Narrator:

The story of a man torn between love and destiny. Aeneas was his name, and he was a Prince of Troy.
When that city was destroyed by the Greek Army, he fled from the flames carrying his old father on his
back, and with his son at his side. He gathered a band of Trojans and set sail in a fleet of ships. But his
journey was long and hard, beset by dangers and troubles.

Why should a just a man suffer so? The answer is not hard to find. All the evil and suffering in the world
is wished upon us by the gods, or is the debris of their own quarrels and strife. A goddess hated Aeneas
with all the fury of her immortal heart. Her name was Juno, and she was queen of heaven. Her enmity
went back a long way.

It all began with a divine squabble. Three goddesses met on the island of Crete and wrangled over who
was the fairest. And while the divine ones were bickering and threatening to scratch each other’s eyes out,
along stumbled Paris, Prince of Troy, out hunting in the woods. The goddesses appointed him as judge of
their beauty. He chose Venus, and won a great reward from her, in the fair form of a woman, Helen, who
was more lovely than any other. But he earned the immortal hatred of Juno.

Paris and Helen. Their names united into the greatest scandal of the Bronze Age. He was Trojan, she was
Greek, and while they lay in each other’s arms, their countries locked in armed combat. After ten years of
war, Troy was destroyed utterly. You would think that the Goddess had taken enough revenge on Paris
and all the Trojans, but still she was not satisfied. Now Juno looked down from the skies and spotted
Aeneas, a near relative of Paris, sailing across the sea, escaping his burning city. And this is what she said
to herself:

Juno:
Another of those pomaded Trojan lover-boys is setting out to create trouble in the world. I see his destiny
all too clearly. He is leading his men to Italy, where his decedents will found a new city: Rome. And
Rome shall grow into a proud, powerful, and disgustingly hypocritical empire. The toga wearers shall
make slaves of free peoples in the name of the law, peace and religion. They will conquer nations and
utterly destroy Carthage, the city which does more honour to me than any other. But do you know what? I
think I’ll do the world a favour. I’ll spare it Rome. I’ll destroy this Aeneas and his fleet of ships before
they touch land. No Aeneas, no Rome. Now Blow Winds Blow !

Narrator:
And Aeolus, king of the winds, heard the command from the Queen of Heaven, and boy did he blow. He
sent a ship splintering storm straight at the fleet of Aeneas. Aeneas and his men thought then that they
would soon be fish food. But Neptune, the lord of the waters, heard the winds, and rolled his eyes around
the earth, the sea and the skies, and when he saw the storm-tossed ships he said: Hey what’s all this? I’m
in charge here. Jupiter and his dysfunctional family can do what they like up in the skies, but the waters
are mine, and I won’t stand for any insubordination here. If there’s sinking to be done, then I’m the one to
do it. And with a wave of his Trident, he sent the winds whimpering back into their box, and the seas
settled down.
The battered ship of Aeneas, with broken oars and tattered sails, made its way to the shores of Libya. The
sailors jumped over the sides and swam to the beach. They were plenty glad to feel the hot sand between
their toes. As for the other Trojan ships, they did not know if they were lost of saved.

Now the goddess Venus looked down on the shipwrecked Trojans with more than a casual interest.
Aeneas was none other than her own son. As any good mother would, she went to the Lord of the Skies
and put in a complaint about her boy’s treatment.
( Venus)
This is too much! Is it not enough that jealous Juno burned Troy? Can’t you reign in that neurotic consort
of yours? My Aeneas is destined to found Rome, and now look at him, poor darling, he’s a shipwrecked
wretch on the shores of Africa. And it’s Juno’s doing as usual.

( Jupiter)
And father Jupiter sighed and sent a gush of wind over the mountain tops. Venus my dear, he said,
Dismiss your fears. The fates are fixed. I’ve no intention that your son should be denied his destiny. There
is an African Queen who will take good care of him. Dido is her name, and she lives in Great Splenour in
the city of Carthage. She is just and fair. Send Aeneas to her, and she will give him all he needs.

