Any Shakespeare experts here?

[Eliseu Gouveia]

Someone brought to my attention that in Shakespeare´s Midsummer Night's Dream, one of the plotlines revolves around the marriage of Theseus and Hyppolita and I was curious about how The Bard treated the amazon queen in that play.

Is she presented with a half decent portrayal or does she just impersonate wallpaper?

[Mr. Holmes]

LOL no she's basically a trophy wife that Theseus won. This kind of portrayal would piss off Wonder Woman fans.

[Javier Velasco]

Mr. Holmes,
I disagree about Hippolyta's portrayal in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It is a small but pivotal role, if you look at the play closely. Hippolyta is the only character who is transformed of her own volition in the context of the play. If you look at all of the other characters, they pretty much end the play as they began. The only exception being Titania, who learns a bit of humility.

But Hippolyta begins the play in an uneasy relationship with Theseus, who has just beaten her in battle. Their dialogue is at odds with each other. Anything that he says, she negates. He says time is going too slowly until their wedding. She says it is going too fast. When they appear again, he tries to get romantic and she changes the subject by recounting heroic exploits with "greater heroes." While she is resigned to marry him, she is not excited by the prospect. After observing and pondering the folly of the two sets of lovers, her tone changes. And her attitude towards the Mechanicals also changes, as at first she comments on their ineptness, but later confesses to being genuinely moved by their play.

All of the other action in the play is moved forward by magic. Hippolyta is transformed via observation.

The importance of the part is also underscored in the fact that in modern productions of the play, the same actors who play Oberon and Titania will often double in the smaller parts of Theseus and Hippolyta.

So although the part doesn't have many lines, she is actually my favorite character in the play.

[Quinnhop]

Mr. Holmes,
I disagree about Hippolyta's portrayal in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

It is a small but pivotal role, if you look at the play closely. Hippolyta is the only character who is transformed of her own volition in the context of the play. If you look at all of the other characters, they pretty much end the play as they began. The only exception being Titania, who learns a bit of humility.

But Hippolyta begins the play in an uneasy relationship with Theseus, who has just beaten her in battle. Their dialogue is at odds with each other. Anything that he says, she negates. He says time is going too slowly until their wedding. She says it is going too fast. When they appear again, he tries to get romantic and she changes the subject by recounting heroic exploits with "greater heroes." While she is resigned to marry him, she is not excited by the prospect. After observing and pondering the folly of the two sets of lovers, her tone changes. And her attitude towards the Mechanicals also changes, as at first she comments on their ineptness, but later confesses to being genuinely moved by their play.

All of the other action in the play is moved forward by magic. Hippolyta is transformed via observation.

The importance of the part is also underscored in the fact that in modern productions of the play, the same actors who play Oberon and Titania will often double in the smaller parts of Theseus and Hippolyta.

So although the part doesn't have many lines, she is actually my favorite character in the play.