To what extent was Aeneas to blame for Dido’s death?
Dido clearly committed suicide, she was not murdered, but what part did Aeneas play in her feeling so terrible that she would take her own life?
Dido was successful, she had seen hardship, through her brother Pygmalion and the death of Sychaeus, but had come through that, to be a much-loved Queen. However, she could no longer live off this kingdom, as Aeneas had had such a hand in its development, he had helped build the walls and Dido’s kingdom was now not her own. Therefore, her success was not her own. Aeneas had ruined one of her reasons for living. She would agonise every time she woke up, reminded of her love for Aeneas everywhere she went.
On line 298 of book one, Jupiter sends Mercury to make Dido hospitable to the Trojans. This divine intervention would initially suggest that Aeneas was helpless against the will of the Gods and therefore not to blame for the outcome. Dido is clearly a fan of the Greeks, and as Juno was Carthage’s tutilery Goddess hate for Aeneas and his crew was inevitable. Carthage is also well defended, with all its shores covered. Therefore, the surviving Trojans would not have a chance if the Gods had not assisted Aeneas by making Dido more courteous. Nor did Jupiter and Mercury force the issue of love on either character, it is therefore not the fault of Jupiter or Mercury, and this would again point the blame at Aeneas.