Narrator:
Venus took the hint. Lovely Dido would put vim back in her son’s limbs. And there was a nice twist to
the tale. For Carthage was Juno’s city, and if its queen fell for Aeneas, that would be one in the eye for
the Queen of Heaven. She liked that.
Aeneas left his men on the beach while he climbed a cliff to see what he could see. At the top he met a
being who gave him cause for hope. She was a huntress, and by her beauty, had no doubt that she was at
least partly divine. He saw her sitting on a rock, and as he came up to her she said:

Venus:
Young man. Have you seen any of my sisters here about, wearing leopard skins and carrying bows?

Aeneas:
No, I haven’t. Last night I was shipwrecked, and you are the first soul I have set eyes upon since I swam
ashore.

Venus:
And tell me shipwrecked sailor, what is your name?

Aeneas:
Aeneas, prince of Tory. Winds and war drove me here across the seas.

Venus:
Then your fortunes are changing for the better. Lucky you to be washed up on this courteous coast. Not
far from here, a gracious queen is building a city that matches your famed Troy for splendor and beauty.
Her name is Dido, and the city is Carthage. Seek an audience with her, and you shall receive a warm
welcome. And now I must leave you, and find my errant sisters.

Aeneas:
Goddess wait - I see now from the way you move that you are Venus - Oh Mother ! Why do you only
ever appear to me in disguise ?

Venus:

Fair-well my son. Make speed to Dido. I shall cloak you in an invisible cloud to protect you from danger.

Narrator:

When the walls of Carthage came into view, Aeneas could not help but weep. For in every respect it was
as if he was looking at his own dear home, the City of Troy at the height of its splendor, before the Greeks
reduced it to ruins. As he passed through the arched gates, it was as if he was returning home. The inside
of the portal was engraved with pictures of the greatest of the Trojans. Here was King Priam. There was
Queen Hecuba. And totally true to life, Hector, the most formidable of the Trojans in battle, the tenderest
family man at home, held his son in his great hands. The little boy cried because his father’s bronze
helmet frightened him. His mother Andromache held out her slender arms. They were all gone now. Dust.
Memories. Pictures. Gazing Aeneas said to himself:

Aeneas:

These are the tears of the world.

Narrator:

He made his way through the noisy streets, as invisible as a ghost, until he reached the Palace. In the great
hall there was a sight to gladden his sad eyes. A crowd of his men from the lost ships, those whom he had
thought to be drowned in the storm, were gathered there. Venus lifted the invisible cloud from her son. He
appeared among his friends and greeted them with hugs and tears. While the reunion was still going on,
Queen Dido came into the hall. She was a tall striking figure. She wore jewels in her black hair, and her
robe was sewn with gold and silver thread.

Aeneas stepped forward and begged pardon for the tattered rags that he wore.

Dido:

Never mind your clothes. Tell me who is the man within them..

Aeneas:

Mighty Queen. Once I was a Trojan. But Troy is no more. It is no longer so simple to say who I am.

Dido:

But you have a name presumably?

Narrator:

At this, one of Aeneas’s men spoke up: “Gracious Queen. Behold our general, Warlike Aeneas, Prince of
Troy, and though he wears rags, he is a no less a great man.”

Dido:

Well then, Warlike Aeneas, be seated, and I shall send for splendid robes that befit your birth, and cover
your recent misfortune. And then we shall hold a banquet in honour of our Trojan guests.

Narrator:

And when the banquet took place, Queen Dido sat with her sister Dido on her one side, and Aeneas on the
other. The Queen begged Aeneas to describe the last days of Troy, as she had heard so many conflicting
reports. Aeneas described how the Greek Achilles slaughtered the Trojan Hector. How Prince Paris left
his chamber of love and fired a poisoned arrow into the heal of Achilles. How the Greeks boarded their
ships and left behind a wooden horse. The Trojans rejoiced to see their foes depart. But the belly of the
horse was hollow and full of Greek spies. They opened the gates of Troy and let in the invading army. As
Aeneas made his way out of the city with his father and son, his sword saved them from death a dozen
times, but the doom of Troy was done. He described to the Queen the leaping flames, the clashing bronze,
and the desperate cries, Dido could not help but weep.

