Elissa, the First Queen of Carthage:  Through Timaeus' Eyes

HAEGEMANS, Karen

this issue

previous article in this issue

next article in this issue

Preview first page

Document Details :

Title: Elissa, the First Queen of Carthage
Subtitle: Through Timaeus' Eyes
Author(s): HAEGEMANS, Karen
Journal: Ancient Society
Volume: 30 Date: 2000
Pages: 277-291
DOI: 10.2143/AS.30.0.565564

Abstract :
Dido, the founder of Carthage, and the Trojan prince Aeneas were meant to love each other. Aeneas’ divine mission, however, made their love impossible. When he resumed his journey to prepare the foundation of Rome, Dido felt that she had abandoned her duties by giving in to a guilty love and jeopardising everything she had achieved: not only her vow of fidelity to her deceased husband, but even the future of her newly founded city and her people. Consumed by feelings of despair and of guilt, she killed herself on a pyre. This is the essence of the famous story about the first queen of Carthage as told by Vergil in the Aeneid. It is Vergil’s personal interpretation of legends that had started circulating centuries before he wrote his famous epos. Vergil’s first description of Dido shows a fascinating queen, a beautiful, sensible woman, strong and responsible, a founder to be proud of. This picture does not hold strong for long, however. While the poet stresses Aeneas’ sense of duty, Dido is turned from a queen into an unhappy woman. Many studies have analysed Dido’s feelings, and even more Vergil’s motives in creating this picture of the first ruler of the state that would become Rome’s worst enemy.

Download article