Note to The Tempest, 2.1.77 "widow Dido"


Dido, Queen of Carthage, who founded a empire which rivaled Rome, and who committed suicide when deserted by Æneas, was indeed a widow when Æneas arrived on her shores, but that is not important to the famous story about her and Æneas. When he landed in Carthage, Æneas was on his way to fulfill his destiny as founder of Rome. He told her the story of his adventures, which made her fall in love with him. While on a hunting expidition a storm drove the two of them into a secluded grove, and it is implied that they had sex. At this point, Dido considered herself to married to Æneas, but Jupiter sent Mercury to remind Æneas of his duty to found Rome, and he abandoned Dido, which broke her heart and drove her to suicide.
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The Tempest,
Act 2, Scene 1, line 77
Death of Dido by Cayot

The Suicide of Queen Dido by Claude-Augustin Cayot.