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The Biggest Tragedy of All Time- Jamie Peters

 Ask anyone that knows me: I do not actively look for, listen to, or obsess over the romantic genre. I will admit (Caroline) that I do like these kinds of things once someone shows them to me, like Pride and Prejudice or The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. I think the appeal for me in these genres lies in the non-romantic areas of the story, like EVERY SINGLE TIME Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth exchange insults, or the tragic undertones of the fate of poor Elizabeth Maugery in Guernsey. Lucky for me, the "romance" of Dido and Aeneas have both of these lovely aspects!

After hearing the apology of Aeneas for accidentally leading her on, Dido delivers simultaneously the most heartbreaking line and the sickest burn to the most bewildered man:

                "Go, / Go after Italy on the sailing winds, 

                Look for your kingdom, cross the deepsea swell! 

                If divine justice counts for anything, 

                I hope and pray that on some grinding reef 

                Midway at sea you'll drink your punishment 

                And call and call on Dido's name!" (4.526-532).

Through the manipulation of the gods, the unbalanced yoke of love between Dido and Aeneas chokes Dido's mind, heart, and soul. Aeneas has only ever tried to do what the Fates have decreed for him to do, and he believed that the blessing of the gods was upon their union. Now that the façade has been lifted, Dido cannot handle the rejection of a lover that was never hers, and she kills herself. I love the stories of Pride and Prejudice and Guernsey because, despite of their troubles, the love felt between the characters conquers all. The destruction of Dido proves that without love, there is nothing.

I commented on Abbie's and Abigale's posts.

Comments

  1. Lily CaswellNovember 16, 2020 at 10:47 PM

    You really don’t, Jamie. I will also agree with you that Dido’s line is an awesome burn towards Aeneas. To be fair to Aeneas though, Venus was totally setting him up to fail. One does not simply mess up Juno’s plans and expect the rest to be smooth sailing.

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