Understanding Dido: Past and Present
...pected it as a result of motifs that they were already familiar with in literature. One such recurring theme was that of a woman who abandons her roots to help a hero, and then is abandoned by him. This is seen with characters such as Medea and Ariadne as well as Dido (DeLuce, 31). They all helped the hero in the story and were left by him later. One of the purposes of these women was to be used by the main character in order to further his position; but they were not necessary to help the hero complete his goal. Another motif that the ancient Romans would have recognized was that of a woman detaining a man from his goal. In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus was detained twice: once by Circe and again by Calypso. In both instances, he realized the importance of his goals and escaped the women to pursue them. Aeneas did the same. He knew that he had a duty to fulfill and he left Dido in order to do so. In addition to expecting the abandonment of Dido, they probably also anticipated the suicide. Traditionally, abandonment led to severe emotion in women and often killed themselves in response. Alcinoe, Ariadne, Callirrhoe, Thisbe, Scylla as well as Dido committed suicide as a result of extreme feelings of abandonment (Diotima). Even the immortal Calypso killed herself after being left by Odysseus. Romans reading the Aeneid in the ancient world would not only have desired the death of a woman that they perceived as their enemy, but they would have expected it. Romans would have known what to anticipate when reading an epic about the founding of their nation. Because we are so far removed from the context in which the Aeneid is written, however, we often interpret the story of Dido quite differently from the way that an ancient Roman probably did. Our world puts a phenomenal emphasis on the importance of being an individual. Developing your sense of “self” is a pervasive theme in everything that is done. Needless to say, this individualistic attitude affects the way we interpret the Aeneid. Each person that reads the epic is at liberty to interpret it from his or her own view point. By doing so, a person is able to imagine what it is like to be in Dido’s position. Everyone has been in a position where he or she feels unable to control what is going on. This is the unfortunate situation that Dido is in; she is in love with Aeneas and is unable to convince him to be with her. The people who have been in unsuccessful relationships empathize with Dido while those who have been lucky in love pity her. Sympathy with Dido’s plight may not have been as common at the time the epic was written. The episode with Dido may have been seen as a necessary step to ensure Aeneas’ success. In a society that focuses so heavily on the happiness of the individual, it is difficult to understand why Aeneas would forego his own personal pleasure for the benefit of people who have yet to be born. Understanding the logic behind this idea is not easy when culture stresses finding personal happiness above all else. Therefore, the Dido episode in Book IV is disturbing to many modern day readers. Not only is it difficult to grasp the idea of abandoning happiness, it is also not easy to understand the importance of fate. In the United States where everyone is told they can achieve whatever they want no matter what their status at birth, grasping the idea that there is no control over what is done with one’s life is not easy. We would like to think that we have the ultimate ability to change and control the direction in which life is going. However, this is not the case in the Aeneid; fate and duty take precedence over one’s personal preference. We are not comfortable with this idea and, therefore, the ending of Book IV is troublesome. Our feelings of individualism and the emphasis on the ability of one to affect change contribute to recent interpretations of Dido’s character. But, in addition to shifting ideals, important changes have occurred in recent history that effect our viewpoint when reading the Aeneid. The feminist movement has caused a considerable change in perspectives. According to McManus, there are several criteria for taking a feminist approach to literature: -The idea that gender norms can be changed is central to feminist theory. -Gender is a crucial category of analysis and modes of knowledge which do not take gender into account are partial and incomplete. -Women and other marginalized groups are to be treated as subjects rather than objects. -Existing inequalities between dominant and marginalized groups can and should be removed (McManus, 58-60). These criteria allow the Aeneid to be interpreted with respect to the effect that the story has on women. Because Dido is a notable female character, it is not surprising that a strong focus has been put on her recently. Feminism causes us to interpret Dido quite differently. In this light, she is not a foreign enemy but, rather, a complex and sensitive woman. Interpreting Dido’s character from this perspective helps us to understand how the modern circumstances can affect the reading of the Aeneid. Initially, Dido is a great stateswoman who oversees the building of her city. She left her fatherland because of her hatred for the tyrannical, her brother Pygmalian. Like a good ruler, Dido hated the demonic nature of tyranny. She also had commanding power that allowed her to be the captain of a great escape venture and the founder of a new nation. Carthage is a place of progress. Dido’s subjects are engaged in building her city’s future political and defense systems. Under Dido’s command, Carthage is to be untyrranical and unconquerable. It is this vision of Dido that is first seen in the book. Dido’s status goes against the idea that males are generally the powerful leaders in ancient society. Modern readers respect that Dido is a strong woman who is working to accomplish her goals. This may not have been the case prior to feminism. In the ancient world where women were never viewed as equals to men, Dido’s strength may have been seen as a threat rather than a source of pride fo...