Allusions to ancient mythology are scattered throughout all genres of writing. Many authors have built on the ideas of these famous tales and adapted them to new literary crafts. One such author is Geoffrey Chaucer. In nearly all of his works, Chaucer weaves together tales from famous mythology to accentuate his themes and further his point. While these allusions to mythology can be seen frequently, significant changes are often added, sculpting the old tale into something new. Chaucer adapts many stories, changing elements and altering the original intent of the tale. Although Chaucer does this to accentuate his themes, in some cases, Chaucer's meddling creates an entirely new reading of the old stories all together. One such story added and elaborated by Chaucer is the story of Dido and Aeneas originating in Virgil's Aeneid. Chaucer's revision of the tale is found in his work “The House of Fame” from the book Love Visions; in this, Chaucer manipulates the story of Dido and Aeneas to warn the audience of the dangers of love and the fleeting desires of men. Chaucer changes the personality of Virgil's characters, the conflict in the tale, and the overall theme of the narrative, thereby altering the original intent. The story shifts from a morality tale about obligation and destiny to a tragic love story showing betrayal and lust. These changes further Chaucer's intent, but deviate significantly from the tale originally written by Virgil. What initially appears as a summary of the story of Dido and Aeneas in “The House of Fame” is actually a detailed selection by Chaucer to illustrate the story he wants to represent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Chaucer's rearrangement of guilt and change in characterization changes the meaning of the work as a whole and features themes that depart from the original story. In Chaucer's summary of the fourth book of the Aeneid, Chaucer changes Dido's very nature. Chaucer creates a fragile Dido, naive and a victim of her situation. The contrasting queen of Carthage, found in Virgil's telling of the story, makes decisions, contributes to her situation, and is influenced by more than the passions of love. These important differences transform Dido from an active lover, overwhelmed by the misfortunes of fate, to a defenseless woman controlled by infatuation and destroyed by the changing feelings of man. Bagby E. Atwood explains that Chaucer's story "details are therefore carefully and subtly chosen in order to arouse sympathy for Dido and obscure, at best, the somewhat squalid character of Aeneas" (Atwood 454). Chaucer shifts elements of the story, including Dido's character development, to help the tale firmly make its point. This change causes the blame to fall heavily on Aeneas, fulfilling Chaucer's goal of criticizing the routine of courtly love and warning against the unfaithful hearts of men. At the beginning of Virgil's tale of the two lovers, Dido plays an impactful role in initiating the romance between her and Aeneas. Virgil's story explains that, after meeting Aeneas, Dido is "seized by a hidden passion" and openly interested in her new host (Virgil 5-20). The gods are aware of Dido's desire and assist the couple by bringing rain which forces them into a cave where the two begin their physical relationship (Virgil 120-125). This depiction of Dido gives her a more influential role in the story and suggests that Dido haspursued and even tempted Aeneas with his affections. Raymond P. Tripp in his text "Chaucer's Psychologizing of Virgil's Dido" affirms this perspective and writes: "As Virgil tells the story... Dido is clearly an active part." This is a key attribute of Dido's character that is firmly altered in Chaucer's tale. Tripp states that when the character of Dido is introduced by Chaucer, “Dido has become passive and innocent victim” (Tripp 54). This change greatly influences the events of the story and changes the theme presented at the end. When Chaucer introduces Dido to the story, he explains that Venus, “caused Aeneas to obtain such grace / With Dido, who was there Queen” (Chaucer 240-241). This description departs considerably from the lovesick Dido presented by Virgil. Chaucer's Dido is not presented with any feelings of affection for Aeneas, but is instead willed by Venus to care for him. Virgil writes Dido as an intrigued queen who distracts Aeneas from his destiny while Chaucer's Dido is simply given to Aeneas and then cast aside on a whim. This removal of Dido's initial feeling frees the queen from any guilt associated with her situation and accentuates her role as a naive victim, painting Aeneas as the untrustworthy villain. One can also find a clear discrepancy in Dido's role and traits. at the scene of his death. In each story, Dido is driven to suicide by desperation, betrayal, and a scarred reputation, but Chaucer's Dido is more consumed by her broken love while Virgil's portrayal of Dido reflects her role as a devoted queen and leader of his nation. As Dido confronts her betrayal in Virgil's tale, she exclaims to Aeneas that: "Because of you the Libyan tribes and the tyrants of the Numidians hate me, and the Tyrians are hostile (Virgil 320-321)." He wonders whether he should die now or wait, "until my brother Pygmalion destroys my walls, or until the Getulian Iarbas carries me away in captivity?" (Virgil 325-326). Dido kills herself because she is defeated not only emotionally but also politically. She sees no other option than to kill herself or wait for someone else to inevitably kill her. This description of Dido describes a dimensional character, driven to a drastic measure by love's betrayal and inevitable death. In Chaucer's tale, he does not describe this same specter. As Chaucer recounts Dido's death, he writes, "For he was a traitor to her, / And so she killed herself, alas!" (Chaucer 266-267). Chaucer's focus is exclusively on the betrayal between Dido and Aeneas. This selection reflects Chaucer's motivation in detailing the pitfalls of love and demonstrates his thesis that love based on beauty does not last. Chaucer's characterization of Dido somewhat relieves her of a certain degree of guilt and forces readers to see her only as a pawn mistreated by a man. . This characterization drastically changes the nature of the character written by Virgil and transforms Dido from a queen who actively participates to a victim destroyed by trust in a man whose true nature she did not know. His identity is seen solely in his relationship and his betrayal. The story is crafted to accentuate the devious nature of the men that Chaucer hopes to highlight and warn against. Similarly, Chaucer shifts the conflict in the story between Dido and Aeneas to illustrate the devious aspect of men and the fickle desires of love. In Virgil's account of the love story, the main conflict lies between humans and gods. In “The House of Fame,” Chaucer suggests that the conflict lies between men and women. Virgil paints the story of Dido and Aeneas as a struggle between desires and destiny,..