Which author argues that Dido is portrayed as a victim of circumstances and the gods?

• A. Fiachra Mac Gorain - Aeneas and Augustan values
• B. Richard Rutherford - Allecto and Turnus
• C. Damien Nelis - Structure of book 4
• D. Ian Du Quesnay - Characterisation of Dido

Answer: (D)

The main idea being tested is how a modern reading interprets Dido’s status in the Aeneid: is she painted as a victim of forces beyond her control, including the gods, or as someone acting mainly from personal intention? Ian Du Quesnay’s approach centers on Dido’s characterization, arguing that Virgil presents her as shaped and constrained by powerful external forces rather than as a fully autonomous agent. He highlights how divine meddling and the inexorable pull of fate frame her reactions—her passion, jealousy, and despair—as responses to circumstances imposed by the gods and the epic’s larger design. This reading emphasizes that her tragedy comes from being caught in a larger theological and political machine, which makes her a victim of circumstance rather than solely responsible for her own downfall.

The other scholars focus on different aspects: one engages with Aeneas in relation to Augustan values, another analyzes the interventions of Allecto and Turnus, and another looks at the structural design of book 4. None of these foreground Dido’s victimhood in the same way, so the author who concentrates on her characterization as shaped by divine and situational forces best supports the claim in question.