in Dido, Queen of Carthage — Marlowe, Christopher; Nashe, Thomas
Metadata
Play
Dido, Queen of Carthage
Author
Marlowe, Christopher; Nashe, Thomas
Year (catalogued)
1594
First performance
1586
Decade
1590s
Genre
Tragedy
Play type
Boys Professional
Company
Children of the Chapel (first) (Oxford's Boys)
Speech prefix(es)
Illio.
Words
298
Characters
1586
Typicality
0.29 (cosine to cluster centroid)
TCP id
A07023
BritDrama no.
820
Cluster
Cluster 6 — Battlefield messengers & soldiers
Important excerpts
No keyword-matching excerpt could be extracted (the cluster label doesn't share vocabulary with this character's speech).
Full speech
Follow you Trojans, follow this brave Lord, And plain to him the sum of your distress. Wretches of Troy, envied of the winds, That crave such favour at your honours feet, As poor distressed misery may plead: Save, save, Oh save our ships from cruel fire, That do complain the wounds of thousand waves, And spare our lives whom every spite pursues. We come not we to wrong your Libian Gods, Or steal your household ears from their shrines: Our hands are not prepared to lawless spoil, Nor armed to offend in any kind: Such force is far from our unweaponed thoughts, Whose fading weal of victory forsook, Forbids all hope to harbour near our hearts. I hear Aeneas voice, but see him not, For none of these can be our General. He means Aeneas, let us kiss his feet. Blessed be the time I see Achate's face. Lovely Aeneas, these are Carthage walls, And here Queen Dido wears imperial Crown, Who for Troy's sake hath entertained us all, And clad us in these wealthy robes we wear. Oft hath she asked us under whom we served, And when we told her she would weep for grief, Thinking the sea had swallowed up thy ships, And now she sees thee how will she rejoice? Look where she comes: Aeneas viewed her well. Renowned Dido, 'tis our General: warlike Aeneas. This man and I were at Olympus games. Why, let us built a City of our own, And not stand lingering here for amorous looks: Will Dido raise old Priam forth his graven, And built the town again the Greeks did burn? No no, she cares not how we sink or swim, So she may have Aeneas in her arms. But what shall it be called, Troy as before?
Plot summary
Plot — Dido, Queen of Carthage
JMipHEEE tries to seduce Gahiymiede] who complains of Juno’s ill usage, but succumbs when offered gifts. Meanwhile J@m6 has suborned Aeolus to wreck Aeneas’ fleet, which is carrying refugees from Troy to Italy; WEMUS seeks Jupiter’s help: Jupiter prophesies that ASHEa8 is destined to wander until he founds a new Troy in what will become Rome; but also sends Mereury to calm the seas. Separated from his fleet, Aeneas lands on the coast of north Africa and meets the disguised Venus, who encourages him to present himself at Dido’s court. The Trojans are reunited in Carthage, where Dido greets them. At her request, he recounts the fall of Troy. Venus abducts AS€amius and substitutes @apid in his shape. He makes Dido fall in love with Aeneas, and she offers to help repair his ships on condition that he remains with her in Carthage; her attentions make her suitor [aeba8 jealous. Juno attempts to kill the sleeping Ascanius, but Venus intervenes, warned by her doves. Submitting to destiny, Juno agrees to help Dido win Aeneas, and causes a storm during their hunting expedition. They shelter together in a cave, and, wooed by Dido, Aeneas promises never to leave Carthage during her lifetime. Iarbas prays for Jupiter’s help against Aeneas; AiR tries to interest him in her instead of her sister, but fails. Hermes appears to Aeneas in a dream and instructs him to leave for Italy, but Dido crowns him King of Carthage. As further insurance, she has ‘Ascanius’ taken into the country, and the rigging removed from Aeneas’ ships. Aeneas plans to build a new Troy in Carthage, but H@@mes appears in person, having swapped back Ascanius for Cupid, and repeats Jupiter’s command. Jarbas supplies Aeneas with rigging, and he sails away. Dido destroys the items he has left behind and then burns herself to death. [arbas ===== PAGE 447 ===== 1588 kills himself for love of Dido, and Anna kills herself for love of Iarbas.