Dido and Aeneas: Could They Have Had It All?

When I was reading through Virgil's The Aeneid, the one dynamic that really interested me the most was the relationship between Aeneas and Dido.  With the help of Aeneas' mother (Venus) and Cupid, disguised as Aeneas' son, the two Roman "love" gods helped Dido fall head over heals for Aeneas of Troy.  Much like Penelope and Odysseus, I can't help but think that Dido and Aeneas were almost "perfect" for one another.  Both Aeneas and Dido had similar life experiences that make them balance out one another in their interactions together.

Back in Tyre, Dido's husband was killed by her brother, causing her to flee to, what is now, Carthage, to save her life.  Aeneas tried to get his wife, son, and father out of war-torn Troy, but, unfortunately, Aeneas' wife perished and returned to Aeneas as a ghost, telling him to flee from Troy, hence, leads to Aeneas' and his men's ships washing up at the shores of Carthage.  In other words, Dido and Aeneas both had to flee their home-lands, lost their significant others, and had to start all over with their lives by moving their kingdoms.  Dido developed her own kingdom, while it is Aeneas' destiny to move Troy to Italy.

Part of me wishes that Aeneas would have stayed with Dido, since I think they had such a good connection, due to their similar unfortunate circumstances.  However, The Aeneid wouldn't be The Aeneid if Aeneas didn't obey the gods and followed his destiny; to move the new Troy to Italy.  I swear, someone needs to make a re-telling of a different ending of The Aeneid if Aeneas didn't listen to Mercury to leave Dido.  I would have liked to see what would have happened if Aeneas stayed and married Dido, because Aeneas seemed to have fallen for Dido, even though Dido was under the spell of Venus and Cupid.

Here are some questions to consider:
1.) Is it all a coincidence that Dido and Aeneas had similar misfortunes, or do you think Virgil did this on purpose so that we (the readers) can relate or understand why Dido would be attracted to Aeneas?

2.) Do you think Aeneas and Dido would have been a great couple?  Explain.  I would love to know you guys' opinions. 

3.) What would you think would have happened if Aeneas had stayed with Dido?

What the Hector?

We have already discussed the similarities between Aeneas and Hector in class but I wanted to beat the Trojan horse a little bit more. To start with, the Greeks do not tend to demonize their enemies in their stories and, as a result, make themselves look bad in some aspects - a phenomenon that Virgil both takes advantage of and takes care to avoid as a similar trait within his own work. The Greek stories spend more time with the Greek heroes, as one would expect. Since they have more exposure, they also have more flaws, increasing sympathy for the family man Hector from those of us not involved in an ongoing rivalry with the Trojans/future Romans. This firmly establishes Hector as a Trojan family man and war hero, while Achilles, Agamemnon, and Odysseus must all prove themselves again and again - and face consequences when they succumb to their hubris. Hector dies because of Zeus's scale and Athena's trickery, not any fault of his own. Aeneas is instantly designed to become the new Hector: a Trojan family man and war hero, better than the Greeks in every way. As I already said, Virgil does not replicate the Greek tendency to let enemies remain enemies rather than demons. Aeneas passes every test that the Greek heroes struggled with - similar to Hector, who had to face Achilles, Odysseus, and Agamemnon together (excepting Achilles's tantrum) in war, while we hear little about any other legendary Trojan heroes to help him in what seems to be a three on one major player battle. Aeneas also requires divine intervention to move him along toward his fate. While in Hector's case the fated destination is death, Zeus and Athena make sure it happens. Aeneas requires Jove to scare him on toward Italy and the establishment of Rome. 

Hector, Andromache, and Astyanax (Son)

Aeneas, Creusa (Wife), Anchises (Father), and Ascanius (Son)

Aeneas vs. Odysseus

While reading The Aeneid  I noticed a number of similarities and parallels that Virgil made to Odysseus  in The Odyssey. From the very beginning Virgil creates the theme of how heroic Aeneas is, just as Odysseus was described from the beginning of The Odyssey. Not to mention the similar details between the adventures of both Aeneas and Odysseus.

It didn't take long though to realize that there are a significant amount of differences as well. Odysseus is known for his want to explore and to satisfy his interest in the unknown. He purposely involves himself in conflict for the sole purpose of being curious. He could have avoided conflict with Polyphemus if he wouldn't have been so hungry for adventure.

On the other hand Aeneas' intentions are purely on what is best for his people and family. He sacrifices the peaceful, happy life he knows he could have for his public duty to his people. While Odysseus' priority did not seem to be his men, shows as he came back without them, Aeneas fights for others, and to create a future for them. He is driven for others benefits, not his own personal desires.

To Trust or Not To Trust

After completing my latest discussion paper, I was left with an interesting question. I had spent the past hour and a half typing a paper that discussed the theme of loyalty in the Odyssey, but was that the only theme to discuss? After some reflection, I realized that it wasn't. The subject I would like to present to you deals with the concept of trust that finds its way into almost all of the stories we have read.

Trust is represented in many different lights throughout The Odyssey, The Illiad, and The Oresteia. The Odyssey offers two situations where trust plays an important role. The first being when King Agamemnon tells Odysseus not to trust his wife upon his return home. This then leads to Odysseus not immediately telling Penelope of his return as well as the tense situation when they finally do come face to face. The second occurs when Odysseus and his men spend time at Circe's abode. Although Odysseus made Circe take an oath that she would not harm him or his men, it still took a certain level of trust to remain there for such a long period of time. In the Illiad, The seer trusts that Apollo will avenge the great injustice pushed upon him by King Agamemnon and Achilles trusts his friend Patroclus to take his armor/sword into battle (something that was not taken lightly in that time period). In a sense, Achilles trusted Patroclus to represent him on the battlefield. Lastly, The Oresteia shows us how trust can be betrayed. Although you could argue that Clytemnestra's motives were justified, King Agamemnon still trusts her completely; until she wraps him up in a sheet and stabs him to death.

So, my question to you is this.  Do you think that the writers put these situations of trust in the story to teach a lesson ( almost like Aesop's Fables) or do you think they were put there simply to create plot points?