Dido and Aeneas. Ancient Roman fresco in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples; fresco from the House of Citharist in Pompeii, Italy (c. 10 BCE–45 CE)
How does our re-reading of favorite texts and images change over time, as the world changes around us? Like so many readers before me, I’ve always noticed how Virgil presents the queen of Carthage as a strong, intelligent ruler and civic planner who “plans her escape, collects her followers” and their treasures: “and a woman leads them all.” (1.440-448). By the time Virgil shows us Aeneas’s inspection of her achievements, the “ramparts” of the “new city of Carthage” are rising, along with the “gates,” “laws,” “harbor,” and “theatre” (1.510–519). After Aeneas, having inspired her passion and learned from her example, abandons her to found his own new city, I used to thrill to their passion, and think I could only mourn her self-destructive suicide.
But today, driving into work and listening to the radio stories of women assaulted and raped, I thought about Dido differently. Where does the fire of her passion come from? I wondered if I could read it differently: Venus plopping Cupid into her lap, forcing love on her, telling him to “breathe [your] secret fire into her,/ poison the queen and she will never know.” (1.818-820). “She will never know–“ I thought of her listening to the tales of assault and Roofies. Giving sexual targets Rohypnol and other drugs if they’re not aware of it, I think, that’s rape. So do I think Venus has arranged for the rape of Dido so that Aeneas can gain power? I didn’t think of it this way before, but I did this morning. I wouldn’t quite say Rome was founded on rape, but the thought occurred to me. I rejected it, but I thought it.
And then I thought, parking the car and getting out: Where do the Romans find the other founders of Rome, the women who bear their children? That’s the Rape of the Sabine Women, isn’t it? The historian Livy (59 BCE–17CE) tells their abduction this way: “When the hour for the games had come, and their eyes and minds were alike riveted on the spectacle before them, the preconcerted signal was given and the Roman youth dashed in all directions to carry off the maidens who were present. The larger part were carried off indiscriminately, but some particularly beautiful girls who had been marked out for the leading patricians were carried to their houses by plebeians told off for the task.”
Still thinking about the women whose defeat built Rome, I looked “Sabines” up in the index to our edition of the Aeneid and I found that Virgil treats this incident as an important factor in Aeneas’s triumph, depicted on his shield by the god Vulcan: “the workmanship of the shield,/ no words can tell its power… […] and the Sabine women brutally/ dragged from the crowded bowl when the Circus games were played” (8.738–739, 748–749). Not a game for them, as the translator’s words “brutally” and “dragged” suggest. The end of the story is supposed to be a happy one: years later, the women prefer to remain with their abductors and the families they have established. Our edition’s introduction by scholar Bernard Knox is more upbeat than the translation by Robert Fagles that it precedes, pointing out that “the Romans carried off the Sabine women to marry them” (34). As classicist Mary Beard points out, Roman plots involving rape “are not now best known for their subtlety. The ‘happy ending’ to some of [Plautus and Terence’s comedies] can appal modern readers: ‘Good news — the rapist was her fiancé all along'” (202). There’s no happy ending here for Dido, of course, whatever the Sabines’ decision.
But the image of that “so-called rape” stayed in my mind from a picture by Nicolas Poussin, a painting I knew and was shocked by as a child, because it’s in my hometown of New York at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:
Nicolas Poussin, The Abduction of the Sabine Women, oil on canvas (probably 1633-4)
These women are being taken to increase the power of Rome. Their twisted limbs, their signals to their husbands, their forced abandonment of their children and parents at the signal from the red-clad ruler on the pillar – that’s rape to me.
So how does this change my reading of Dido? I used to think the two ways I had of seeing her were in conflict – the leader and builder, the self-destructive victim. But now I think that if she went on the radio with her story, Dido would say: Look! Even capable, intelligent, strong women can be taken advantage of, in the power structure I know.
I’ll hope that message can make changes.
Works Cited
Beard, Mary. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome. New York: W.W. Norton, 2015. Print.
Livy. History of Rome. Trans. Canon Roberts. New York: E. P. Dutton and Co, 1912. Print.
Virgil. The Aeneid. Trans. Robert Fagles. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print.
Vivian Folkenflik is an emeritus lecturer in the Humanities Core Program, where she taught for over three decades. She is the editor and translator of Anne Gédéon Lafitte, the Marquis de Pelleport’s novel The Bohemians (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009) and An Extraordinary Woman: Selected Writings of Germaine de Staël (Columbia University Press, 1992). She is also the author and archivist of our program’s institutional history at UC Irvine. Her thought and teaching have been at the center of many cycles of Humanities Core, and she continues to act as a pedagogical mentor for seminar leaders in our program. She has blogged previously for the Humanities Core Research Blog on the intersection of race and gender in past course texts.
This interpretation is very interesting! When I read the scene in which Cupid curses Dido with an undying love and desire for Aeneas, I was a bit skeptical on the morality of the entire situation. It is interesting to see the drastic change in character Dido faces after she is cursed. First, the readers see a strong woman and leader who runs Carthage with order and structure. Then, she becomes someone so obsessed with Aeneas that she neglects her responsibilities to her people and eventually becomes so miserable and self-destructive that she ends her life. It seems that Dido is used simply as a plot device to develop Aeneas’ character: her fall as a leader leads to Aeneas’ fulfillment of his God-given destiny, earning himself the title of a Virgilian hero. Although we may never know what could have happened between Dido and Aeneas if Dido hadn’t been cursed by Cupid, it seems unlikely that she would suddenly give her whole self, romantically and sexually, to Aeneas at the expense of Carthage. So I agree that this divine intervention could be seen as rape given what we are told about Dido before she met Aeneas.
I’m interested especially in your remark that it seems “Dido is used simply as a plot device to develop Aeneas’ character: her fall as a leader leads to Aeneas’ fulfillment of his God-given destiny, earning himself the title of a Virgilian hero.” I would agree with this possibility, although I think Virgil got more involved than he expected in this particular plot device. Dido’s story is a powerful one on many levels because we hear her speak her pain, even when we know that the relationship is a device and that the gods will not rescue her. But in real life, if we don’t believe we are living in a fiction, who creates the device that makes some women automatically feel so self-destructive when disaster strikes? If we have a friend or relative or co-worker in that situation, can *we* intervene to help? Even if sister Anna couldn’t?
This blog post was very interesting to me because it allowed me to also reevaluate the character of Dido. I too was impressed by Dido’s current accomplishments, especially in spite of the fact that her husband was killed and she was forced to leave. However, I was horrified by the fact that Juno asked Cupid to basically force Dido into falling in love with Aeneas. This is just another example of Fate or the intervention of the gods being used to justify wrong and immoral actions. The action against Dido is also a reminder of Fate also being used to explain why one nation can overtake another. With this mindset, the conquest of another city is synonymous to the “rape” of a nation, in which others are placed under control without any say on their part. Furthermore, the actions against women during this time period is a reminder that women were often used as a token or a way to have a political and territorial advantage. Even though times have changed, relationships and the institution of marriage can be used for the gain of citizenship or financial stability.
Hmm… did you think of her as “forced to leave” her hometown? I thought she was brave and capable in an emergency, after in her dream she sees her beloved husband Sychaeus inspiring her to lead their supporters, their ships, and their treasure away from Tyre. Her brother is a dangerous murderer, but nobody forces her to escape. I agree with you, however, that we can read Venus (not Juno!) as forcing her into a sexual relationship with Aeneas. And even though, as you say, relationships can be used for the gain of citizenship or financial stability today, I am hoping that women who have been taken advantage of may regain their sense of their own accomplishments and values. Your generation will be the key.
This morning in lecture Professor Zissos presented something interesting that I hardly ever think of when reading an epic poem, especially that of a Greek or Roman one. He discussed the two levels of motivation of the Dido scene with her and Aeneas; human and divine. From a human level it is a tragic love story where Dido is the victim of Aeneas’ pietas and from a divine level it is a sinister ploy by the gods who are doing it for their own benefit. Sometimes one tends to get caught up in the mysticism of Greek and Roman mythology that the basic real world problem is more than a god tricking a human but in this case it is people manipulating each other for their own personal gains. It also does show that even the strongest of people, man or woman, can be emotionally or sexually manipulated and I really appreciate reading this during this time of women coming out and sharing their experiences so that we can grow and change as a society. The Aeneid to me is a great discussion of what is happening today and it really shines a light on this type of abuse that people need to talk about more often.
I completely agree that sometimes one tends to get caught up in the mysticism of Greek and Roman mythology, or in modern terms romanticizing the mysticism of love as controlling us in ways that may be what others want, but not to our own benefit. As you say, “even the strongest of people, man or woman, can be emotionally or sexually manipulated” but if we recognize that manipulation for what it is, if we can support other people and emphasize their strengths to them, then I too hope we can grow and change as a society. I am heartened by your response both to Prof. Zissos’s lecture, and to this blog.
