Comprehension Questions Book 4
The Tragedy of Dido
p.97
1) What particular aspects of Aeneas appeal to Dido?
2) What metaphor is used to describe Dido’s love?
3) What does Dido tell her sister Anna about how she feels?
p.98
4) What reason does Anna give Dido about why she should be with Aeneas?
p.99
5) What do Dido and Anna now do to ensure that all will be well?
6) How badly is Dido in love? What does she do, that shows how much she is in love?
7) How does she not reveal her feelings?
8) What simile is used to describe Dido’s behaviour?
9) Meanwhile, what is happening in Carthage while Dido is in love?
p.100
10)What does Juno suggest to Venus?
11) What does Venus realise is Juno’s true intentions?
12) What does Venus tell Juno about Destiny?
13) What does Venus suggest to Juno about Jupiter?
p.101
14) What is Juno’s plan?
15) Describe Dido’s designer hunting gear.
16) How does Aeneas look?
p.102
17) What happened during the storm?
p.103
18) Who/what makes the affair seem so much worse?
p.104
19) Why is King Iarbus so angry about the relationship?
20) What message does Mercury take from Jupiter to Aeneas?
p.105
21) What is Aeneas doing when Mercury confronts him?
p.106
22) How does Aeneas now feel?
23) What two things does Aeneas now plan to do?
24) How does Dido find out about Aeneas’ plans?
25) How does Dido react?
p.107
26) How does Dido try to change Aeneas’ mind? (Give a lot of detail, list every point that she says)
p.108
27) What does Aeneas reply? (Give a lot of detail, list every point he makes)
28) What is Aeneas’ main point to Dido?
p.109
29) What does Dido now screech at Aeneas will happen to him when he leaves her?
30) How does Aeneas feel?
31) What simile is used to describe Aeneas men as they work on the boats?
p.110
32) what does Dido ask Anna to ask Aeneas?
p.111
33) What simile is uses to describe Aeneas’ staunch refusal to listen to any requests?
34) What does Dido now wish for?
35) What sign does she get from her sacrifice?
36) What happens in the chapel?
37) What does she dream?
38) How is she feeling, generally?
p.112
39) What does Dido ask Anna to do?
40) Who does Dido say advised her to do this?
p.113
41) What is going on around the pyre?
42) What does Dido think are her options?
p.114
43) How dies Dido reproach Anna?
44) What does Mercury tell Aeneas in a vision as Aeneas sleeps?
45) What ‘friendly’ general comment does Mercury make about women to Aeneas?
p.115
46) What does Dido see as she looks out the window on the next morning?
47) What does Dido now wish (sort of)?
p.116
48) What curses does Dido now scream out for Aeneas and for Rome?
p.117
49) How does Dido kill herself?
p.118
50) What technically happens to her?
Why can Dido not live on for her city and peoples: Because she feels like she has lost too much:
· She has lost her public honour as a deserted woman
· Her self respect is gone as she broke her vow to Sychaeus
· Aeneas has gone. She gave up everything for her love and now she has nothing left
· Her dignity is lost because she gave in to uncontrolled passion
So in the end suicide is the only way out. Suicide carried no moral stigma in the ancient Classical world – if you could not live with honour then it was proper to die with honour. So Dido dies, restoring her honour, and knowing she will live forever as the immortal founder of Carthage. She is a victim of the gods, but not entirely blameless for what she has done.