As the story goes, the day Odysseus devised the giant hollow wooden horse that came to be known as the “Trojan Horse”, marked the beginning of the end for the Trojans.
Many were killed, others were enslaved and Aeneas led the few who managed to flee Troy to Italy where they became the progenitors of the Romans. Maybe that was the reason why Aeneas was saved twice by the Gods during the war. Among those saved were Aeneas’ father whom he carried on his back and his son. This theme inspired many artists like Gibbs, Batoni, Teniers, Carracci et.al. to create wonderful paintings)
On their way to Sicily, their boats were blown off course due to a storm and thus they reached the shores of North Africa -in Carthage- were Dido had settled after fleeing from Tyre.
Dido and Aeneas had the time to get to know each other and fall in love while his boats were being repaired and while on a hunt, a storm breaks out and forces them to find refuge in a cave where they become lovers.
But this was not to be. King Iarvas who was in love with Dido and had asked her hand in marriage asked Zeus’s help; he wanted Aeneas to leave. Zeus knew that the destiny of Rome was to be built elsewhere, he orders Aeneas to leave and stop his relationship with Dido.
They never saw each other again. When Dido realized that he abandoned her, -distraught at his betrayal- she built a huge pyre that could be seen from a distance -that could be seen from Aeneas as he was sailing on- and killed herself.
Henry Purcell wrote the opera “Dido and Aeneas” inspired by their story and Dido’s Lament is the aria “When I am laid in earth”. Here by the exquisite late Jessye Norman.
Argyro F.
DOTS & LINES 
Leave a comment