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Dido, Queen of Carthage
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Dido, Queen of Carthage

play by Marlowe and Nashe
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Also known as: “The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage”
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In full:
The Tragedy of Dido, Queen of Carthage
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Dido, Queen of Carthage, play in five acts by Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Nashe, published in 1594.

The play is based on the story of Dido and Aeneas as told in the fourth book of Virgil’s Aeneid. In the play, Dido, the queen of Carthage, is in love with Aeneas, who has taken refuge in Carthage after the fall of Troy. He refuses to marry her, however, and as he sails from Carthage, the despairing Dido kills herself. The play adds a significant character from Greek legend to Virgil’s story: Iarbas, a barbarian chieftain who himself wants Dido for his bride.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.