History Theatre / DidoAndAeneas

* UnwittingPawn: Aeneas is one for the Sorceress' evil plan to destroy Dido.

* DeathByAdaptation: Possibly. The Sorceress declares her intention, after ruining Dido, to "storm her lover on the ocean", possibly implying that she intends to destroy Aeneas and his fleet with a tempest while they are at sea. In the source material, Aeneas safely reaches shore to found Rome, as decreed by the Gods.

* MinorFlawMajorBreakup: Dido rejects Aeneas, sends him away, and commits suicide because he had ''thoughts'' of abandoning her after being tricked into believing the Gods had commanded him to do so, and even then he was willing to defy the command and stay with her.

* GreekChorus: The choir acts as one, sometimes echoing and re-enforcing the words of the other characters, and sometimes commenting on what is occurring. Towards the end of the opera, they sadly reflect on Dido's decision to reject and dismiss Aeneas ("Great minds against themselves conspire") and finally call on the Gods to honour Dido in her death ("With drooping wings you Cupids come")

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Aeneas changes his mind and offers to stay with Dido in defiance of what he erroneously thinks is the Gods' command. Unfortunately, Dido rejects him and declares that his having had thoughts of leaving her at all means she can't trust him anymore.

* HisOwnWorstEnemy: Dido rejecting Aeneas for having had thoughts of leaving her, despite the fact that a) he has offered to stay with her in defiance of the Gods and that b) she knows she must die if he leaves. {{Lampshade}}d by the immediately following chorus:
-->'''Chorus:''' Great minds against themselves conspire, and shun the cure they most desire.

* StarCrossedLovers: Dido and Aeneas are separated, but in this version, it is due to the machinations of the evil Sorceress, ''not'' due to the command of the Gods.

* DeathByAdaptation: Possibly. The Sorceress declares her intention, after ruining Dido, to "storm her lover on the ocean", possibly implying that she intends to destroy Aeneas and his fleet with a storm while they are at sea. In the source material, Aeneas safely reaches shore to found Rome, as decreed by the Gods.

''Dido and Aeneas'' Z. 626 is an opera in three acts by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell, based on a libretto by Nahum Tate recounting the fourth book of Virgil's ''Literature/TheAeneid''. Written by 1688, it is believed to be the earliest famous English-language opera.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the source material, the command for Aeneas to leave Carthage and sail to Italy genuinely came from Mercury at Jupiter' behest. In this version, it is the evil Sorceress' minion pretending to be Mercury.

* AdaptationalNiceGuy:
** Aeneas changes his mind and offers to stay with Dido in defiance of what he erroneously thinks is the Gods' command. Unfortunately, Dido rejects him and declares that his having had thoughts of leaving her at all means she can't trust him anymore.

''Dido and Aeneas'' Z. 626 is an opera in three acts by Music/HenryPurcell, based on a libretto by Nahum Tate recounting the fourth book of Virgil's ''Literature/TheAeneid''. Written by 1688, it is believed to be the earliest famous English-language opera.

''Dido and Aeneas'' Z. 626 is an opera in three acts by Creator/HenryPurcell, based on a libretto by Nahum Tate recounting the fourth book of Virgil's ''Literature/TheAeneid''. Written by 1688, it is believed to be the earliest famous English-language opera.