This is a very interesting read, and it seriously opened my eyes to the oppression of women in general. Dido’s role in The Aenied is seen as a very powerful one, but in reality, it is a very degrading one. Dido’s power is literally taken away from her because of a man. I think that her suicide is seen as a suicide of heartbreak, but looking at it now, it is because she was brutally used. Your interpretation really brings a new to my eyes, and as i am re-reading the Aenied, i am mind blown at how this wasn’t visible before.
Your response that Dido was “brutally used” makes me connect to the Sabine women as they were represented by Vulcan on Aeneas’s shield, where “[Vulcan] had forged Rome as well, and the Sabine women brutally/ dragged from the crowded bowl when the Circus games were played” (VIII, 748-749). I value this connection very much! I think Dido is both powerful and “brutally” taken advantage of, and she does feel “degraded,” as you say. it’s my hope that women today won’t feel that *all* their power is taken away from them by such usage. I am hoping that our increased awareness, and shared information and support, can remind strong women that the strength and power they have been building all their lives is still something they can re-discover and develop to help others.
Heartbreak, I think is no reason at all to end one’s life. While I agree that Dido had no choice to fall in love with Aeneas she did make the choice to end her life. Overall I think the Dido and Aeneas love story is one of lack of consent on both sides. While Dido had the choice to end her life and Aeneas the choice to leave Dido; in a sense, they didn’t have much of a choice. Dido was forced by Juno and Cupid to fall for Aeneas and Aeneas was basically forced to leave Dido to complete his mission by Jupiter. Aeneas and Dido never really had power over their own lives, they didn’t have the power to choose their destiny. Their destiny was chosen by the gods, and there was nothing that they could do about it. So innocent Aeneas and Dido were playing out what their destiny that the gods and godly beings chose for them. Therefore neither of them had consent in any way, neither of them could consent to their relationship as it was forced upon them by the gods.
What a great, strong opening sentence: “Heartbreak, I think is no reason at all to end one’s life.” Your interpretation of the gods as completely in control of human beings is one that people have argued about for centuries, and still do. I can see your point, about both Aeneas and Dido: they each made choices in the situations they faced. I admire your identifying Dido’s choice to end her life as an act she took herself. She thinks she can’t make the heartbreak go away except by ending her life. Heartbreak as pain? Heartbreak as loss of secure identity? I wish her sister Anna could do more to help her! But then, I would ask: how do you think heartbreak at the loss of her lover is the only pain she feels? In her time and place, I believe shame would have been part of it. In our time and place, I think we have reached a place where we can encourage the #Me-Too people with your great opening sentence.
To me it is not surprising how often this is overlooked. The Roman idea of “pietas” (duty to one’s nation) plays a strong role here, as the justification for Venus’s interference was purely so Aeneas could get back on track to his main goal. Of course this does not make her action’s “right”. Providing rational for why this type of behavior is okay, reminds me of the saying: “the ends justify the means.” The idea that one must do whatever they can for their nation, for the good of the future, can be discussed end on end on the moral dilemma. But in regards to this context, in my own experience in reading, I felt so wrapped up into the end goal for Aeneas, rooting for him to finalize his divine mission, that I too at first reading failed to see “the rape of Dido” as what it truly was: wrong. After reading this article, I realized I may have completely overlooked certain features of the Aeneid that I first viewed as okay in respect to the plot, but in reality, are reminiscent of some of the harsher features of Roman culture. On another round of reading, I am interested in other areas where readers may have skirted over other moral fallacies.
Very happy to hear that you have been “wrapped up in t he end goal for Aeneas, rooting for him…” The poem has worked for you. I love that. You are also really opening up potential perspectives into what others think — a prerequisite for moral thinking. I completely agree that from Aeneas’s point of view, “the ends justify the means.” And that’s the point of view Virgil has been asked to take: an epic “for the good of the nation,” as you say here. But that saying has been used for a lot of purposes, with some good and some harmful results. Maybe other points of view might see it differently: “the good of the future” might involve the future of other nations or peoples too. Meanwhile, connecting as you have done here is the best first step. Keep up the good work!
Your post led me to rethink all the old mythology I have read back in high school, and see it from a different perspective. I do not remember too accurately, but in Greek mythology, Medusa is seduced and raped by Poseidon, and in that same story Perseus’ mother is held against her will to marry a King. Situations that are unfortunately still common today. The only difference, I think, is the solidarity expressed by women today has increased, because in the Greek myth, instead of aiding Medusa, Athena gets enraged and turns Medusa into a frightening creature. Today, we see campaigns like #MeToo, which you linked in your blog, and we see women standing along side one another, which to me is a sign that change can happen!
I do agree with you that Greek goddesses do not necessarily stand by each other; their stories may glamorize a lot of abuse, making it sound heroic or even funny. The story of Medusa was a shocker to me in high school. I am phobic about snakes, and it never occurred to me to think that Medusa had once been beautiful. I was a fan of Athena, too. Maybe these stories explained real-life abuses to real people; most Greek and Roman women probably weren’t able to help each other. I think re-reading and re-thinking our stories and ideas may be key elements in helping us stand along side friends — or even strangers — who need our support. I appreciate your taking the time to say so.
This was a truly interesting read! Before reading this blog, I never thought of Dido’s affair with Aeneas as rape. However, as I look back on the material covered in The Aeneid, the pieces fit together. Cupid shot an arrow at Dido forcing her to fall in love with Aeneas. She was forced into a relationship and eventually had sex with Aeneas. Through Dido, Virgil indeed showcases how women are treated unfairly. On another note, how Dido was treated exemplifies the universally known gender hierarchy. Although Dido was the queen and founder of Carthage, she was essentially rendered insignificant and as if her position did not mean much for the sake of Aeneas’s journey to found Rome. This seems to present that even though women may have the power and status, it seems as though men are always thought to be on a higher standing. Additionally, I was particularly entranced by your comment: “the self-destructive victim.” It describes Dido perfectly. It infuriated me how someone as powerful as Dido was made a pawn so easily. In today’s society, there have been and still are many efforts to change how women are treated. I wonder though; why is it that it tends to be a woman who is used to portray a character of inferiority (e.g. Waiting for the Barbarians in which the barbarian girl could be considered inferior in her relationship with the magistrate)? The author/writer may play an important factor. Furthermore, Professor Zissos mentioned in his lecture that women tend to cause chaos. In this case, Dido was not the cause of the chaos (her own suicide). If Aeneas had stayed or if Cupid had not shot her, she would not have had to die such a tragic death. This scenario can also be viewed differently, however.
It was an honor to read the many views and comments you had, Professor Folkenflik.
The men in Dido’s Carthage treated her with respect until Aeneas came along, didn’t they? Cupid’s arrow is still a sign we recognize as powerful, on Valentine’s Day, but let’s hope our Valentine isn’t trying to destroy our self-respect. I think the #Me-Too phenomenon is trying to say, we can still validate ourselves and each other. You make a great connection here with Coetzee’s Waiting for the Barbarians. The empire structure there does give power to men rather than women, and in particular the magistrate over the “barbarian” girl. But doesn’t the magistrate go out of his way to return the “barbarian” girl to her people? That would be a mark of respect. It’s an interesting comparison. Thank you for suggesting it!
The concept of rape in the case of Dido is very interesting, and never once did I consider Dido’s relationship with Aeneas as coercive. But thinking now that Cupid forced Dido to love Aeneas does seem like rape, and really there is no consent coming from Dido because she never really had a chance to show her true feelings towards Aeneas. I kind of rejected the notion that Dido is fully consenting to love and sleep with Aeneas at first, but then I thought about if (sorry if this sounds odd or outlandish) someone was hypnotized and forced to sleep with someone else, I would consider that rape because they do not have full control of their choices. Additionally, this has caused me to think of Venus in a different way, an incredibly worse way. I had always thought in my head that Venus was the “good” goddess, whereas Juno was the vengeful, evil one. But now I have the impression that Venus is just as bad as Juno, if not worse, except she is more subtle. I may have also thought that Venus was “good” because she was on Aeneas’s side, who is the main character and hero of the story. The best thing I can think of to describe Venus now is a madam, or a brothel owner. She is exploiting another woman in order for her to gain what she wants and push along her own, selfish agenda. When I consider the relationship between Dido and Aeneas as one based on coercion and forceful sex, I genuinely feel disgusted with Venus as she is the one that made this whole plan. It also disturbs me greatly that Dido had such a powerful position and was such a successful queen, but then Venus comes along and ruins Dido’s life with Cupid and Aeneas. I pity Dido immensely and it saddens me to see such a strong woman crumble due to being forced into a relationship with someone and being forced to sleep with that person, and I think this can be a parallel to rape and sexual assault victims in our society. When put into our modern perspective, Dido’s ordeal is all the more disturbing and tragic.
