Dido & Aeneas [H Purcell]

SYNOPSIS:

Set in Carthage at the court of Queen Dido, in mythical time period.

Scene I, Dido’s Palace

Dido, Queen of Carthage, is brooding in her palace. Belinda suggests her brooding may be due to her love for the Trojan prince Aeneas. Belinda intimates that Aeneas already loves her. Belinda suggests that a union between them both would bring Dido the happiness she deserves and will glorify Carthage.

Scene II, Dido’s Palace

Aeneas, who has just arrived in Carthage after fleeing from Troy following defeat in the Trojan War, enters and proclaims his devotion for Dido. Dido accepts his love and the courtiers celebrate.

Scene III, The Witches’ cave

A sorceress with the aid of some witches conspire for Aeneas’ departure, Dido’s ruination and the destruction of Carthage. Meanwhile, the lovers are embarked upon a hunt as a symbol of courtship.

Scene IV, The Grove

As the hunting party pauses Belinda, and an accompanying woman, sing of the locations delight. Thunder is heard in the distance. The witches have conjured a storm to bring an end to the lovers hunting party. Dido, who has fully given her love to Aeneas returns safely to the palace. In the storm, the spirit of the sorceress appears before Aeneas, disguised as Mercury and reminds him he must leave and continue his quest as he is fated to be the founder of a new Troy and the Roman Empire. Aeneas laments his fate.

Scene V, Harbor

Aeneas’ men are driven to their ships by the witches and the sailors jovially make ready to leave. The Sorceress and the witches dance to their success.

Scene VI, Dido’s death

Dido fears that Aeneas will abandon her. Aeneas, torn, seeks to defy the gods and stay. Dido is angered and forces him to leave: She will not endure a lover who has entertained leaving her. Belinda fails to appease Dido’s grief and Dido plans her own suicide. As Aeneas ship disappears, Dido throws herself on her funeral pyre.

•   FIRST ACT

Scene: The Palace    [enter Dido, Belinda and train]

BELINDA

Shake the cloud from off your brow, Fate your wishes does allow;

Empire growing, Pleasures flowing, Fortune smiles and so should you.

CHORUS

Banish sorrow, banish care, Grief should ne’er approach the fair.

DIDO

Ah! Belinda, I am prest With torment not to be Confest, Peace and I are strangers grown.

I languish till my grief is known, Yet would not have it guest.

BELINDA

Grief increases by concealing,

DIDO

Mine admits of no revealing.

BELINDA

Then let me speak; the Trojan guest Into your tender thoughts has prest;

The greatest blessing Fate can give Our Carthage to secure and Troy revive.

CHORUS

When monarchs unite, how happy their state,

They triumph at once o’er their foes and their fate.

DIDO

Whence could so much virtue spring?

What storms, what battles did he sing?

Anchises’ valour mixt with Venus’ charms

How soft in peace, and yet how fierce in arms!

BELINDA

A tale so strong and full of woe  might melt the rocks as well as you.

What stubborn heart unmov’d could see  such distress, such piety?

DIDO

Mine with storms of care opprest Is taught to pity the distrest.

Mean wretches’ grief can touch, so soft, so sensible my breast,

But ah! I fear, I pity his too much.

BELINDA & SECOND WOMAN [Repeated by Chorus]

Fear no danger to ensue, The Hero Loves as well as you, ever gentle, ever smiling,

And the cares of life beguiling, Cupid strew your path with flowers gather’d from Elysian bowers.

DANCE THIS CHORUS

THE BASKE [Aeneas enters with his train]

BELINDA

See, your Royal Guest appears, How Godlike is the form he bears!

AENEAS

When, Royal Fair, shall I be blest   with cares of love and state distrest?

DIDO

Fate forbids what you pursue.

AENEAS

Aeneas has no fate but you!

Let Dido smile and I’ll defy the feeble stroke of Destiny.

CHORUS

Cupid only throws the dart   that’s dreadful to a warrior’s heart,

And she that wounds can only cure the smart.

AENEAS

If not for mine, for Empire’s sake,   some pity on your lover take;

Ah! make not, in a hopeless fire   a hero fall, and Troy once more expire.

BELINDA

Pursue thy conquest, Love;  her eyes confess the flame her tongue denies.

A DANCE. GITTARS CHACONY.

CHORUS

To the hills and the vales, to the rocks and the mountains To the musical groves and the cool shady fountains. Let the triumphs of love and of beauty be shown, Go revel, ye Cupids, the day is your own.

THE TRIUMPHING DANCE

•  SECOND ACT

Scene [I]: The Cave [enter Sorceress]

[PRELUDE FOR THE WITCHES]

SORCERESS

Wayward sisters, you that fright  the lonely traveller by night

Who, like dismal ravens crying, Beat the windows of the dying,

Appear! Appear at my call, and share in the fame of a mischief shall make all Carthage flame.

Appear!

[enter Enchantresses]

FIRST WITCH

Say, Beldam, say what’s thy will. CHORUS Harm’s our delight and mischief all our skill.

SORCERESS

The Queen of Carthage, whom we hate, as we do all in prosp’rous state,

Ere sunset, shall most wretched prove, Depriv’d of fame, of life and love!

CHORUS

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.]

TWO WITCHES

Ruin’d ere the set of sun? Tell us, how shall this be done?

SORCERESS

The Trojan Prince, you know, is bound By Fate to seek Italian ground;

The Queen and he are now in chase.

FIRST WITCH

Hark! Hark! the cry comes on apace.

SORCERESS

But, when they’ve done, my trusty Elf In form of Mercury himself

As sent from Jove shall chide his stay,

And charge him sail tonight with all his fleet away.

CHORUS

Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho, ho! [etc.]

