In 1362, Renaissance scholar Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Famous Women, in which he analyzed the female characters of classical texts. Other Italian scholars of the time devoted their efforts to the study of male heroes and gods, but Boccaccio drew attention to these women who often existed solely to benefit the hero as romantic interests or appear as goddesses bestowing wisdom for a few lines before leaving. These include his analysis of Dido, Queen of Carthage from The Aeneid. His celebration of the queen, however, instead becomes a rigidly Christian perspective of her behavior in the text as Boccaccio views her through a Christian lens, and his depiction of a Roman mythological character loses its accuracy in favor of glorification. Boccaccio's tone in his interpretation of Dido contradicts The Aeneid with its decision to ignore many of Dido's actions in order to portray an idealized Christian image of the queen as a martyr to chastity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay In many classical texts, women almost never occupy positions of power and are expected to be respectful and submissive to men. At the beginning of his analysis, it seems that Boccaccio departs from this stereotype, beginning with the queen's praise: “O Dido, venerable and eternal model of immaculate femininity! » (Boccaccio 1). However, Boccaccio does not dwell on her role as Queen of Carthage, rather he uses Dido to promote a Christian ideal of a woman's behavior. “If they [Christian women] can, let them meditate on how you shed your chaste blood – especially women for whom it is trivial to drift into second, third and even more marriages” (Boccaccio 1). In Boccaccio's work, Dido is defined in terms of her widowhood. In The Aeneid, Dido is defined by her strength after fleeing her murderous brother. “A woman leads. They landed at the place where you now see the citadels and high walls of the new Carthage; then they bought the land called Byrsa, “The Skin”, after the name of this transaction” (Virgil, 14, 516-520). The transaction refers to Dido's ruse in demarcating land for her people, a story Boccaccio does not mention. Boccaccio does not recognize Dido's skill as a queen. He speaks of Dido in an abstract way, creating a stereotype of a chaste widow refusing to betray her husband with another man. Boccaccio's adherence to Christian beliefs of female modesty falters against The Aeneid with the relationship between Dido and Aeneas. Aeneas is the catalyst for the queen's suicide, fueling Dido's psychosis with his departure. This relationship is absent from Boccaccio's description. Aeneas is not mentioned. Boccaccio focuses on Dido's reputation and how her chastity is an example to other women. He approaches her suicide with a calm tone, venerating a martyr: “Rather than remarry, rather than break her holy resolution, she died by her own hands, firm in spirit, unshakeable in her determination” (Boccaccio 1) . However, in The Aeneid, Dido's suicide is far from peaceful. The act has a frantic and chaotic tone with Dido caught in madness over the disappearance of the man she fell in love with. “But Dido, in despair, beside herself at horrible undertakings, with bloodshot and rolling eyes, trembling cheeks stained and pale with impending death, now burst into the inner courts of her palace. She mounts madly on this high pyre, draws the sword..