It does look like hypnotism to me, too. You convince me. (Maybe the drug Rohypnol has that built into the name?) In court today, I believe that having intercourse with a non-consenting, hypnotized person would be considered rape, but of course there’s no court that can come to a verdict in Carthage. And Dido’s sister is not able to help her.
Even in the fictional story, I don’t like the way Venus uses her power here, either. I must admit that my reaction to the story has changed this year, after many years of teaching the text. It’s Virgil’s story that she helps her son found Rome, so he wants to celebrate her, but this year as I read about the way she treats Dido, I was disturbed by it too. That’s why I wrote the blog. I am hoping that we can help women (and some young men, too) who find themselves in Dido’s miserable situation feel that they don’t have to “crumble,” to use your wonderful word. “Carthago delenda est” — Carthage had to be destroyed, but maybe we can help real people today.
I definitely appreciate that hearing this perspective and interpretation of the relationship between Dido and Aeneas. During my reading of the poem, I thought that the representation of Dido in love fell out of character with what she had done in the past; I would not expect someone who was so strong, who built and ran an entire city on her own was taken down by falling in love. To me, this parallels the sexual assault many women experience today; they are manipulated into sexual acts either by drugs or abuse, verbal or physical, and hurt and when they are most vulnerable. I think this interpretation really spotlights the misogyny that was prevalent during the time that it was recorded, since Aeneas was not only described to be a hero but also was encouraged into these acts by the Gods. However, this issue of dominance of the men in power is still very relevant to discussions today, especially with the recent exposure of Harvey Weinstein rape allegations. Women are coerced into submission, whether it have been in the times of the Ancient Romans or today.
Some women (and some men, though fewer) are indeed coerced, either physically or out of fear of repercussions. Your raising the question of Virgil’s representation of Dido in love as being “out of character” fascinates me. She is a character he has created (for Augustus, for Romans, for us as readers?). So then you think of her “character” as the strong, intelligent leader she was? Maybe that character is gone… Maybe in real life, we could encourage someone in her situation to think of her own character as still part of her? Maybe then, the person wouldn’t feel so “taken down,” as you call it (interesting phrase!). I’m hoping that by changing our society’s attitudes, we can refuse to accept misogyny, and perhaps help others resist it too. The #me-too phenomenon, speaking out in one’s own voice or character, is built by acts of resistance to it. Little by little, one brave moment at a time.
Attempting to view Dido’s tragedy through the lens of sexual assault turned out to be an eye opening experience for me. Upon some further thinking, I came to the conclusion that Mythology is full of rape in more than just the traditional sense (if that makes sense). While there is definitely a shocking amount of men-demanding-sexual-favors-from-women type acts when I sit and think about it, that has always been the case. But when examining mythology with a more modern idea of what rape is, the Gods are more guilty than ever. Gods have a role in ancient mythology that almost excuses them of all wrongdoing because humans are viewed as so much lower than them, but the combined immunity of Gods and gender roles of the time made women constant targets for sexual assault. Really, this realization just allowed me to see how deep these oppressive gender roles (that some people still have) run. It’s a bit sickening. It makes me glad I live in a progressive time in a progressive city. Great read.
I like your pointing out that “some people still have” power to oppress. Indeed such people may even benefit from a combination of “gods and gender roles,” if our society glamorizes superstars and heads of corporations as if these people were “gods.” Thank you for sharing your reaction to these issues. Getting rid of Greek and Roman gods is not the only answer… You do indeed live in a progressive city, and I hope you look for your chance to help it — and the cities you will live in for the rest of your life — progress! It looks as if you are on your way.
It’s astounding, really, that a literary masterpiece like the Aeneid was written between 29 and 19 BCE and yet its many themes—such as rape and the role of women—relate to today’s society in 2017. Throughout history, women have been perceived and portrayed as inferior to men. Dido’s character in the epic poem by Virgil echoes this notion; despite her stature, her achievements as ruler of Carthage, Dido’s ultimate fate was to become a pawn for Aeneas’s success. In one of Professor Zissos’s Roman Empire lectures, he mentioned that women were believed to be the source of chaos, the ultimate harbinger of mayhem. Virgil incorporated this belief into his poem through Dido’s curse on Aeneas: “… let him be plagued in war by a nation proud in arms, torn from his borders… let him grovel for help and watch his people die a shameful death!” (4.767-770). Aeneas’s hardships towards the end of the Aeneid, therefore, were due to Dido’s wrath that resulted in a curse, but were Dido’s actions justified or were they an overreaction to heartbreak? I personally believe her curse was justified, 100%. Dido was, in a sense, manipulated. Falling for Aeneas was not her choice. Love was forced on her by Cupid under Venus’s command for the benefit of Aeneas’s goals, not for her benefit of finding love again after her late husband, Sychaeus. The underlying fact is that Dido did not give her consent to anything that was done to her. This unfair treatment and portrayal of women, unfortunately, continues today as we see in the #MeToo campaign, but society’s ideas today regarding such a topic have changed for the better (I’d like to think). I wonder, however, what else we can do as a society to further change the misogynistic views that are held by some people today.
You raise the most important question: what else can we, as a society, do? One thing we can do is to value women’s achievements even if they feel “heartbreak” at being mistreated. I start with what I have: our Core text. When I am reading Book 1 today, I am proud of Dido’s captaining the venture of her supporters to escape Tyre (now under the control of her murderous brother), land in Africa, measure a space for the city, and prompt her people to be constructive: building temples, theaters, making laws, farming…? Like yourself, I sympathize with Dido’s wrath (and can understand how she’d want to curse him out), but I am hoping that we can remind a heartbroken , deserted lover of the positive things she has done with her life, and encourage her to build on them. Whatever Virgil believed about men and women’s power, I think that’s what the #Me-Too campaign is trying for too, in the long run.
I have honestly thought about how readings from the past influence or affect us now. How do “classics” initial idea change as time progresses? Some may say that “that wasn’t the intention,” or “times were different back then” but times have changed and we need address certain topics that are vital today. While reading the Aeneid I never really thought of ideas such as rape. I read through it and saw it as the fate of the gods, but after reading this I think back to novels, books, and epics that I read in high school. One book, in particular, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley incorporates the idea of creating an inanimate object to life. We see the “illegal” become reality and chaos break out. This is a reoccurring idea that we still see today. I think the fact that novels, epics, and books from the past allow us to inflict close reading is a goal that many authors never had in mind. It’s possible that Virgil never thought of Aeneus’ “fate” as rape, but only because in BCE, most people saw women as weaklings and their property. Therefore, I believe that as time progresses we have to establish the wrongs and the rights that are included in books. Nowadays we have to interpret and analyze what a book is actually saying. We often misread the signals in a book and “glaze” over the common themes. This blog highlights the fact that women can often be seen as powerless and assets of men. We even notice men taking advantage of women in power, and I think that this blog entitles men of being the greatest but forget to demonstrate how men even came to be. Dido was a powerful, arduous, and ruling queen, who was taken advantage of by the gods for the benefit of Aeneus. Adapting our interpretation to how often our world progresses is vital, and allows us to understand how times were and how to make them be.
Your comparison with “Frankenstein” reminds me that times have indeed changed. One interpretation is to see Dr. Frankenstein is as a man claiming ultimate power for himself. Mary Shelley was the daughter of feminist Mary Wollstonecraft, and pregnant when she wrote the story; she gives us many signals about both the scientist and the Monster. It is hard to know how she intended every detail, but she wrote them for us to read. And it’s good to remember that her own world had changed since her mother was young. I like your effort to understand “how times were, and how to make them be.”
I find this concept particularly fascinating; upon my initial reading of the Aeneid, Dido came across to me as a somewhat foolish figure–so drunkenly in love, even if by Aphrodite’s hand, that she sacrificed everything she had accomplished, just for a man. I recognized that it was Aphrodite who was responsible for Dido’s obsession with Aeneas, and yet I still did not understand the drive behind her passion. Dido reminded me of a tragic Juliet, without her devoted Romeo. And so, despite Aphrodite’s clear implication in the situation, I unknowingly victim blamed Dido for her fate. However, upon reading this post I felt a sort of revelation–a sort of “wow, that makes so much more sense”. Dido’s actions are not the result of a young, naïve girl in love–they are those of a tragic victim of sexual manipulation and domination. The question: “So do I think Venus has arranged for the rape of Dido so that Aeneas can gain power?” particularly struck me. Rape is an expression of power. And Dido’s infatuation with Aeneas allowed him to gain power over her, Aeneas, who was not nearly as severely impacted by the relationship as Dido. Aeneas’s treatment of Dido is a classic example of male-centric feelings of superiority–he uses her for the length of time he sees fit, and once her value to him has been exceeded, he flees, leaving Dido alone to deal with the repercussions of their actions. In summary, the idea that Aphrodite’s manipulation of Dido as a pawn for Aeneas to gain power reveals so much about the actions of Dido, and truly supports her as the most tragic figure in the Aeneid.
