The relationship between Aeneas and Dido in the Aeneid is complex and symbolizes differing modes of leadership. While their romantic involvement appears genuine, Aeneas maintains control over his emotions, prioritizing his destiny over personal desires. In contrast, Dido's overwhelming passion leads to her downfall. Aeneas' rationality highlights the Roman value of selflessness, whereas Dido's infatuation, exacerbated by divine intervention, results in her tragic end.

Responsibility for Dido's death in the Aeneid is complex and can be attributed to multiple factors: Dido's own passionate nature, Aeneas's sense of duty to his destiny, and the meddling of the gods, particularly Juno and Venus, who manipulate their emotions for their own purposes.

The behavior of the gods in the Aeneid reflects human qualities through their emotions and actions. They are depicted as powerful yet petty beings who meddle in human affairs, driven by jealousy, love, and wrath. For example, Juno's anger at not being chosen in a beauty contest leads her to interfere in the Trojan War, while Venus manipulates events to benefit her son Aeneas.

The meeting with Dido causes a conflict within Aeneas' conscious. He falls in love with her, but he is also very determined to continue his journey and fulfill his destiny. His duty is not to stay with Dido, but "to leave behind the magic of the East" and recolonize Italy. Dido allows her emotions to betray her in this situation. Her love for Aeneas ruins everything she had built up in Carthage because she no longer cares about the city of Carthage or its people. When she dies, it is like her city has been conquered by invaders, as Virgil describes: "Now while life'

Dido and Medea, both abandoned by heroes, react with intense emotions in their respective stories. Dido, who risked her kingdom for Aeneas, becomes distraught, curses him, and ultimately commits suicide. Medea, having betrayed her family for Jason, channels her anger into revenge, killing Jason's new fiancée and her own children. While Dido's grief overwhelms her anger, Medea's anger dominates her actions, highlighting different emotional responses to betrayal.