1. (Didon) (Berlioz: Les Troyens). Mezzo-Soprano. Queen of Carthage, widow of Sychoeus, who was killed by her brother. She gives shelter to the Trojans, who have been shipwrecked near her castle, and falls in love with their leader, Aeneas. When he leaves her in order to fulfil his quest to build a new Troy in Italy, she builds a pyre to destroy all memories of him, stabs herself with his sword and ascends the pyre. Arias: Chers Tyriens! (‘Dear Tyrians!’); Adieu, fière cité … (‘Farewell, proud city’); duet (with Aeneas): Nuit d'ivresse et d'extase infinie! (‘Night of unending ecstasy and rapture!’). Created (1890) by Anne Charton-Demeur.

2. (Purcell: Dido and Aeneas). Soprano/Mezzo-Soprano. Queen of Carthage, falls in love with the Trojan Aeneas. A Sorceress plots Dido's downfall. When Aeneas leaves Carthage, Dido dies. Aria: When I am laid in earth (Dido's Lament). Created (1683/4) by an unknown schoolgirl.