Your double-take pairing Dido and Juliet is extremely interesting. I think you have identified an important component of these two relationships by calling Romeo “devoted,” while as you say, Aeneas is “not nearly as severely impacted.” So the stories are “tragic” as you say, but in very different ways. Juliet and Romeo cannot imagine the world without each other, and Juliet may well be “naive” (though she shows wit and courage when she refuses to be a pawn in her family’s marriage plans). But the Dido story is different. Dido does have power — remarkable power — and in fact, that’s the very reason Venus and her son Aeneas have to both use and destroy her. Considering the treasures she has brought with her to build her treasure of a city, I admire your use of the phrase “once her value to him has been exceeded”: for him, she has no value any more. Prof. Zissos reminded us that a Roman hero would have been expected to think of his community. Virgil has no way to imagine this. My hope is that your generation will.
The connection drawn in this blog post is fascinating, and eye opening. When I first read the text, specifically the section where Venus uses cupid as a sort of “roofie” (as you suggest), to ultimately use Dido’s emotions for the purpose Aeneas’s advancement, I was taken aback by the misogynistic nature of it, but I didn’t pay it much mind, and like you I thought Dido’s “self-destructive” response was an over-reaction. But it did remind me of aspects of our society today, how women sometimes feel they must use sex to climb the ladder of power, in the workplace for example, or face men in positions of authority that use sexual assault as a method of asserting their dominance, or are pressured into sleeping with a man in order to ensure the safety of their own status or position. However, I never equated the use of cupid’s powers over Dido, or the abduction of the Sabine women in The Aeneid, to rape. This claim is bold because it villainizes Roman culture, suggesting that Rome was built on rape, however, I completely agree. How is using Cupid’s “poison” to make Dido more inclined to fall in love (and therefore sleep with) Aeneas against her will any different than using things like “roofies” on girls or women against their will to make them more inclined to have sex when they wouldn’t be if not under the influence? After reading this post, I cant see how this connection can be disputed. Although the methods of rape in The Aeneid and today may differ, those presented in the book are textbook definitions of rape. In fact, the Oxford English Dictionary even includes the definition of rape as “To carry off (a person) by force; esp. to abduct a woman, usually for the purpose of sexual violation,” which might as well be a summary of the Roman’s interaction with the Sabine women. With all this in mind, I think its interesting, or rather troublesome, that at the first read of the text, we just accept these actions, and aren’t appalled. Moreover, it’s worrisome to think that this situation is so common that we barely acknowledge its repulsiveness, and even worse, at first we blame the women for their reaction, as we often do with cases of rape in today’s society.
In this blog, I am interested in our reactions here and now: reactions like yours, when you say that “at the first read of the text, we just accept these actions, and aren’t appalled.” I am not trying to villainize Roman culture in particular, but I’m troubled because it is important to me. I think collectively we need to get ourselves thinking about what we accept as romantic or normal, or as you say “barely acknowledge” at all.
I am also troubled by comparable attitudes in my specialty (late eighteenth-early nineteenth century France), but looking at my morning newspaper and listening to the radio, I am heartened by the responses I hear. Like yours. I am concerned about women who have had date rape experiences because they do not know what to do and fear “overreacting.” We need to make our time be different. Here’s a famous 1766 English poem by Oliver Goldsmith: what do you make of it?
“When lovely woman stoops to folly, And finds too late that men betray, What charm can sooth her melancholy, What art can wash her guilt away?
The only art her guilt to cover, To hide her shame from every eye, To give repentance to her lover, And wring his bosom—is to die. “
I had never really thought of Dido’s ‘escapades’ with Aeneas as rape as I just saw it as the gods toiling with the fates of that are under them. But after reading your article, I agree that there was no sense of consent in Dido. Even though she had accomplished so much (building the city of Carthage and ruling fairly over it) even after a tragic past in Tyche, she has her entire life crumble beneath her because of the gods. This simply just attests to the patriarchy and the idea that men were supreme that was inherent in Roman thinking. Reflecting, I noticed that other women suffered similar fates. Just like Professor Zissos mentioned, his original wife Creusa is “conveniently” lost and ‘detached’ from the family almost like an object of sorts. Even Lavinia later is treated as an object to be ‘won’. While Dido to the Juno and the other gods is just a sacrifice necessary to create Rome. Additionally, I see how this idea is present in our society today and this makes me wonder: “Has our society actually advanced?” Thank you so much for your insight professor Folkenflik.
For Dido, their relationship doesn’t seem to be an “escapade” ((does Virgil use this word?). Dido seems to be interested in building a long term relationship. Venus makes sure that it’s just an escapade for Aeneas, perhaps! There’s no escape for Dido, that’s for sure. In response to your last thoughtful comment: I would say yes, the fact of rape happens in our society, but I think our ideas about it, the ways we think about it, have changed. Or have started to change…?
I think that its interesting that a story like the Aeneid can still relate to the modern era in ways i doubt the author of the era even intended. I feel as though your relation of cupid to the tragedy of rape in today’s society kind of comes hand in hand. When you bring up the phrase: “Venus plopping cupid on her lap, forcing love on her…”, it helped me understand that Dido may not have pushed herself into a spiral of a suicide if it wasn’t for the way that Aeneas made her feel. Though seeming fairly harmless in the eyes of Virgil this spiral came from a pain of a man using a woman that he was supposed to stay but Dido as a woman was stripped of this feeling of a better future and was left with a feeling of pain and uselessness as Aeneas left on his path for a new kingdom without the woman which he promised and lied to to stay. It makes me wonder if there has really been a change in our world, or if we can use this to encounter a better world?
I agree with you that Virgil can’t have intended me to be relating to his epic while listening to the radio, but that’s where I am today! I also agree with you that Dido might not have pushed herself into what you call “a spiral of suicide” — fabulous phrase — if not for Venus’s actions. Virgil wants Dido’s city to be totally destroyed — the Roman senator had Cato said before the Third Punic War, “Delenda [ought-to-be-destroyed] est Carthago.” Cato’s famous phrase, sometimes given as “Carthago delenda est,” still has a lot of strength; in England, politicians used in the Brexit vote. Aeneas doesn’t know yet that this will happen, and in the story, part of Dido’s suicide is that she curses to foretell endless war with Rome. For Virgil, both Carthage and Dido must and will be destroyed in the spiral. But for us, I hope we will “encounter a better world,” as you say — or help make our world better.
In the seminars from my Humanities class, Instructor Buhanan was telling us to think about the gods not as beings but as something like fate. This got me thinking about Dido as well. When I read your blog I felt a strong connection because I also related Cupid’s spell to be somewhat of a metaphor for date rape drugs. On top of feeling a connection your post helped me gain a better understanding of this situation. I am amazed at how much thought was put into Dido’s situation and provoked from just listening to the radio. The fact that it changed your view about Dido astounds me. It makes me think about all the other ideas that we have about “The Aeneid” that deserve more of a closer analysis.
I agree with your instructor that Virgil’s gods have a power “something like fate,” but when I read the story of Dido I *also* think of Venus as a being who acts something like a person whose actions overpower Dido with a special “poison.” And I agree with you: Something like what young women — and some young men, too — may experience as date rape in real life today. I believe that the radio experience triggered my blog because I’d been thinking about Dido anyway, thanks to Core. But I’m hoping that the women who speak out in our society could protest the idea that in real life, this has to be their fate. When I realized I wanted to write the blog, I too was surprised by the radio experience, driving to work! Interesting…
I recently read the book of Mythology and after finishing it I noticed there were many points where Cupid himself had to make women love certain men. Also the setting when this takes place is far from when we can imagine. I’ve always had the sense that women weren’t treated equally, I mean why would they especially when this story takes place. I never thought of the word “rape” while reading the Aeneid never the less the Mythology book. In my opinion I’d see it more as thats just the way things were back then I never went in depth with these women situations. The word rape its self is such a strong world but after reading your blog I’ve been more opened minded to how women were treated in this book and how wrong it is. I would casually read the text as if it was just something that was suppose to be happening.
Was your Mythology book the one by Edith Hamilton? I love that one. And yes, Cupid does this often to women — an interesting point. Our modern romantic stories sometimes show falling in love as being love struck by an arrow, whether or not on Valentine’s Day. Here, it’s a tragic story. Either way, it can make us re-think the sexual and romantic relationships of real as well as fictional people. It’s great that you have this framework for your reading of a fiction that’s being told us as partly historical, making us think about the “where” and “when” of Virgil’s story and our own.
