Dido: The Tragic Heroine

A detailed Summary of Dido: The Tragic Heroine

When we first meet Dido, she is busy leading her people to build a great city. She is a strong leader and is loved by her fellow citizens. Through the eyes of Aeneas, we see that she is beautiful, intelligent and not afraid of hard work. Last but not least, Dido is loyal, loyal to her people and to the memory of her deceased husband. All of these traits add up to describe a woman that I admire and would strive to be. Imagine my surprise when Dido becomes mad and commits suicide for, of all things, a man. How does she go from this strong, loyal, intelligent and heroic woman to a crazed lovesick person that takes her own life in the name of love? In this paper I will try to answer this question and better understand this drastic action as we take a look at the life of Queen Dido.

To better understand Dido, one must know two things; of her life before she met Aeneas and an understanding of what Virgil was trying to accomplish by including this character. Virgil was tasked with writing a piece that brought back pride to Roman citizens. By creating the character of Dido, Virgil makes an "emphatic statement of the sacrifice which the Roman ideal of duty demands."(The Norton Anthology of World Masterpieces, pg. 471) Most of us could h

The tragedy begins to unfold when, after hearing rumors, the African prince Iarbas, learns that Dido was totally infatuated, and seemed to no longer care for appearance or reputation. He had once asked Dido for her hand in marriage and had been turned down. Iarbas prays to Jupiter to end this love story and prevent Aeneas from gaining possession of Carthage. Jupiter heard his prayers and through Mercury, convinced Aeneas that he must fulfill his destiny if not for himself then for his son. Since Dido was also a leader, you would think that she would understand Aeneas' position. Never underestimate the forces of love. Dido's intuition tells her something is amiss. When she discovers that Aeneas is leaving, she is furious. Her address to him is scathing. She calls him a traitor and even questions his destiny. Her anger is as strong as her passion ever was but is ineffective because of Jupiter's warning. She tries criticizism, "You even hoped to keep me in the dark as to this outrage, did you, two-faced man, and slip away in silence?" [Virgil, The Aeneid pg. 515], and she tried begging: "I beg you, by these tears, by your own right hand," [Virgil, The Aeneid pg. 515] and she threatened: "I hope and pray that on some grinding reef midway at sea you'll drink your punishment and call and call on Dido's name." [Virgil, The Aeneid pg. 517] She told him that because of him, the Libyan tribes and the nomad kings hated her, the Tyrians had even become hostile, and her reputation had suffered. She recalled the threats of her brother Pygmalion, and those of King Iarbas. Nothing she said or did could awake in Aeneas a sense of debt or protection that a husband would feel for his wife. Abandoning all hope Dido cursed him before leaving: "From far away I shall come after you with my black fires, and when cold death has parted body from soul I shall be everywhere a shade to haunt you! You will pay for this." [Virgil, The Aeneid pg. 517]

When Dido meets Aeneas, she is "awestruck". Although she probably identified with everything Aeneas had gone through, the strongest instrument of their love is the interference of both Venus and Juno. Dido, overcome with love and lust, takes every chance to be with Aeneas. She escorts h

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Approximate Word count = 1497
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English