Queen of Carthage

Queen of Carthage

In Virgil’s epic, The Aeneid, he portrays a tragic love story within the midst of rebuilding Troy. Dido was the queen of Carthage, who was a victim caught in the will of the gods. Before Aeneas showed up, Dido’s husband was murdered by her brother. Dido was determined not to marry again so she could keep the memory of her late husband. Not only is Dido a strong queen, she is also respected by how kind and empathetic she is to Aeneas.

Virgil shows how fast the change of love that hits the queen of carthage. He uses the image of Cupid’s love arrow that Dido was shot with and how quick it hits her. “ ‘Dear Anna, the dreams that haunt my quaking heart! Who is this stranger just arrived to lodge in our house- our guest? How noble his face, his courage, and what a soldier! I’m sure- I know it’s true- the man is born of the gods…’(Virgil 127).” Dido tells her sister that a flame has been reignited within her and that this is the only man that has swayed her heart since her husband passed. Her saying that he was the only man to sway her heart portrays her naivety and displays how affectionate she is. “ ‘The signs of the old flame, I know them well.’ (Virgil 128)” Dido willing to risk her loyalty of her deceased husband proves that she is naive. Although she portrays herself as being deeply in love with Aeneas, it was only the work of Cupid’s arrow.

By the time Cupid is done shooting her with his arrow, Dido becomes very passionate towards Aeneas. Dido and Aeneas go into a cave together to take shelter and somehow become married by the workings of the gods. “Dido and Troy’s commander make their way to the same cave for shelter now. Primordial Earth and Juno, Queen of Marriage, give the signal and lightning torches flare and the sky bears witness to the wedding hymn.” Their wedding is as passionate as Cupid’s arrow made her feel about Aeneas.

Dido is finally happy again married to Aeneas. But the gods demand Aeneas to leave her and continue on with his quest and his duties. However, Dido dropped all her responsibilities, proving her loyalty and love to Aeneas. When word that Aeneas is leaving her to return to his quest gets back to Dido, she is filled with outrage. “ ‘So, you traitor, you really believed you’d keep this a secret, this great outrage? Steal away in silence from my shores? Can nothing hold you back? Not our love? Not the pledge once sealed with our right hands?’ (Virgil 138).” Dido says this to Aeneas to show her utter outrage that he is leaving her for Troy. It shows how he prioritizes his responsibilities over any other relationship when it’s unfair to Dido because she gave her duties up to be with Aeneas. When he leaves, Dido is filled with anger and she is full of sadness that consumes her. She was depressed that he left her that she then begins to pray for death. “So, driven by madness, beaten down by anguish, Dido was fixed on dying, working out in her mind the means, the moment. (Virgil 144).” With Dido depressed that her love left her to return to his duties, she has come to rock bottom with the intentions of killing herself. She takes a Trojan sword and kills herself with it. Dido was so madly in love with Aeneas that it drove her insane when he left her, enough to kill herself.

“Then Juno in all her power, filled with pity for Dido’s agonizing death.” The death of Dido is in the hands of Juno and Cupid because they wanted them to fall in love. I do think she didn’t have any control over killing herself because she was so in love with Aeneas from Cupid’s arrow that it drove her to do the worst thing she could have done to herself.