I recently read the book of Mythology and after finishing it I noticed there were many points where Cupid himself had to make women love certain men. Also the setting when this takes place is far from when we can imagine. I’ve always had the sense that women weren’t treated equally, I mean why would they especially when this story takes place. I never thought of the word “rape” while reading the Aeneid never the less the Mythology book. In my opinion I’d see it more as thats just the way things were back then I never went in depth with these women situations. The word rape its self is such a strong world but after reading your blog I’ve been more opened minded to how women were treated in this book and how wrong it is. I would casually read the text as if it was just something that was suppose to be happening.
see duplicate posting! thanks, VF
When you say, “I would casually read the text as if it was just something that was suppose to be happening,” I think that on one level you are reading it just the way Virgil might have intended (though it’s hard to know the intentions of an artist). “Carthago delenda est” means exactly that: Carthage must be, ought to be, should be deleted. She and her city are indeed supposed to be totally destroyed. I don’t know what your book of Mythology is — Edith Hamilton? d’Aulaire? — but the myths may be very different from the way we would want a woman in Dido’s situation to be treated today. Keep thinking about these issues as you go through Humanities Core and learn about other mythologies too.
After reading this article I have gained a whole new perspective/view on how women are portrayed in Virgil’s novel the Aeneid. I find myself in complete agreement with the point brought up in the article on the Aeneid displaying the idea of a strong woman being taken advantage of by demonstrations of “rape” by men whether physically or mentally by forcing them into a love connection they do not wish to have. Also I realized after through reading the article several times that this novel portrays a patriarchal/misogynistic view of woman as chaotic and men as establishing peace and order, I find a rising question of whether women can also be the cause of creating this patriarchal perspective. Can these rapes be a reflection of a representation of women in the novel as jealous/manipulative creatures who do not want their own gender to thrive after such events of the portrayal of strong woman like Venus causing the downfall of “rape”against other strong woman like Dido?
I would answer your question by agreeing that Venus is manipulative (and perhaps even jealous, as you say) of Dido’s power? but I don’t think the Aeneid represents Dido that way. She isn’t jealous of anyone, and her power is exerted for the welfare of her people. She ends by cursing Aeneas into endless war with her city, though, and perhaps the overall message is, as you say, a misogynistic view of even strong women as chaotic. And you raise a very interesting “rising question” of whether women can also contribute to a patriarchal perspective. I think that’s a thought worth pursuing, in studying times gone by and our own.
Wow, until now the thought of Dido and Aeneas’ relationship being based on rape had never crossed my mind once. It it a very interesting thought. After reading your blog and giving it some thought myself, I find myself agreeing with your perception. I just simply passed the thought as the Gods intervening yet again in the lives of humans so that their prophecies are carried out. However, the fact that Cupid being plopped into the lap of Dido(the strong, intelligent leader of Carthage) did indeed stir things up quite a bit. Throughout the book, Aeneas constantly is trying to avoid his fate and the Gods, always have to push and hold his hand. For instance, when he was fleeing from the ruins of Troy, the Gods had to persuade him heavily to leave, even though Aeneas so much wanted to die fighting alongside his people. Therefore, I had never thought about their relationship as anything more than Aeneas avoiding his fate. When I really think about it, throughout the poem, women ARE shown as secondary characters. They are portrayed as a “detachable” part in the poem. When Aeneas was fleeing Rome he only concerned himself with saving the men in his family, and somehow his wife, Creusa, goes missing. Which is weird!! I guess in a way the loss of Creusa created a vacancy for Lavania to fill. This could also explain why he had left Dido as well. Her suicide now makes me feel so much toward her. ):
I like your perceptive comment about the loss of Creusa creating a “vacancy” for Lavinia to fill. Neither one seems to me to have as much individual character as Dido, who couldn’t be Aeneas’s wife in the same way. He would have lost his identity, perhaps, in Virgil’s world? I do feel a lot for Dido, and not much respect for Venus. But in Virgil’s world, do you think Venus is a figure we can criticize? Venus was, after all, on the Trojan side when she gave Helen to the Trojan Paris — so is she a founding spirit of the Roman empire…?
The idea that Dido and Aeneas’ relationship was based on rape is interesting. After reading your blog, I agree with your interpretation. Before, I had never thought about their relationship as anything more than Aeneas avoiding his fate. It makes sense though, especially because throughout the poem, women are shown as secondary. Roman society appears patriarchal and misogynistic. Aeneas’ treatment of women is the same throughout. He leaves his wife behind when leaving Troy and eventually leaves Dido as well. I would like to know more about the Sabine women to see if Rome was a patriarchal society throughout its time.
Indeed Aeneas does leave both Creusa and Dido behind, without looking back. Good point! What do you think of Aeneas’s relationship to his second wife, Lavinia? It would be interesting to compare and contrast the three relationships — to Creusa, to Dido, and to Lavinia — to see if you think they are the same throughout, or comparable in some respects, if not in all. You could perhaps find out more about the Sabines in your individual research project spring quarter! Or ask Prof. Zissos, the expert in this field.
This blog really gives me a new perception of Venus as a character and an insight on patriarchy society. Before I only saw Venus as a loving mother and a beautiful goddess. But after reading this blog I realized her decisive role in a plot that is virtually rape. As a female goddess, Venus’ involvement in this crime seems against logic, yet this is not unusual or occasional in human history. Women in patriarchal societies are often inevitably and pathetically permeated with those patriarchal ideas and tend to use them against their own oppressed fellows. And the phenomenon of the oppressed inflicting the same kind of oppression on each other is not just limited in gender. I remember the shock when I learned that during the colonization period most freed ex-slaves in Haiti would run a business out of slavery themselves because their economic system is exclusively built on slavery. I also found it interesting in the idea of “Roman plots involving rape”, which makes me think of a documentary called Sex in the Ancient World Pompeii. In the documentary the commentator stated that “the very ban on adultery creates a necessity for prostitution”, and it is mentioned that “most brothel prostitutes are salves, taken from conquered lands stretching from Europe to North Africa and Asia. They are forced to do whatever their masters command”. Taking slaves as prostitutions is rape, only in a worse form. From here we can get a glimpse of rape in Ancient Rome in a large dimension.
I will try to take a look at the History Channel documentary you cite, which I’ve never seen; I see it is on YouTube now. I can certainly agree with your perception that well-placed women in patriarchal societies sometimes look down at their own oppressed fellows. The early feminist I work on, Germaine de Stael, thought of herself as an “extraordinary woman” even as she regretted the limitations placed on other women. And I am interested in your coding Venus as a female figure. Her involvement in the action seems against logic to us, but quite logical in the power-hungry world of the Aeneid. It might be particularly shocking perhaps that she uses one of her sons (Cupid) to help the other (Aeneas) overpower Dido. A remarkable scene indeed.
Your post was a revelation to me. When I read the scene of Dido committing suicide, I could only see her weakness. But now that you offered this perspective, I realize that she might’ve simply become a gods’ pawn that could be sacrificed to help another man to rise. It is interesting how Romans gave the illusion of power to females and yet abducted Sabine women “to increase the power of Rome”. I am shocked at how Roman culture perceived women as a very convenient, easily “disposable” tool. I always regarded Rome as sort of a model we could try to imitate, was somehow convinced they had equality but now I see that no system is without flows. Thank you for your insight.
I like your expression “the illusion of power.” Was Dido’s power always an illusion, do you think? In some ways we might admire Rome as a model — you be the judge. But as Virgil makes clear, women’s role in his poem seems to be to increase the power of men, rather than be equal to them. And Prof. Zissos doesn’t suggest gender equality in the Roman empire…Even for Dido’s loving marriage to Sychaeus, her father gives her “away” as a girl, and seems to make the choice based on Sychaeus’s riches. The marriage happens to be a beautiful one! (Until her brother murders him, of course!)
I enjoyed hearing this new perspective regarding rape in Aeneid. Throughout the book, the gods have influenced many people in the pursuit of Aeneas’s fate – which brings up the question of whether or not they have any control over their actions. This in mind, I can see how that would be connected to rape, as there was that pressure from an outside force, making her be with Aeneas which eventually led to her unfortunate demise – mirroring that of some real life rape cases. In addition, the portrayal of women in the novel, and how they’re easily influenced by gods, show them as lesser beings than men, having little influence. Despite Dido’s stature and equal standing to Aeneas, she was still influenced and pushed into this dilemma – showing Virgil’s stance regarding the stature of men and women. All in all, I found your stance very interesting – though the evidence is there and the connections can be established, I would have never thought to think of it.
I didn’t think of it either, until I heard about the women speaking out now. They are not lesser beings. And I was glad to hear their voices speaking now. But in the Aeneid, as you say, the gods influence “many people,” not just Dido. And different gods and goddesses influence different people. Maybe Virgil never thinks Dido has an “equal standing to Aeneas.” I find it interesting that you use the words “standing” and “stature” — and I hope the blog helps each of us consider our own “stance.”
As I read this, the first things that comes into my head is so many on going confessions artists /celebrities of rape with their managers and such. To think sometimes some may even lie about so just for the publicity and fame and or use their experiences to come off stronger. The way you presented rape in the Aneid is quite interesting, giving someone like Dido who is a strong independent women with an arranged rape from the gods for Aeneous for power. So upon seeing this a lot comes into mind, such as maybe he did feel something for her and what depicted him as becoming powerful was from parting from her and being detached. All of which Dido could not do so while she was seen as powerful he outdid her power from detaching himself. Rape because she did not ask/no consent to have the weakness of attachment, which people sometimes like you mentioned stay with the people who rape them years after. Now I start to wonder, was her intergrity and depiction of power kept because she in some way parted with him while moving on in the other life ?