Dido:
“Oh stop, Aeneas, I can hear no more. I am melting with pity.”

Narrator

But Venus sent a sweet balm to heal the sorrow of the Queen. The young son of Aeneas lay asleep on a
couch in a chamber away from the noisy feast. The Goddess willed Cupid to take on his exact likeness,
and she sent him into the banqueting hall.

Dido:
“Ah, who is this sweet sleepy-eyed boy? Is he your son.

Aeneas:
He is my lady. His name is Ascanius. His mother, I am afraid to say, did not survive the destruction of our
city by the Greeks.

Dido:
Come Ascanius. Sit on my lap. I shall mother you a while.

Narrator:
Venus had disguised Cupid so cunningly in the form of Ascanius, that even Aeneas thought he was his
own son. Nobody recognised the boy who brings love.
Cupid hung his arms around the neck of Venus and his breath worked its charm on her. Sweetness flowed
in her veins for the man who sat by her side - the shipwrecked prince whom the winds had blown to her
shores.

While Aeneas was turned away to talk to a ship captain, she whispered in the ear of her sister Anna:

Dido:
“Our Trojan Prince speaks as well as he looks, does he not?”

Narrator:

And Anna agreed with her sister that their guest was worthy of their hospitality.

As yet, Cupid had worked just enough charm to keep things sweet between Dido and Aeneas, and to
ensure that the queen gave her guest all the help that he needed. This was the way Venus liked to work
things. As the goddess looked down with satisfaction on the scene, she received a visitor she had not
expected. Juno hailed her across the skies.

Juno:

Sister of Love. It is time to end our quarrel with a wedding. Our interests are united in Dido and Aeneas.
Let them rule Carthage together as King and Queen. Their children shall build a glorious city that will
surpass Troy in its beauty and fame. There will be no need for Rome. The toga-wearers shall never be.
Carthage shall not be ruined by Romans. Your son shall be the father of a great people without touching
the shores of Italy.

Narrator:

And Dido saw advantage in this pact with her Sister. The following day, when Dido and Aeneas rode out
hunting together, she sent Cupid to fire his arrows into the side of the Queen. They were tipped with love,
and now Passion for Aeneas flowed Deep in the breast of the Queen. The African sun hid behind a cloud
and a great storm, unusual for this time of year, broke out. The sharp eyes of Aeneas caught site of a cave,
and he led the Queen their to shelter from the rain.

Aeneas:

How are you my Queen? Your face suggests that something is troubling you. Do not fear this hurly burly
in the heavens. The storm will pass soon.

Dido:

Perhaps too soon for Dido.

Aeneas:

What do you mean by this strange remark?

Dido:

Only that Aeneas loves me not.

Aeneas:

I would not presume to aim so high.

Dido:

I will open my heart to you, even though I fear my words will bring shame on me. I love one who loves
fame more than woman.

Aeneas:

With this my hand I give you my heart. I vow on this sword which saved me from the Greek army that
while Dido lives and rules in Carthage City, I will never love any but her.

Dido:

Your words are like the sweet music of the gods to me.

Narrator:

And so Aeneas, willed on by the colluding goddesses, swore a love that did not fit his destiny. The future
that the fates had spun for him was to sail to Italy and found Rome. But for now he lingered in the arms of
Dido.
His men mended the broken ships and gossiped and complained about their general’s new distraction.
When they spoke of Dido and Aeneas it was almost as if they were speaking once again of Paris and
Helen. It was a private love that did no public good.

The word spread, and reached even the Father of the Skies. Jupiter sent Mercury, the messenger of the
gods, to whisper in the hero’s ear while he slept in the arms of his queen. And Aeneas dreamed of the
Colosseum, the forum, and the seven hills of Rome. He saw a city more beautiful than Troy, more
wealthy than Carthage.

