Artistic Analysis
"Dido", By Henry Fuseli
Above is a painting depicting Dido’s death by Swiss painter Henry Fuseli. Fuseli lived in Britain most of his life, and his most famous painting is The Nightmare, a Baroque piece depicting horror and eroticism.The Baroque Era of art as a whole showed a departure from the religion-centered brightness and symmetry of the Renaissance to a more emotional, down-to-earth approach. Dido acts as a perfect subject for this era, as her story has a rather tragic and bitter ending. Baroque art illustrated everyday life, and Dido died as any other heart-broken woman. The painting consists of people and items both present and absent in Dido to Aeneas, showing where Fuseli's stylistic choices complement Ovid's and where they deviate. Both depict Aeneas's sword, Dido's mourning sister Anna, and the funeral pyre. These markers convey the tragic environment that Dido creates with her suicide. One difference is Fuseli's portrayal of Iris, a messenger of the gods who clutches Dido's hair in order to take her spirit to the afterlife. This addition gives a sense of closure, as we know that Dido will be in a better place. In contrast, the poem has a sudden and almost unfulfilling ending. Both Fuseli and Ovid constructed beautiful works of art that express the woe of Dido.
"Dido's Lament", Composed by Henry Purcell
Original Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9xwlWfHWv4
Lyrics:
Recitative
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
Aria
When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me,
On thy bosom let me rest,
More I would, but Death invades me;
Death is now a welcome guest.
Aria
When I am laid, am laid in earth, May my wrongs create
No trouble, no trouble in thy breast;
Remember me, remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.
Classic Antiquity is known for inspiring not only artists, but musicians as well. In 1688, Baroque English composer Henry Purcell produced an entire Opera on the story of the Carthaginian queen, titled Dido and Aeneas. Purcell composed many pieces as early as nine years old, and his rendition of Dido's death is one of his most favorite works. Above is an excerpt from the piece named Dido's Lament. The lyrics mirror Ovid's, conveying Dido's misery and heartache. While both this composition (along with Fuseli's painting) and Ovid's poem create a sorrowful environment with their depictions of the titular Dido's death, there are some important differences between the two. For example, Purcell composed Dido's Lament in a rather slow meter, contrasting the fast pace of Ovid's work. Purcell employs a more somber approach while Ovid utilizes Dido's hatred to create a more vengeful atmosphere. While "Dido to Aeneas" offers a fiery representation of the story, Purcell offers a more poignant approach.
Both Fuseli's painting and Purcell's opera show a dark and melancholy take on the story of Dido, while Ovid takes a intense, climactic approach in depicting the queen. This broader shift in perception mirrors the climates of the artists' respective time periods. Ovid lived during the height of the Roman empire, the magnitude of which is reflected the crescendoing poem, while Fuseli and Purcell's pieces echo life during their era of a corrupt Catholic church and the hardships Protestant Reformation.