Maybe some accusers do make accusations of harassment “just for the publicity and fame and/or use their experiences to come off stronger,” as you suggest, but in the Aeneid we know that Dido, as a queen, was powerful. Do you think she comes off stronger by accusing Aeneas? I too like to think of Dido in the Underworld, turning away from him to join her husband Sychaeus in a forest grove. Maybe he did feel something for her; this sometimes happens in real life. In the Underworld, (VI, 521-553), Aeneas pities her, and tears well up in his eyes; what do you think that does to the balance of power?
I feel the same it never occurred to me to see Dido as a rape victim. However, I saw her death as cowardly because such a strong woman that made such great achievements decides to commit suicide. Although I still do find it quite fascinating how perspectives change as you re-read the book, I myself change perspectives of books every time I re-read them. I took a look at that same line that you pointed out and it does appear to look like a rape scene, yet I would argue that one can also interpret it as the gods exerting power in order to gain what they want not necessarily a rape scene. In my humble opinion that seems a little too extreme; however, I do appreciate the new thought of looking at that scene.
I very much appreciate your thinking this through on the blog!
Sometimes, a person in Dido’s situation needs community support to be brave. We need to think these things through all the time, as we change our own perspectives.
I admire the fact that you talk about strong women facing the challenges of something non-consensual because normally, people think that these things happen to those who are weak when in reality, it happens to more people than you think. Again, there’s this power difference between men and women that shows how men can do whatever they feel is “right” as long as they get what they want rather than focusing on the other person involved. Your comment about “There’s no happy ending for Dido” just highlights how a woman of stature, of something more than other women at the time, can still have this problem in her life where she feels neglected, abused, alone. It’s interesting to see her have this thing that all people aspire for, power, and at the same time, she’s faced with these obstacles that she can’t overcome because of how traumatizing these problems are. This frustrates me to the point where I question: why is rape and the maltreatment of women still a thing?
I think you have made a very perceptive comment: Dido is a woman of stature, something “more than other women at the time,” and yet in time of need she feels “alone.” Her traumatizing alone-ness really is painful to see. I am glad more women are speaking out now. This comment gets to the heart of something I realized, re-reading the text this year. She is extra vulnerable *because* of her stature, *because* she has power. I think your final question will take a lot of answering over time. I hope you contribute to those answers. We need to respect powerful women, and not look for weakness in them, or feel it’s somehow appropriate if they are taken down. That’s the work of the women (and some men) who are saying #metoo now.
It’s interesting to see how these acts of violence and rape have emerged seamlessly in our modern era with some distinct similarities. As you mentioned, in The Aeneid, Virgil almost acknowledges Dido’s rape as “as an important factor in Aeneas’s triumph”. Aeneas’s actions are solemnly disregarded because of the “important fate” he has to fulfill. And although this is just a work of fiction, Virgil justifies Aeneas’ actions similar to the way Hollywood has recently justified (and in some cases, hidden) many sexual harassment allegations against powerful film producers, directors, and actors. This blog post almost proposes that societies will continue to justify the accusers no matter the time period. It also begs the question of where our morality lies when our society (in our present day) continues to allow women and men be targeted by abusers who have their actions pardoned. Thank you for giving me a literary perspective on this subject through your rendition of Vigil’s The Aeneid.
Some distinct similarities, as you say; but I am hoping that my blog post tries to suggest that by speaking out now, women will speak out, and men as well, so that their abusers will be penalized. It’s a hard and long process, but according to the National Public Radio segment I was listening to as I drove to UCI, some changes seem to be happening. I am hoping that now, their courageous voices will create real change. Your comment gives me hope for your generation.
I’ve often heard the phrase:“ history is told by the victors.” I’ve never given it a second thought but as I read this blogpost it’s the first thing that came to mind. We often learn of great empires that were built in the past and that launched civilization but somehow we only read about the glory not the gory. The casual role rape and sexual assault played in the building of these empires is overlooked. Dido can be viewed as a reckless leader in power due to her killing herself yet her recklessness may have arised after being raped. She was at some point know as this powerful well respected leader yet she fell and was no longer respected for showing feelings. I myself had not put much thought to how “love” was imposed onto Dido. Inevitably falling in love with Aeneas was not a choice Dido had. The Aeneid in a way shows feelings as a weakness. Just because the fate of the Sabine women was wrapped up with a “happy ending,” it doesn’t take away from the fact that they too were victims of brutal rapes. What I appreciated most about this blogpost is how much reflection took place while analyzing how we as readers tend to overlook some of the unpleasant details of text.
Love is indeed imposed by Venus more than I first realized. That’s why it’s interesting to re-read things that are important to you. Even the first loving marriage of Dido and Sychaeus was arranged for her — would you say imposed? — apparently because he was so rich, but it was their good fortune that her father “gave her away” to a husband who loved and respected her (I, 417-420) enough to see her as a leader. But the structure of marriage didn’t give her much choice either. She was just lucky there. ( Fortunately she can spend eternity in an Underworld grove with Sychaeus forever.)
That is such an interesting concept of comparing The Aeneid to rape, I never thought of it that way. I really like how you compared The Aeneid and females in the novel to something that is reoccurring in today’s society: rape. It gets me thinking on how women are portrayed in the novel. When I read the passage including Dido acting insane over love I didn’t realize that she had no control over her actions simply because the gods are primarily responsible. Your blog post allowed me to realize that Dido as well as other women in the novel are viewed as victims and simply have little to no control of their actions. Would you say that all women in the novel are seen to be portrayed as unconscious of what they are doing because of the gods influencing their actions or in a sense “roofing” them and if so should they be to blame for acting insane?
I don’t have an answer for you, but asking about personal responsibility for women in a world where people are so influenced by the gods is a great question. Do you think Virgil and you would give the same answer about Dido? Do you think she is to blame, whether or not he does? What about virtuous women: is virtuous Lavinia unconscious of what she is doing? Or doesn’t she really count, as an individual? Hard to say.
Tip:Be careful saying “the gods”! In this polytheistic situation, the gods and goddesses don’t always agree with each other. Here, Venus is acting. Elsewhere, Juno. Sometimes Jupiter has to resolve disagreements. Sometimes he lets them play it out.
I had no previous knowledge about the Rape of the Sabine Women but once you explained it, it blew my mind. It makes perfect sense in relation to Dido’s situation in the Aeneid. It did not cross my mind that Dido was basically raped because her love for Aeneas was technically not real since it was the work of Venus and cupid who put her in a trance of false but genuine love. False because Dido was only in love with Aeneas with the help of gods but also genuine because even though it was not true love, she was still madly in love with him, she could not fake the powerful spell. Which lead to as you said, “Dido’s self-destruction”. I believe that Dido kept her characteristics of being strong and intelligent because I would like to think that Dido sacrificed herself not only because she was so madly in love with Aeneas and then got so upset when he left that she just wanted to kill herself but because she was aware of her situation and perhaps she knew the only way out of trance was to kill herself so that she could be with her true love in the underworld.
That’s a terrific reminder: Dido can strongly believe that she will be with her “true love,” as you call her husband Sychaeus, in the underworld forever. I would like to believe this, too. She analyzes her situation intelligently, aware that she has been taken advantage of, on some level. She keeps her husband’s old nurse, Barce, in her household to the end (IV, 788), and uses her as a messenger. But her curse on the Trojans for “endless war” (IV, 784) will end in the destruction of Carthage… What do you think is her responsibility to her people here? What would Virgil say, according to Prof. Zissos? Hmm… much to think about here.
This blog post brings light to sexual assault within the epic poem and how it connects with the recent events of the powerful hashtag, #metoo. I would say both America and Rome are examples of a patriarchy society from the U.S. handling rape cases as the people vs. Brock Turner and Rome sporting the male role in the family than the female. The patriarchy society that is the Roman empire influenced this book by describing Dido being madly in love with Aeneas and distracting her from her role as queen, Aeneas protecting his son and father from the destruction of Troy while his wife tags along defenseless, and the women of the Trojan ship are influenced by the gods to combust the ship as the men play their athletic games. The writer, Virgil, might not have thought of the intensity of rape or assault, but only his writing is inspired by his beliefs and legends of the Roman pantheon. There are multiple stories of Jupiter, king of the gods, sleeping with women and impregnating them to birth their demi-god sons. Excusing the details of how the woman felt after being raped, only being used as Jupiter’s tally mark. I don’t know if this his personal belief on women or he wanted the poem to sound mystical for Aeneas hero’s journey, maybe just as the stories about the gods on Mount Olympus. I am just thinking in a wider perspective of the use of rape and why some think it is “okay” to practice it to display dominance and fear.
