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
She recalled the threats of her brother Pygmalion, and those of King Iarbas. Dido finally transpires as a heroine of her time but a tragedy of ours. Here we are able to see Dido's wit as she cuts the hide into tiny strips and surrounds a large area of land. 515], and she tried begging: "I beg you, by these tears, by your own right hand," [Virgil, The Aeneid pg. Dido characterizes such timeless issues as the scorned woman, the heroic leader, and the jilted lover. When she discovers that Aeneas is leaving, she is furious. Although she probably identified with everything Aeneas had gone through, the strongest instrument of their love is the interference of both Venus and Juno. In that area Dido and company founded what came to be known as Carthage. The Queen must think herself a fool for having given herself to Aeneas and even looking upon their relationship with all the security that marriage brings. ave never left the one we love as much as Aeneas loves Dido. She becomes completely consumed, and when Anna points out that there could also be benefits to a union with Aeneas, including military support for their new city, Dido decides to allow the love she had denied herself for so many years, to grow. It was his duty and obligation to leave her, no matter the personal cost.
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