Dido and Aeneas Overview Dido and Aeneas is an opera in a prologue and three acts, written by the English Baroque composer Henry Purcell. One of the earliest English operas, ‘Dido and Aeneas’ tells the tale of the legendary Queen of Carthage, Dido, and the Trojan refugee prince, Aeneas. When Aeneas and his crew become shipwrecked in Carthage, he and the Queen fall in love. In the meantime, witches plot Dido's destruction. The Sorceress has one of her coven impersonate Mercury who tells Aeneas he must leave Dido and found the new Troy (Rome). Forced to choose between passion and duty, Aeneas and his sailors prepare to leave, much to the witches' delight. Dido, who cannot live without him, is absolutely heartbroken and awaits death. Blog If you have further questions about the story, like “why are there witches?” or if you want to know more about the backstory of Dido’s companion(s), check out the following site, which is created by Swarthmore's Department of Music and Dance, US and has some good interpretations on the story line. http://didoandaeneas.swarthmore.edu/new-blog/2016/4/10/are-dido-and-aeneas-married Photos The costumes of the actors can vary from richly textured costumes to very simple and plain outfits. Here are some ideas for the costumes and set up. http://www.operamemphis.org/dido-and-aeneas-costumes https://www.behance.net/gallery/7667861/Dido-Aeneas-Set-Design Youtube Links Here you can watch an interview of Making of Dido and Aeneas by established and emerging artists in York University's Faculty of Fine Arts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXuj9r5eug8 And here are some variations of the opera performed by: 1. Students in San Francisco: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jweNnjeY-Q0 2. Festival d'Aix-en-Provence 2001, Purcell - Dido and Aeneas https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdhoszxU1m0 3. Richard Hickox - Purcell: Dido and Aeneas, opera in three acts, Z. 626 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30Idh9ySHa8 .