One of your comments seems so important to me: the way Dido’s love for Aeneas is presented as “distracting her from her role as queen.” Does love make a woman seem less capable in a patriarchal society? Men who love women are not seen as distracted in the same way, then? And I too think about your last line — “why some think it is ‘okay’ to practice [rape] to display dominance and fear.” In Greek and Roman mythology, it was “okay” for Jupiter to rape mortal women, sometimes appearing in disguise or even as a shower of gold (the Danae story); in modern America, I am hoping we don’t take Jupiter as a role model.
I never payed much attention to the topic involving women in the Aeneid. However, after this blog I am completely dumbfounded on how I never realized that women were not mentioned in the epic unless they did something dramatic or were being problematic. The first time I read about Dido and why she suicided, I thought she was just being dramatic and not controlling her emotions. Then reading this caused me to see from a different perspective. Such as that Dido was in a sense raped due to the fact that she did not consent to having sex with Aeneas. I realize that she received these strong emotions for Aeneas because he was influenced by the gods.
There’s a real difficulty in thinking about women in the Aeneid. You’re right — they are usually “not mentioned,” as you say. They get forgotten, like Aeneas’s wife Creusa. I find her disappearance heartbreaking. I’m interested in what you say about “being dramatic and not controlling her emotions.” Creusa certainly doesn’t disappear dramatically, and we never learn her emotions at being forgotten about. Is this the model of a good woman? Many of the things Aeneas does are dramatic, it seems to me, but dramatic actions by men aren’t necessarily what you call “problematic.” You connect the two terms in a very interesting way.
When I read about Dido in the beginning of the Aeneid, some things stood out to me. Just like every text in literature, I will continue to read, womenkind seems to be put down in some way. Even if she is a strong leader, she’s put down. She goes mad, insane, futile to her own emotions. She is nothing without a man to coddle her, calm her down. Why do you think that is? I just feel a little helpless to how little we’ve come, although I am grateful for the progress that we have made, we aren’t equal. The ideals of chauvinism have set deep in the roots of mankind. As a woman, I am compelled to protect these rights, but daily I feel disillusioned. It saddens me that I will not see the day of equality. But do I want to see that equality? These divisions, although malignant, fill the void purposelessness within this world. The world would not be the same, possibly better, with equality as a state, not a question.
Also, when reading both Aeneid and Waiting for the Barbarians, although both aren’t inherently sexual, I believe both dehumanize women offhandedly. Was it to highlight how often man does this to women? Or did they both not notice their lending hand to this oppression?
So, honestly, thank you so much for this post. This has encouraged me to write about more on injustice.
I work on women writers and artists, so I wonder if you’ll feel this way about “every text in literature” you continue to read. Take heart. Sometimes I feel disillusioned at the injustices I see, but , I feel greatly encouraged by responses like yours. My question for you would be: do both Virgil and Coetzee dehumanize women in the same way? Would Aeneas take any risks to return a captured woman to her people? And if you see a difference, how does that work? Coetzee is considered a fighter against apartheid as injustice, though that doesn’t prove what your reading of his text as dehumanizing women should be… You might start even with wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._M._Coetzee But I think your best bet is to start reading more women writers. I wish we had more of them in Humanities Core!
In reading this post I believe that my understanding of the ancient world and its relation to Humanities Core has been expanded. The part of the post that struck me the most was the comparison of Cupid’s effect on Dido and the modern usage of drugs in the rape of women. This comparison is something I have never really thought about in relation to ancient times or have connected to the usage of drugs. In addition your final comments on Dido got me to think about the range of responses to strong modern female individuals and characters can range from the utmost praise to degradation; despite how we often view our own societies as advanced. In general the post got me to think what other aspects of what I have read in The Aeneid can be connected to other periods of history and I can now better understand how there are themes within the course that are always relevant regardless of the time frame or culture.
Connecting to other periods in history — that’s such a wonderful way to start your Humcore experience. It will serve you well throughout the year. Some themes are indeed always relevant, though their particular relevance may change with regard to the time frame or culture. That’s worth tracking! The range of responses to strong modern female individuals and characters does range greatly, as you say — sometimes in response to the ways they are represented and portrayed, sometimes because of historical context, sometimes because of the individual view of a reader or audience member. Virgil’s epic was a standard text for educated boys learning Latin for centuries (and for girls, when they were allowed to learn it, too).
As far as I have read in the Aeneid women have given the impression of being crazy but after reading this article I have been able to see the women in a different view. I never thought that by Venus sending down Cupid to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas be considered as rape.It looks like even way before now men have been using women as way to seize power. Like the women in the Aeneid as well as rape victims had no control over what occurred. While reading this I could not help but connect it to the #metoo trending on twitter where victims of sexual assault share their stories. I am sure Dido would be more than happy to share her #metoo story.
See response below to duplicate post??
Lidia, I posted a reply to you two weeks ago, but I think it may not have gone through. I believe that as of today — mid-November — the #metoo phenomenon has opened up new possibilities for women to tell their own stories. As I watch and hear women do this, I don’t know if even Dido would be “more than happy” to do so, but I think she would surely be less unhappy because of the support she would get from listeners like yourself. It would mean Dido taking charge of her own life in a way she didn’t know how to do, a better way than constructing her own funeral: better for herself as well as for her people’s future.
Your first impression of Dido as a “strong, intelligent ruler and civic planner” is quite interesting because I’ve never looked at Dido as a strong, independent woman. The moment Dido set her eyes on Aeneas, even before the spell Cupid placed on her, she was enthralled by Aeneas. The epic even claims, “Tyrian Dido marveled, first at the sight of him…” (68). This pushes me to look at Dido as a shallow being who only cares for one’s outer appearance, rather than a strong, intelligent character. However, I do agree Dido was taken advantage of and did not deserve the fate she received. I’ve never thought of Dido’s rape as a way for Aeneas to gain power before, but now that I read your blog, I’m interpreting it as a way for the readers to look at Dido as a mad, weak character that could be easily sway by the Gods, whereas Aeneas is seen as this powerful being the Gods favor. Thank you for your insight Professor Folkenflik, I really enjoy reading different perspectives on the character of Dido.
I would agree that Dido was already in love with Aeneas, and your word “enthralled” implies that she is already in his power. (I can’t find the word in the text. Help!) I didn’t think of her as shallow, though what you say about Dido’s being struck by the “sight” of Aeneas is true. Maybe I liked their meeting because she goes on to listen to him, marveling “first at the sight of him, next at all he’d suffered” (I, 734). But also I already thought of her as a good leader because of the way she organizes her followers to escape from Tyre in the first place: “Dido plans her escape, collects her followers… They seize some galleys… and a woman leads them all” (I, 438-442). Robert Fitzgerald translates that last line in a way I love: “And captaining the venture was a woman.” Admittedly taking her lead from her dream of what her murdered husband Sychaeus would say!
As far as I have read in the Aeneid women have given the impression of being crazy but after reading this article I have been able to see the women in a different view. I never thought that by Venus sending down Cupid to make Dido fall in love with Aeneas be considered as rape.It looks like even way before now men have been using women as way to seize power. Like the women in the Aeneid as well as rape victims had no control over what occurred. While reading this I could not help but connect it to the #metoo trending on twitter where victims of sexual assault share their stories. I am sure Dido would be more than happy to share her #metoo story.
That’s an interesting question — whether Dido would be willing to share her story on #metoo. I wish she could have gained support that way, but “she always feels alone, abandoned, always wandering down some endless road” (IV, 585-586). She shares her story with Anna, and she commits suicide in a way her public would find out, but as a queen, did she feel able to speak out about this to other Carthaginian women (and men)? One of the interesting things about the #metoo movement is that it involves everyone, including movie stars but increasingly acknowledging women in all spheres of life, speaking for and to each other. I don’t know if Dido could have shared on #metoo, but I am glad you were able to think of it in connection with her story.
I found your perspective refreshing and very relevant with the current allegations of sexual abuse and how the idea of misogyny has been down played not only in the media but also in literature. This article helps give true awareness of the misogynistic tones within the Aeneid as it tries to downplay the manipulation Dido faced by just playing to the idea of “women are crazy” and are naturally unable to control their emotions. I myself at a point stopped seeing Dido as that strong leader as she was presented to be at the beginning, because of the decisions she made then after but then realized they were not her decisions. Not only was Dido being controlled by the Gods within the book but was also not given a slight chance to become a strong representation of women because of the male perspective in which it was written. The epic romanticized the idea of “her love” for Aeneas and used cupid as a euphemism for her rape. I found it interesting in particular where you mentioned the date rape drugs and the manipulation/rape of Dido are the same as they are done for the same purpose, to attain certain control and power. This opened my eyes as to how Dido was left incapacitated from their own freewill and turned into victim.
