In 1362, Renaissance scholar Giovanni Boccaccio wrote Famous Women, in which he analyzed female characters in 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 who bestowed wisdom for a few lines before leaving. In particular is his analysis of Dido, the 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 through his decision to ignore many of Dido's actions to portray an idealized Christian image of the queen as a martyr of chastity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In many classical texts, women are almost never in positions of power, expected to be respectful and submissive to men. At the beginning of his analysis, it seems that Boccaccio departs from that stereotype, beginning with the queen's praise: “O Dido, venerable and eternal model of uncontaminated femininity!” (Boccaccio 1). However, Boccaccio does not dwell on her role as queen of Carthage, but uses Dido to promote a Christian ideal of a woman's behavior. “If they [Christian women] can, let them meditate on how you have shed your chaste blood – especially women for whom it is a trivial thing to drift into a second, third, and even more marriage” (Boccaccio 1). In Boccaccio's work Dido is defined in terms of widowhood. In the Aeneid, Dido is defined by her strength after escaping her murderous brother. “A woman leads. They landed in the place where you now see the citadels and high walls of the new Carthage rise; and then they purchased the land called Byrsa, “The Skin,” from the name of that transaction” (Virgil, 14, 516-520). The transaction refers to Dido's cunning in setting aside land for her people, a story Boccaccio does not mention. Boccaccio does not recognize Dido's ability as a queen. He talks about Dido in the abstract, creating a stereotype of a chaste widow who refuses to cheat on 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, fomenting Dido's psychosis with his departure. This relationship is absent in Boccaccio's description. Aeneas is not mentioned. Boccaccio focuses on Dido's reputation and how her chastity is an example to other women. He addresses his suicide in a calm tone, venerating a martyr: “Rather than remarry, rather than break his holy purpose, he died by his own hand, steadfast in spirit, unshakable in decision” (Boccaccio 1). However, in the Aeneid, Dido's suicide is anything but peaceful. The act has a frenetic and chaotic tone with Dido gripped by madness due to the disappearance of the man she fell in love with. “But Dido, desperate, beside herself with terrible deeds, with her eyes bloodshot and rolling, and her trembling cheeks dotted with spots and pale impending death, now bursts into the inner courtyards of her palace. She madly climbs that high pyre, draws the Dardan sword, a gift not sought for this purpose” (Virgil, 101, 888-895). It is not the image of Boccaccio's martyr with the red cheeks and the..