In the morning he went down to the harbour to inspect his ships, and his captain told him that he was
ready to set sail. He spoke to Aeneas

Ship’s Captain:

“Sail with us now my Lord. If you return to the queen her womanly wiles will persuade you to stay. Her
silver arms will coil around your neck. Her pearly tears will beg you stay. No man, though he face the
fiercest foes without dread, can endure a woman’s soft tears. I speak plainly My Lord. But I say to your
face what all the men say behind your back. “

Aeneas:

I appreciate your blunt frankness, but beauty calls me back. I cannot break love’s law by stealing away
like a thief. Let no one call Aeneas a coward in love or in battle.

Narrator:

And so Aeneas returned to Dido to give her is final fare-well. But Dido had already heard news of the
Trojan Fleet that was ready to sail, and her spies had informed her that Aeneas was ready to go with them.

Dido:

Oh cursed Trojans that would steal my love from me ! Is this how they repay my hospitality? I would
look they other way if they thieved my silver or gold, but they take my very life.

Aeneas:

My queen. I have come to give you my goodbye, although I feared that you would try to keep me here.

Dido:

False Aeneas ! You need not have feared. Be gone from my sight.

Aeneas:

I cannot leave without kissing your hand one last time.

Dido:

See I take the crown from my head and place it on yours. How it becomes you. Stay by my side King
Aeneas. Carthage is yours. Is this prize not a fair exchange for the Troy that you have lost? Why seek you
a new city when you have one here.
Aeneas:

A bronze helmet fits my destiny better than golden crown.

Dido:

Then you put to sea?

Aeneas:

Duty calls.

Dido:

Then duty is a murderer because I shall die if it takes you away from me.

Aeneas:

I leave you my sword to remember me by. It is as much part of me as my right arm. It has saved my life
many a time. It is the most I can give.

Dido:

Be gone, be gone. I cannot bear to look upon your faithless face any longer. My sorrow is strangling me.
My throat is dry. I can speak no more.

Aeneas:

Fair well my queen. I will never love another as I have loved you. On the day that I die, I will think of
you. I will go to the next world with your face before my eyes. Fair-well.

Dido:

Be gone. It is time for Warlike Aeneas to run.

Narrator:

And Aeneas went directly to his ship.

Dido:

Fair sister Anna. Command the priests build a pyre. I will make a sacrifice to the gods. I will pray to
Neptune and Juno to calm the winds and keep him here, or better, to send a storm and wreck him once
more. Let the faithless wretch swim to Italy !

Narrator:

And while the priests built a pyre in the courtyard of the temple, Dido stood on her balcony and watched
the ships set sail.

Dido:
The winds blew my love to me, and now they take him away. The nymphs of the sea carry him from me.
Chains of gold could not anchor him here. What have I done to offend the gods that they separate me
from happiness? If only I had the wings of Icarus I could fly out to him? Where is the friendly dolphin
that will carry me on his back behind the ship of Aeneas? Or if I could swim like Neptune’s niece.

Oh how I am raving. Love has poisoned me with lunacy. See how Aeneas is rejoicing with his sailors as
cross the waves away from me. He has forgotten his Dido already.

Ah the priests have set the fire. The flames are consuming the coals. I see in their light, a future full of
destruction.

Oh Juno, protector of our city, I pray to you, let him build his precious Rome, for Jupiter wills it so, and
let the city grow to be great and powerful, but let Carthage send a general to destroy it. May an African
army ride elephants across the seas and over the mountains right up to the walls of Troy, and may Rome’s
dust blow on the winds and mingle with Troy’s.

And now where is that sword of Aeneas? It protected his life but now it takes away mine. No, his frown
has already destroyed the Dido who lived but a few short months ago before she set eyes upon the
faithless Trojan. The woman whose sparkling eyes drew a 100 suitors from all Africa, Europe and Asia is
gone. All that is left for me now is lunacy. I shall not go mad. Better die.

Narrator:

And although Aeneas felt the wind in his hair, and the salt in his nostrils, and heard the cry of gulls above
his ship - and although he felt that the chains of destiny were pulling him to freedom - he did not forget
his Dido. He looked back at the walls of Carthage and saw smoke rising from the temple. He thought to
himself.

Aeneas:

“That is all that is left of my love.”