Destiny, Love, and Suffering: The Relationship between Aeneas and Dido

The wretched love affair of Aeneas and Dido is one of the most prominent events in The Aeneid by Virgil. In The Aeneid, love is represented in the same manner as the gods. Love is shown as an outside force acting upon mortals, not a function of the individual's free will or inherent identity. It is Aeneas' fate and civic responsibility to get to Italy in order to establish the Roman line and eventual Empire …

…is an outside force acting upon mortals, not a function of the individual's free will or inherent identity, Aeneas his a hero for following his destiny rather than following his heart. It is the intrusion of gods and fate in Aeneas' life that cause the tragic relationship between him and Dido. And it is Aeneas' heroic character and willingness to subordinate his desire for Dido to his duty and civic responsibility that explains Aeneas' behavior.