Re: Dido
in reply to a message by Pickles
My feelings about the name is wrapped up with my feelings about the character.
As the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, I find it unlikely that someone as clever and resourceful as Dido would would jump into a pyre over Aeneas. Of course humans aren't always a consistent lot, so maybe it wasn't totally out of character. However, I believe there is a version of her story, not told by Virgil, where Dido kills herself rather than submit to a forced marriage to a neighboring king. Since her reason for for founding a city had to do with fleeing tyranny, I can see her willing to die before submitting.
I think Dido would be more popular if it didn't rhyme with dodo. I like it better than Lola but less than Clio.
As the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage, I find it unlikely that someone as clever and resourceful as Dido would would jump into a pyre over Aeneas. Of course humans aren't always a consistent lot, so maybe it wasn't totally out of character. However, I believe there is a version of her story, not told by Virgil, where Dido kills herself rather than submit to a forced marriage to a neighboring king. Since her reason for for founding a city had to do with fleeing tyranny, I can see her willing to die before submitting.
I think Dido would be more popular if it didn't rhyme with dodo. I like it better than Lola but less than Clio.