The Marriage Vows of Medea and Dido: A Comparison, "The Medea" by Euripides and "The Aeneid" by Virgil

In The Medea by Euripides and The Aeneid by Virgil the characters of Medea and Dido respond to desertion by their husbands, the individual they love most, in the form of a quarrel. Both characters go on to attempt to alleviate their pain via revenge. Their judgments and actions are impaired by each woman's great eros and amor. Euripides and Virgil illustrate their vision of passion and love through the effects of Medea and Dido's …

…they had no commitment, Dido cannot justify her suicide and curse with the abandonment from a man she has an affair with and chooses to develop this affair into a liaison. Virgil does not specifically condemn Dido, but the tone of her commentary seems to put the blame on her. While Euripides' Medea and Virgil's Dido have similar reasons, reactions, and motivations, Medea is understood and Dido is just seen as bitter, vindictive, and pathetic.