“Cupid as a euphemism” — a very interesting idea! I never thought of his role here that way! Yes, when we send a valentine with a picture of Cupid, we may think the name implies love. And sometimes in ancient mythology, it does, too. But in Virgil’s epic, thanks to Venus’s control of her two sons (Cupid and Aeneas), the little god acts as a euphemism for what you call “the purpose, to attain certain control and power.”
I like the way you introduced a new topic about women that wasn’t presented in the epic poem. Women aren’t really represented in the epic unless it’s about them causing problems, so this was really refreshing to see. It was quite shocking to see how the women were most likely treated, and although it wasn’t directly stated, I could see how we can assume they were raped. The phrase “Even capable, intelligent, strong women can be taken advantage of, in the power structure I know” is still relevant to issues arising in today’s society, and it’s nice that you’ve related it back to making changes. This new meaning of Dido has made me see the Aeneid differently. Every book I read that even slightly mentions women has got me thinking about what really went on behind the scenes. Were women really out to get men like it was mentioned in Dido’s case, or were they just using that type of attitude as a mechanism for hiding what they were really going through?
What an amazing question you ask at the end. I hope you ask it again in relation to Humcore and other stories, historical and fictional. I think so much depends on who is telling the story. And who is expected to be in the audience… Who is listening, too
I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post. It provided me with an interpretation I would have never thought of, but totally agree with. Dido never chose to fall in love with Aeneas, or to wed him, instead it was chosen for her. She never consented to doing anything with Aeneas because she did not have any control about what happened, she was under a spell. The story of the Sabine women was also quite interesting and sad. It made me realize how crucial women are for everything. The Roman Empire may have never achieved what it did if women weren’t part of it, yet women aren’t credited the same way as men, because it wasn’t up to these women to decide if they wanted to be part of it or not. They were taken from their homes against their will. Thank you for this wonderful post. It has given me a perspective I would have never thought of.
I like your emphasis on “credit” so much. At first it seems as if we should give Dirk plenty of credit but, as Prices Zissos reminded us, Carthage was always the enemy and had to be destroyed. Women did get honored in a different way— but they did t get credit in your sense. Great word.
I agree with your interpretation of dido and sexual assault. Reading this gave me a new perspective on Dido and Aeneas’ relationship. I never would have imagined Cupid poisoned Dido to fall in love with Aeneas, but it lead to sexual assault. Even though Dido was powerful she was vulnerable to love. The connection you made about the effect of sexual assault and The Aeneid highlights the fact that sexual assault is an on going problem. The painting you also included had a deep meaning, showing how the Roman Empire viewed women as an object of pleasure.
I am so glad to see the painting was meaningful for you. It seems important to me too. What kinds of response do you think the seventeenth-century French artist expected the viewers of his own monarchical society to have? As a child and young woman, I puzzled over this question.
While reading this it introduced me to a whole new perspective reflected upon Dido. While reading The Aeneid I associated Dido to be a pitiful romantic and irrational woman in power, but did not consider the following perspective. I enjoyed reading this blog because it gave me a whole new outlook associated with Dido’s character. I also enjoyed the analogy made because the gods did influence Dido to have these strong feelings for Aeneas without her consent. I did not consider that she was in fact taken advantage of, which explains the majority of her actions presented throughout the whole story plot. It also reflects how in this era they presented woman to be weak, which is why I appreciate this claim because it presents the idea that Dido was in fact taken advantage of.
Your emphasis on historical context, time and place, for Dido’s sense of total defeat — “in this era” — is so vital for our efforts to understand concepts of gender in Virgil’s time, in the artist Poussin’s time, and in our own. Listening to the radio, I thought about this too.
I loved how you presented the idea of rape with different perspectives of what that could be. While reading the “Aeneid,” I started off with the idea of Dido being a powerful and majestic woman but when she ended up self-destructing I immediately blamed her for allowing those feelings take over her. But, when you presented it as her just being taken advantage of, not her being weak, it definitely put the woman’s strength and roles throughout the book into perspective. A argument of yours that stood out to me was when you talked about the woman being “brutally” and “dragged” and years later they chose to be with their abductors, I believe, truly reflects how rape victims feel. As if they can’t escape it. Thank you for your words Professor!
Yes, I was very interested in translator Robert Fagles’ use of the word “brutally” and “dragged.” When you say different perspectives of what rape could be — that’s so crucially important to our thinking and discussion now. We need to think about what we mean to say with words. Today, some men just say they don’t or didn’t consider what they were doing as rape. When I was your age, a lot of women would have been silenced by this, and others might have been silenced by the sense of shame that Dido seems to feel. I think Venus wouldn’t have cared about Dido’s feelings, or the Sabine women’s, but I think that in his description of the Sabine women depicted on Aeneas’s shield, and Aeneas’s weeping when he sees Dido in the Underworld, Virgil gives us a possible way to go there. I wouldn’t count on it, but maybe.
I absolutely love how you connected the story of Dido back to the present day stories of sexual assault. As a freshman who is just know reading the Aeneid for the first time, I had the same struggle with classifying Dido as a strong independent woman or a self-sabotaging romantic. By implying that she was raped by Aeneas of her power and status has helped me gain a better understanding of where Dido stands in the founding of Rome. Also, the story about the Sabine women was very intriguing, especially the painting because I feel like I have seen a painting depicting the rape of the Sabine women in the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles (I may be wrong, because I haven’t visited the museum in over 6 years). This article has given me a new perspective of Dido, as she is a more complex than she is usually seen to be.
You are absolutely right! Poussin did make two versions of this image and the one in the Getty is called “The Rape of the Sabine Women.” See the link at
https://goo.gl/images/jmVzW2
and let me know if the URL works. I have seen this version too. And I am fascinated by your story, because you might have seen this painting at about the same age as I saw the version called “Abduction” in the Met. You have a good visual memory, and perhaps the impact on you was strong, as it was on me. Consider using this image for Essay 2, when you get the assignment.
When you go back to the Getty, take a look at the painting. Many of Poussin’s paintings have Biblical themes. What, if anything, might that tell you about the artist’s representation of this event?
Reading this post really opened my eyes in seeing a whole new perspective that I’ve never thought of. I too, did see Dido as an independent, strong Queen when she was first introduced in the epic. I never even thought that rape and The Aeneid had any relation with each other. I can see where you are coming from when you stated that, “Their twisted limbs, their signals to their husbands, their forced abandonment of their children and parents at the signal from the red-clad ruler on the pillar – that’s rape to me.” It definitely is not okay for women to be taken advantage of just for men to seize power. However; when I first read this post, I thought that being taken away by force was not a definition or even considered to be rape. Being a teenager, I thought of rape as more of a sexual connotation. I wasn’t sure what you considered to be the definition of “rape.” So, I got curious and looked up the definition on Merriam-Webster: “to seize and take away by force.” Then, I realized that if any action upon someone without consent is considered rape. Reading this post really gave me a whole new insight to women and a whole lot more respect to those who lived in that era so thank you.
Your word “respect” speaks to me. I really like the idea that we as active readers can and do respect Dido, even if Venus does not….
I think that this article helps to shine a better light upon the idea of women in the Aeneid, I love how it helps to show how mistreated they are by the men who ‘dominate’ their world. In the book, women are shown as crazy people who are misguided and often persuaded to do bad things by the Gods. Dido, is seen to have been crazy in love with Aeneas because of the Gods who persuaded her to fall in love with him, but I never saw the fact that she may have been raped by Cupid, that the Gods would drug her without her knowledge. It really goes to help with the characterization of women in this period because they had no control over their lives, whereas Aeneas’ was basically left for the dead after Aeneas ‘bravely’ carries his father and son on his back to safety. I like your argument because it does strongly help the idea that the Aeneid is a misogynistic novel that glorifies the men who decimate women.
“Crazy in love” with Aeneas, yes indeed. It’s good to know that she had felt love —and not crazy — in an un-crazy relationship with her husband back in Tyre. His ghost, and her thoughts and dream of him, may also remind us that he trusted her in return, thinking of his treasure as “a comrade / to speed her on her way” with her mission (l, 436-437). Too bad he gets murdered by her brother?
The idea that the Cupid’s influence on Dido is rape is an interesting thought. Comparing Cupid’s influence to date rape drugs helped me see the analogy. I agree with that claim. Dido was compelled to love and have sex with Aeneas. Dido did not consent to it; She was stripped of the ability to consent because she was under the influence of the Gods. Additionally, Dido’s ending tragically parallels the lives of some rape victims. I appreciate your insight, Professor Folkenflik.
I so appreciate your comment that her suicide “tragically parallels” the response of some women even today. But as readers, we may find our own voices. If you were Dido’s sister Anna, how would you respond to her plea to help her commit suicide by building the pyre (IV, 418)?
I so appreciate your comment that her suicide “tragically parallels” the response of some women even today. But as readers, we may find our own voices. If you were Dido’s sister Anna, how would you respond to her plea to help her commit suicide by building the pyre (IV, 418)?