This class explores the characters of Dido and Aeneas, two central figures in Roman literature. Beginning with Elissa: Dux Femina Facti, a novella about Dido, refugee queen of the Phoenician people, students explore the mythology and character of this famous female figure. From there students read excerpts of Book IV of Virgil’s Aeneid, a central text of Roman literature. Through a study of meter, word order, poetic device and vocabulary, we grapple with the themes of love and death, war and refugees, family and fate. In this class, we read selections of the poem in Latin and the entire poem in English. Students express themselves through analytical essays as well as creative projects. Prerequisite: Latin 3 and department approval.