"Dido a dowdy, Cleopatra a gypsy, Helen and Hero hildings and harlots, Thisbe a grey eye or so, but not to the purpose." (Shakespeare,) This quote is from Mercutio, a character from Shakespeare's highly acclaimed "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," when he mocks the tragic love of famous mythological characters. Shakespeare foreshadows and emphasizes tragic love by making allusions to famous lovers, such as Dido, Cleopatra, Thisbe--all torn apart by tragedy.

Through the allusion to Dido, Shakespeare is able to emphasize leaving. Dido, Queen of Carthage, who had given Aeneas and his men refuge in Carthage after they lost the Trojan War, had fallen in love with Aeneas and gave him more love than he could take. Aeneas eventually left Dido because of his destiny to establish a new kingdom in Italy. When Aeneas leaves, Dido kills herself. This allusion emphasizes the tragic...