Dido is the woman who was infatuated with Aeneas, and Aeneas is the man for whom her heart burned with flaming passion, allowing her to break the force of vow that bound her with her dead husband. Dido justifies her sexual relationship with Aeneas in a cave as marriage. The overdriving love for Aeneas distracts her from other tasks that require her attention: construction of Carthage has halted and maintenance of defense against enemies has been neglected. When Aeneas realizes he could not stay with her any longer and must leave immediately, she is distraught. She tries to convince him to stay awhile longer, that she might be accustomed to his departure, but to no avail. His dogged determination to fulfill his duty gravely torments her. I think she is naive and too obsessed with this love affair between her and Aeneas. A man has a mission, she mustn’t stand in his way or make too much of a commotion, such as cursing him when his fleet is in sight, ready to sail, or committing suicide to end all of it. She is strongly possessive of the man she loves, and when that man is gone she throws a tantrum that inflicts harm upon herself and others.
4 thoughts on “Criticism on Dido”
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Responding to you comment, “I think she is naïve and too obsessed with this love affair between her and Aeneas”, I do not believe Dido was naïve instead a victim of love. I think the bigger message that Virgil is trying to portray that love is evil. Love takes over her body, her thoughts, and her actions. In the end of the affair love literally leads to death. She no longer is worried about leading her city only being with Aeneas. This is a result of Juno’s actions. I do believe Dido was wrong for sleeping with Aeneas. She knew Aeneas had a fate set out by the Gods and a hope that he would stay with her was very slim, one she should not bet on.
I agree with everything you said, but I would add that Dido could be pitied. Yes, she devoted too much attention to Aeneas and was irresponsible in her other duties, but since her husband’s death, she has been living in loneliness. Aeneas is a good man to her and so it is understandable that she would grow affection for him. However, I do not think that it was not true love. I do not agree that Virgil was trying to paint love in a bad light. Dido’s feelings for Aeneas was not love.. but obsession. There is a difference. If she truly loved him, she would have understood his responsibilities and let him go without reacting so harshly. But because it was unhealthy intoxication, she was selfish and saw Aeneas as a sort of possession.
I agree that Dido was affected by her love affair with Aeneas. Her love for her burned so strong that she gave up her life due to the pain and torment of his departure. However, Aeneas has his fault as well. He chose to follow the fate the gods had bestowed on him and left her. When they meet in the afterworld he sees her and weeps, showing that he was manipulated by his fate as Dido was affected by her love for him.
I think that if Venus had not interfered, then she would not have fallen in love with Aeneas. She was struck by cupids arrow and that led to her falling in love with him and hence beginning the vicious cycle that led to her downfall. If the Gods’ had not interfered, who knew what would’ve happened.