Wednesday 24 April | 6pm

Nick Freer, Newcastle University

'Epicurean Dido and Virgil's Aeneid'

This talk explores the influence of Epicurean philosophy on Virgil’s portrayal of Dido, queen of Carthage, best known for her doomed relationship with Rome’s mythical founder Aeneas. Taking into account a variety of Epicurean sources – including new texts recovered from the Villa of the Papyri at Herculaneum – this talk will examine the rich philosophical background to the character of Dido and her burgeoning city of Carthage. Through the contrasting figures of Dido and Aeneas, it will be argued, Virgil stages a confrontation between Epicurean and Stoic/Roman ideals, while Carthage itself emerges as a possible alternative model for society: a society not built on conquest and self-sacrifice but instead governed by the Epicurean principles of pleasure, self-sufficiency, and friendship.

A LIVE Lit & Phil Event | FREE

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