger. Nevertheless, the wrongful death of Pallas definitely

contributes to the death of Turnus, as it is explicitly stated that the belt of Pallas keeps Aeneas

from giving Turnus mercy, and that Aeneas kills Turnus on the behalf of Pallas.

Meanwhile, W.S.M. Nicoll offers a more fated explanation. Nicoll believes that Turnus is

portrayed as a sacrificial victim in order to save the rest of the Latins. It should be recalled that

the treaty would allow for peace if Aeneas and Turnus fought. Turnus dies, and the epics

immediately following end suggests that peace was restored. The concession Jupiter makes with

Juno allows for a compromise that Turnus would have desired. He would not have to submit to a

Trojan king, as the Trojan name would be eliminated by the compromise. Nicoll also argues that

the divine intervention of Venus in healing Aeneass wound and the compromise between Jupiter

and Juno suggest that Turnuss fate is determined by the gods and not by his own capacity to

defeat or be defeated by Aeneas. This is supported by Turnuss realization that he must seek out

Aeneas and fight him to the death. His sacrificial death is also grounded in the books abrupt

ending, signaling the end of the war. However, it is unrealistic to simply assume that Turnus had

no free will in the decision. King Latinus and Queen Amata both tried to persuade against

Turnuss initiative to fight Aeneas alone, but Turnuss desire for glory and hatred of Aeneas

overcomes him. Therefore, he made that choice himself and cannot be played off as simply a

victim of the Fates. Furthermore, it was the anger of Turnus in Aeneas taking Lavinia and

threatening the kingdom that worked to cause the war in the first place. If Turnus had not let his

emotions overwhelm him, the war would have taken place on a much smaller scale if at all, and

Turnus would not have sent himself to his death.

 Although a plethora of people have different perspectives surrounding the violent scene,

scholars can never truly know the exact reasoning for the death of Turnus. Because this is the

very last scene in the entire epic, there are even fewer clues to provide an answer. There are no

words, let alone references to his death, following the scene, as the book simply ends, the Aeneid

concluded.

Bibliography:

Nicoll, W. S. M. The Death of Turnus. The Classical Quarterly, vol. 51, no. 1, 1 Jan. 2001, pp.

190200. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/3556341?ref=search-

gateway:b9d44119a41f0a34dc34d05de0e0422e.

The Aeneid: Novel Summary: Book 12. Novelguide, Novelguide.com,

www.novelguide.com/the-aeneid/summaries/book12.

Thornton, Agatha H. F. The Last Scene of the 'Aeneid'. Greece & Amp; Rome, vol. 22, no. 65,

1 June 1953, pp. 8284. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/641250?ref=search-

gateway:8241e46baa8ae6e0218ba8f83c6bfa15.