Dido and Aeneas is a tragic opera in three acts by Henry Purcell to a libretto by Nahum Tate, adapted from Virgil's epic poem Aeneid . The first known performance of Dido and Aeneas was at a girls' boarding school in Chelsea before December 1689. Act 1: Dido's court Dido has been entertaining Aeneas after his escape from the Sack of Troy. She is reluctant to express her love for Aeneas, but Belinda (her sister and confidante) and her handmaids assure her that Aeneas feels the same. When he arrives and presses his suit, Dido is reluctant at first, but gives in. Belinda and her courtiers celebrate the prospect of a royal marriage. Act 2.i: The cave The Sorceress and her witches (without any motive) are plotting Dido's death. She reveals her plan to conjure a storm to ruin the royal hunt and drive the royal party back to Carthage. One of her witches will then appear as a spirit to Aeneas in the form of Mercury and command him to sail away. Act 2.ii: The grove Dido and...
