Researcher ORCID Identifier
0000-0002-8776-6134
Graduation Year
2022
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Classical Studies
Reader 1
Christopher Chinn
Reader 2
David Roselli
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
2022 James L Kleerup
Abstract
Within Book 4 of Virgil’s Aeneid, the question of marriage is repeatedly raised. Specifically, it is debated whether or not Dido and Aeneas are married. This question is hotly debated by both the characters and scholars, as the answer is not definitively given within the text. This paper seeks to provide an answer, as the contemporary Roman reader would likely have interpreted their relationship, and also address why Virgil remained purposefully vague. Within Book 4, three key scenes are examined: the discussion between Juno and Venus where Juno proposes the wedding, the cave scene, and Dido and Aeneas’ argument when Aeneas is attempting to leave Carthage. While a plentitude of scholarship exists on this topic, this paper focuses on the original audience, looking at the legal requirements and ceremonies around weddings at the time, the nuisance of the original Latin, and the intertextual comparisons to Medea. Additionally, this paper addresses the distinct lack of certainty presented in the Aeneid, pointing to Aeneas’ status as the mythical ancestor of Rome and Augustus’ own connection to Aeneas through propaganda.
Recommended Citation
Kleerup, James L., ""All That Remains of Husband"" (2022). Scripps Senior Theses. 1841.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1841
Included in
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity Commons, Classical Literature and Philology Commons
