The marks of the hidden flame: three faces of dido in Curial e Güelfa

Abstract

Curial e Güelfa, a fifteenth century Catalan chivalresque novel whose authorship is unknown, presents the story of two lovers: a widowed young noblewoman named Güelfa who falls in love with Curial, a page in her brother's household. The love story is configured to echo the tale of Dido and Aeneas. The character of Güelfa alone does not, however, present a complete portrait of Dido. Other dimensions to this portrait are provided by two important secondary female characters, Laquesis and Camar. The Laquesis episodes illustrate several important characteristics of Dido: she rejects other suitors, and attempts to prevent Curial's further travels in search of his destiny. Camar presents those same characteristics, and then some: she remains true to her love for Curial, rejecting a royal suitor, and eventually commits suicide, invoking Dido explicitly, to keep that faith. Initially Güelfa, and then Laquesis, represent the classical, Virgilian Dido; Camar completes the tale, evoking details of the Dido/Aeneas myth through Ovid, Augustine and Dante, creating a late medieval fully-realized portrait of the Carthaginian queen.