Dido and Aeneas

In ancient Roman and Greek history, Dido was the queen of Carthage.

In Virgil's Aeneid, Aeneas flees from Troy and is washed ashore of Cartharge. There, he meets Dido, the queen of Cartharge, who takes care of him. Due to the power of Venus/Aphrodite and Juno/Hero, Dido eventually falls in love with Aeneas. Dido had sworn that she would never give herself to a man again, but breaks this oath and sleeps with Aeneas. However, Jupiter/Zeus sends Mercury/Hermes to Aeneas, to make him remember his responsibilities - since he is destined to found Rome. Aeneas then leaves Catharge and Dido commits suicide, using Aeneas' sword to stab herself. However, she swears revenge before she dies, thus causing later conflicts between Carthage and Rome.

So far the ancient story. The opera by Purcell and Tate uses a slightly different plot.

Source: Antike Mythen und ihre Rezeption. Ein Lexikon. Hg. v. Lutz Walther. Leipzig 2003.