Close Reading 4

“Dido and the Trojan chieftain have reached the same cave. Primal Earth and Juno, queen of marriages, together now give the signal: lightning fires flash, the upper air is witness to their mating, and from the highest hilltops about the nymphs. That day was her first day of death and ruin” (IV. 18-24).

In Virgil’s The Aeneid, the gods use the humans as a tool to reach their objective. Fate is predetermined, yet some characters do not accept their fate. Juno, being rash and impulsive, does not yield to fate. The feud between Venus and Juno is an example of the gods’ manipulation of humans. They both exploit various characters in an attempt to outwit the opposing goddess. Things being played with include human lives, love, and more significantly, nations. There exists no boundary in which the gods can exercise their mighty power.

In this passage, the secret marriage of Dido and Aeneas was planned by Juno and Venus. Surprisingly, Venus goes along with Juno’s plans because she knows that ultimately, Aeneas will found Rome, regardless of any obstacle or distraction that arises. Juno refuses to accept fate and does anything she can to hinder Aeneas’ progress towards founding Rome.

It is noteworthy how the translator explicitly states, “that day was her first day of death and ruin.” Dido represented an exemplary ruler. Carthage was depicted as a prosperous nation that was still growing. Dido’s downfall, however, was her emotions. Nevertheless, she can be considered a victim of the gods’ interference with the lives of humans. This scene demonstrates the superiority of reasoning over human emotions, or stoic philosophy. To the Roman audience, Dido was a bad ruler because she succumbed to her emotions rather than prioritizing on her nation.