Who do we feel more sympathy to in the Aeneid, Dido or Aeneas?

The more I read and ponder the Aeneid, the more I realize that there is no need to take sides, indeed, it would be contrary to the very intent of the poem and maybe even to Vergil's innermost feelings. read more

The more I read and ponder the Aeneid, the more I realize that there is no need to take sides, indeed, it would be contrary to the very intent of the poem and maybe even to Vergil's innermost feelings. read more

However it is also possible to not feel much sympathy for Dido in the Aeneid. The first way that a total lack of sympathy can be achieved is through her characterisation as the opposite of a Roman. This is because Dido is everything a Roman should not be and should not want. read more

At some different points in Book 12 of the Aeneid, Virgil makes it seem as if Aeneas is the hero, and Turnus the villain, thus creating sympathy for the former. Virgil, for a large part of this book, portrays Aeneas as being wounded by an arrow wound, making the character seem more heroic, and so we feel sympathy towards him because of this. read more