The Immoral Queen Of Carthage: Her Tragic Downfall

    Invoking sympathy into the darkest of hearts, Dido is truly a tragic character. Nevertheless, Dido’s lover Aeneas is not wholly responsible for her death. Her own actions contribute to most of the turmoil she endures and the pathetic end that she suffers. While Dido is greatly affected by the way Aeneas treats her, she does not think of the way her actions affect anyone else around her. Aeneas knows he needs to lead his men to Italy and accepts full responsibility while Dido irrationally follows her feelings and does not take her kingdom or anyone else into account for the decisions she makes. In The Aeneid, Virgil argues that a person is ultimately her own worst enemy as displayed through Dido’s actions, fueled by passion and pride, leading to the detriment of Aeneas, her sister, and the memory of her deceased husband, thus revealing a selfish nature that leads to her ultimate downfall. 

    Dido’s selfish nature is fully revealed when she does everything in her power to prevent Aeneas from leaving Carthage although she knows his duty to the gods. At first, Dido fully understands Aeneas is the son of a goddess, “I’m sure–I know it’s true–the man is born of the gods” (4.15). However, she rescinds this belief later on. Knowing Aeneas is born of the gods and has a mission he must complete, Dido’s fury blinds her and she deceives herself into believing Aeneas is lying about his heritage (4.456-457). If Aeneas is lying about his story, he does not need to fulfill this “imagined'' fate—freeing him to stay with Dido in Carthage. Dido begins to slowly lose her grip on reality as the book progresses, showing willful participation in defying reason. One example of her selfishness is demonstrated through her actions to prevent Aeneas from performing his duty to the gods and fulfilling his fate. Dido’s methods for persuading Aeneas to stay vary from spoiling him, ranting angrily, and even pleading with him. Eventually, Dido’s pleas and tears fall upon deaf ears, “His will stands unmoved. The falling tears are futile” (4.565). Aeneas must perform his duty to found Rome, and unfortunately, Dido is not a part of his fate. Dido thinks only of her own feelings, not realizing the consequences that await her lover such as not completing his destiny which is the founding of Rome.

    After her first husband, Sychaeus, died, Dido pridefully swore she would never marry again. However, Aeneas comes to Carthage and her mind begins to change. Dido betrays her oath to her deceased husband and gives into her lustful feelings. Struggling with her feelings toward Aeneas, Dido reflects on her previous husband, "He's carried my love away, the man who wed me first / may he hold it tight, safeguard it in his grave” (4.35-36). Initially, Dido refrains from her passionate feelings towards Aeneas but then she selfishly gives in to her emotions. Dido submits to her feelings instead of remaining faithful to her deceased husband as she had originally promised: “If only I had been free / to live my life, untested in marriage, free of guilt / as some wild beast untouched by pangs like these! / I broke my faith I swore to the ashes of Sychaeus” (4.687-689). Breaking a promise may not be considered selfish, especially in certain circumstances, but Dido only considers her own feelings and does what is best for herself—not what is best for Aeneas, not what is best for her sister, and certainly not what is best for the memory of her first husband.

    By tricking her sister, Anna, Dido reveals her passionate nature. Dido tricks her sister into planning Dido’s death, “She approaches her grieving / sister Anna—masking her plan with a brave face / aglow with hope” (4.596-598). Anna believes Dido only wants her help with magical rites to forget Aeneas, not realizing Dido is planning her own death. By involving her sister in elaborate schemes for her planned demise, Dido does not take time to reflect on the way this could affect Anna in the future. Completely by accident, Anna plays a vital role in setting everything together perfectly for Dido’s death. By taking her own life, Dido also manages to ruin Anna’s life: “You have destroyed your life, my sister, mine too, / your people, the lords of Sidon and your new city here” (4.848-849). Preparing Dido’s pyre for her sister’s unexpected suicide leaves Anna in a state of utmost turmoil and grief. Dido’s passion leads her to only consider her own thoughts and plans and not think of how involving Anna in preparation for her suicide may affect her sister. 

    The selfishness of Dido is demonstrated by The Aeneid in several different ways. She betrays her oath to her deceased husband, keeps Aeneas from his duty, and deceives her sister. Although Dido invokes sympathy into the heart of a person, her actions ultimately only serve herself. Through Dido’s story, a person starts to understand the actions she performs affects those around her and also reveals not only the dangers of a selfish nature but also the dangers of letting oneself become completely overwhelmed by her own emotions.