Throughout the centuries, the theme of impossible love in literature has prevailed. Impossible love is a broad and general theme; in general, it is a love that is forbidden, unsolicited or incapable of flowering. Between 29 and 19 BC the legendary Roman author Virgil wrote his epic poem: The Enide. The Enide tells the journey of the great hero Aeneas, who falls in love with the queen of Carthage, Dido, causing a tragic spell of impossible love. A few years after Virgil, Ovid emerged with his classic Metamorphoses linking an extraordinary series of mythological tales through the common theme of change or transformation. Many of the stories told by Ovid interact with the theme of impossible love, but especially the story of Pygmalion and his ivory maiden. The theme of impossible love is timeless because it is incredibly relatable, the heart wants what it wants, and negative consequences and drama always come from that. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the fourth book of the Aeneid, the theme of impossible love arises when Dido and Aeneas fall deeply in love. Initially Dido does not want to marry Aeneas. Dido is committed to being a strong and well-liked leader for her people, she is aware of her journey and knows that in the future the Trojan descendants of Aeneas will ruin her beautiful city of Carthage. Faithful to both her people and her deceased husband, Dido is an admirable woman. From the first moments of Dido's infatuation with Aeneas, the poet foreshadows to readers that her love will be his destruction. However, Juno, who openly detests Aeneas, convinces Dido to marry Aeneas in order to interfere with his quest. Juno's devious plan to distract Aeneas works for a while. Aeneas is pleased with his lovely queen, until Jupiter learns of the union. Jupiter then sends Mercury to remind Aeneas of his duty, which is to found the great city of Rome. Aeneas is a slave to his duty, he must adhere to the cardinal Roman values: prudentia, fortitudo, justicia and temperanta. Although Aeneas loves Dido, he understands that the Gods through their divine intervention have called upon him, he has a grand and divine purpose, which he ultimately knew all along, but he was distracted by Dido's impossible love. Before Aeneas arrived in Carthage, Dido was already a rather tragic character. She was a widowed woman at the head of a kingdom that will surely be overthrown. As Aeneas tells Dido that she must resume her journey, Dido becomes a lovesick wreck: so Dido begs, and so her desolate sister tells him the story of the tears again and again. But now no tears move Aeneas. He is deaf to all appeals. He won't give up. The Fates block the way. and the sky blocks his kind and human ears. (Virgil 142-143, lines 549-554) After receiving pressure from Jupiter to complete his quest, Aeneas can no longer sympathize with Dido; he knows he no longer has time for his love. The strong and intelligent queen cannot bear to lose another husband and so throws herself on a blade as Aeneas sets sail. Even for a work of fiction, Dido's sudden irrationality and suicidal act are disconcerting. According to Mike McCool, author of the article "The Tragedy of Dido: An Unresolved Epistemological Crisis", Dido was "drawn irresistibly into the world of intrigue between gods and men". (McCool). Dido was used as a tool in Juno's plan to distract Aeneas; their love was not natural as it was formed through the Gods, particularly Cupid's poison. Unlike many others, especially most of the characters in Ovid's Metamorphoses,.