The suggestion that Book Four of Virgil's Aeneid ought to be called 'the tragedy of Dido' is a controversial one. It is firstly questionable as to whether Book Four fulfils the criteria of a tragedy in the ancient, or the contemporary sense of the word; and secondly if it is indeed a tragedy, whether the consequences are tragic for Dido alone. Virgil's motives in writing Book Four seem somewhat ambiguous. Throughout Books One to Three …showed first 75 words of 1949 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1949 total…but though it is mainly Dido's, she does not help herself. Aeneas on the other hand seems to be somewhat unaffected by the situation, but this is clearly an attempt to cover up is true feelings. The passion they share causes tragedy for both of them, but it is a tragedy that could have been prevented, and without a great destiny left to achieve, it is Dido who is most greatly affected by the consequences.