> Dido is also a Circe-figure. Structurally, Aeneas' shipwreck and eventual > arrival at Dido's city are parallel to Odysseus' shipwreck and eventual > arrival at Circe's palace, the help that Venus gives to protect him is > parallel to Hermes and the moly, and, like Circe, Dido is a figure > capable of keeping the hero enthralled and thwarting his quest.
And also a Nausicaa-figure, for that matter. The meeting with Venus has perhaps more in common with the meeting between Odysseus and the disguised Athene; the difference between Aeneas' heroism and Odysseus' is brought out by the fact that Aeneas doesn't lie. Both Aeneas and Odysseus are presented with a situation that could be what they seek (city, an available woman), but both will reject it, although for different reasons. We are also reminded of Jason and Hypsipyle by Venus' warrior disguise (the image appears on Jason's cloak). In effect, taking account of all the allusions at the beginning of the Dido/Aeneas episode, we're meant to recall all the prior hero/available women meetings--it suggests that this episode (unfamiliar to V's readers) could go in any direction, from the business-like parting of Jason and Hypsipyle, to the prolonged stay of Odysseus with Circe, to the passionate flight of Medea and Jason, to the secretive abandonment by Theseus of Ariadne and her subsequent cursing of him. Of course, V incorporates elements from each of his predecessors, but ultimately goes beyond all of them. jg ----------------------------------------------------------------------- To leave the Mantovano mailing list at any time, do NOT hit reply. Instead, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the message "unsubscribe mantovano" in the body (omitting the quotation marks). You can also unsubscribe at http://virgil.org/mantovano/mantovano.htm#unsub
