Rachel SampleyRome: Julius Caesar to NeroKimberly BrownApril 12, 2014When a romance defines a city Virgil's Aeneid and the historical figures Antony and Cleopatra are parallel love stories with similarities striking individualized by inverse outcomes. Virgil wrote The Aeneid in homage to Augustus Caesar, leader of the Roman Empire and an integral figure in the story of Antony and Cleopatra. The Aeneid's lovers, Dido and Aeneas, parallel the true story of Antony and Cleopatra with the common theme of a heroic man bound by the duty of his state, torn between responsibility to his nation and devotion in love with a beautiful and passionate foreign queen. Virgil's epic poem, The Aeneid, contains a brief romance between the central character Aeneas and the queen of Carthage, Dido. Although the famous romance of this tale lasts only part of the epic. While Cleopatra and Antony were less mystical in their relationships, both couples were stories of star-crossed lovers who, despite their political complications, found comfort and joy in their relationships before meeting untimely ends. The Aeneid tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas. flight from Troy to Italy following the Trojan War. In Italy, the descendants of Aeneas were destined to found Rome. However, Aeneas does not go directly to Italy because, diverted by a storm, he stops in Carthage and allows himself to stay there and fall in love with the leader of Carthage, Dido (Virgil, 103). Dido is a “Phoenician princess who fled her home and founded Carthage after her brother murdered her husband.” In Carthage, Aeneas tells the story of the Trojan War. Virgil uses The Iliad as a starting point and photo...... middle of paper ...... she could have died of poisoning or been killed later. Roman orders. Despite the many ideas surrounding his death, it is generally attributed to the political unrest between Egypt and Rome, which is a direct complication of his relationship with Mary Antony. Dido, whose morbid end results from her affair with Aeneas (Suetonius, 373). In conclusion, The Aeneid Lovers and Antony and Cleopatra are both tragic tales with many connections to each other. They share the common theme of a patriotic and heroic man. choosing between duty to one's country and the passionate love of a beautiful, foreign and strong queen. Then, on the other side, they both represent a powerful and noble queen, capable of defeating the rampant patriarchy in their cities and ruling with firm loyalty. hand.