[Enter a Drunken Sailor; a dance]

TWO WITCHES

But ere we this perform, We’ll conjure for a storm

To mar their hunting sport And drive ‘em back to court.

CHORUS   [in the manner of an echo.]

In our deep vaulted cell the charm we’ll prepare,

Too dreadful a practice for this open air.

ECHO DANCE    [Enchantresses and Fairies]

Scene [II]: The Grove    [enter Aeneas, Dido, Belinda, and their train]

RITORNELLE   [Orchestra]

BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]

Thanks to these lovesome vales, These desert hills and dales,

So fair the game, so rich the sport, Diana’s self might to these woods resort.

GITTER GROUND A DANCE

SECOND WOMAN

Oft she visits this lov’d mountain, Oft she bathes her in this fountain;

Here Actaeon met his fate,

Pursued by his own hounds, And after mortal wounds

Discover’d, discover’d too late.

[A Dance to entertain Aeneas by Dido’s women]

AENEAS

Behold, upon my bending spear   a monster’s head stands bleeding,

With tushes far exceeding  those did Venus’ huntsman tear.

DIDO

The skies are clouded, hark! how thunder  rends the mountain oaks a sunder.

BELINDA [Repeated by Chorus]

Haste, haste to town, this open field No shelter from the storm can yield.

[exeunt Dido and Belinda and train]

[The Spirit of the Sorceress descends to Aeneas in the likeness of Mercury]

SPIRIT

Stay, Prince and hear great Jove’s command; He summons thee this Night away.

AENEAS

Tonight?

SPIRIT

Tonight thou must forsake this land, The Angry God will brook no longer stay.

Jove commands thee, waste no more   in Love’s delights, those precious hours,

Allow’d by th’Almighty Powers To gain th’ Hesperian shore And ruined Troy restore.

AENEAS

Jove’s commands shall be obey’d,  tonight our anchors shall be weighed.

[Exit Spirit.]

But ah! what language can I try My injur’d Queen to Pacify:

No sooner she resigns her heart, But from her arms I’m forc’d to part.

How can so hard a fate be took?  One night enjoy’d, the next forsook.

Yours be the blame, ye gods! For I Obey your will, but with more ease could die.

THE SORCERESS AND HER ENCHANTRESSES (CHORUS)

Then since our Charmes have sped,  a Merry Dance be led By the Nymphs of Carthage to please us.

They shall all Dance to ease us, A Dance that shall make the Spheres to wonder,

Rending those fair Groves asunder.

THE GROVES DANCE

•  THIRD ACT

Scene:  The Ships   [enter the Sailors, the Sorceress, and her Enchantresses]

PRELUDE

FIRST SAILOR [Repeated by Chorus]

Come away, fellow sailors, your anchors be weighing.

Time and tide will admit no delaying.

Take a bouzy short leave of your nymphs on the shore,

And silence their mourning  with vows of returning

But never intending to visit them more.

THE SAILORS’ DANCE

SORCERESS

See the flags and streamers curling  anchors weighing, sails unfurling.

FIRST WITCH

Phoebe’s pale deluding beams  guilding more deceitful streams.

SECOND WITCH

Our plot has took, The Queen’s forsook.

TWO WITCHES

Elissa’s ruin’d, ho, ho! Our plot has took, The Queen’s forsook, ho, ho!

SORCERESS

Our next Motion Must be to storme her Lover on the Ocean!

From the ruin of others our pleasures we borrow,

Elissa bleeds tonight, and Carthage flames tomorrow.

CHORUS

Destruction’s our delight Delight our greatest sorrow!

Elissa dies tonight and Carthage flames tomorrow.

[Jack of the the Lanthorn leads the Spaniards out of their way among the Enchantresses.]

A DANCE         [Enter Dido, Belinda and train]

DIDO

Your counsel all is urged in vain  to Earth and Heav’n I will complain!

To Earth and Heav’n why do I call?

Earth and Heav’n conspire my fall.

To Fate I sue, of other means bereft The only refuge for the wretched left.

BELINDA

See, Madam, see where the Prince appears;

Such Sorrow in his looks he bears

As would convince you still he’s true.

[enter Aeneas]

AENEAS

What shall lost Aeneas do?

How, Royal Fair, shall I impart The God’s decree, and tell you we must part?

DIDO

Thus on the fatal Banks of Nile, Weeps the deceitful crocodile

Thus hypocrites, that murder act, Make Heaven and Gods the authors of the Fact.

AENEAS

By all that’s good …

DIDO

By all that’s good, no more! All that’s good you have forswore.

To your promis’d empire fly And let forsaken Dido die.

AENEAS

In spite of Jove’s command, I’ll stay. Offend the Gods, and Love obey.

DIDO

No, faithless man, thy course pursue; I’m now resolv’d as well as you.

No repentance shall reclaim The injur’d Dido’s slighted flame.

For ‘tis enough, whate’er you now decree,

That you had once a thought of leaving me.

AENEAS

Let Jove say what he will: I’ll stay!

DIDO

Away, away! No, no, away!

AENEAS

No, no, I’ll stay, and Love obey!

DIDO

To Death I’ll fly If longer you delay; Away, away!…..

[Exit Aeneas]

But Death, alas! I cannot shun; Death must come when he is gone.

CHORUS

Great minds against themselves conspire and shun the cure they most desire.

DIDO   [Cupids appear in the clouds o’re her tomb]

Thy hand, Belinda, darkness shades me, On thy bosom let me rest,

More I would, but Death invades me; Death is now a welcome guest.

When I am laid in earth, may my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast;

Remember me, but ah! forget my fate.

CHORUS

With drooping wings you Cupids come, to scatter roses on her tomb.

Soft and Gentle as her Heart Keep here your watch, and never part.

CUPIDS DANCE

FINIS