Dido Queen of Carthage

Act I Scene ii

Location: Further Along the Carthage Shore

The remaining ships in the Trojan fleet have landed further along the Carthaginian coast. They have come ashore and meet Iarbus.

Sergestus:

Might we but once more see Aeneas' face,

Then would we hope to quite such friendly turnes

As shall surpasse the wonder of our speech.

Dido, Queen of Carthage, I.ii.45-7

The Other Trojan Ships Land

Virgil has Ilioneus speak a lengthy monologue to Queen Dido, but Marlowe adds a dramatic dimension by having Iarbus prompt explanations via his questioning, and also breaks up the monotony by having Ilioneus, Cloanthus, and Sergestus all supply answers in turn.

The Trojans explain that they come in peace. Their ships were sailing to Italy ("a place Hesperia term'd by vs") when a sudden storm "disperst them all amongst the wrackfull Rockes" [I.ii.29]. They are unsure as to the fate of the rest of the fleet, including Aeneas. Iarbus accepts their friendly overtures, invites them to "banquet in our Court", and says he will take them to Queen Dido.

Dido Building Carthage by JMW Turner (1815)
Painting: Dido Building Carthage or The Rise of the Carthaginian Empire by Joseph Mallord William Turner (oil on canvas 1815) [National Gallery, London: Room 36].