le. Here, Virgil likens Dido's situation to that of a "doe Hit by an arrow shot from far away" (IV. 92-93). This is significant in that Dido here is being equated with prey, that she is essentially nothing more than game at the disposal of the gods, to be hunted and exploited for their own purposes. This adds a sense of tragic irony to the situation as well, because much like the doe in the simile, Dido has been struck with a passion that will prove to be her undoing-a true "fatal shaft" (IV. 98)-yet at the same time, she is so enthralled at the prospect of love and marriage that she is just wandering through her life, and ultimately, right into her own demise. By giving into these desires Dido completely allows her own self to be subjugated, and prevents herself from rationally thinking her situation through, and then acting on it. In essence then, by giving into her passions, Dido has sacrificed all her ra
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