A Midsummer Night’s Dream is a Shakespeare mythology in which characters are portrayed differently. Hippolyta’s minor female character is revealed as a funfilled and dynamic character that brings out different themes, such as relationships and the female’s societal role. She is regarded as the queen of Amazon who is set to marry Theseus, the Duke of Athens (Shakespeare 6). The themes brought out by understanding Hippolyta’s character in the play foster a different understanding of the female role brought out by the events in the play.
Hypollyta is brought out as a vulnerable person in the story. At the beginning of the story, she stops being the Amazonian warrior woman she used to be as soon as she gates married to Theseus as he makes her recall the fact that he “wooed thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries” (Act 1, Scene 1). She does not have any response after that, which makes the reader think that she is comfortable with what Theseus is telling her. She even yearns to marry Theusus as she says she yearns to be beheld in the “nights of their solemnities” (Act 1, Scene 1). The effects of this situation are quite noticeable. Theusus male authority tends to suppress her power. Xiao argues that due to this, on many occasions, she was unable to speak up to confront her husband (171). Also, before the marriage, she was not known to contend with challenges and become vulnerable to situations. Conclusively, this illustrates that females are often dominated by males in marriages, thus making them unable to raise opinions on many occasions.
Hippolatas’ role in the play is to act as a wise and mindful voice in times of chaos. For instance, Theusus says that he sees Anthens as people who are “…lunatic” and people whose “imagination are full of compact” ( Act 5, Scene 1). On the contrary, Hippolyta is seen as one who appreciates lovers’ stories since their love story is also similar to others. This allows the reader to realize that she is mindful of her words, and rationality allows her to be mysterious in the play. Theseus is brought out as a more powerful character who uses less thinking before uttering the words he says. In another instance, she comments about Thisbe and Pyramus as the “silliest” thing she has ever heard (Act 5, Scene 1). Her comment is just like those of audiences who listen to and comment about funny sections of a play. Xiao confirms this by saying that she mostly comments due to her hate for the poor status of “commoners” (171). While Shakespeare brings out the female opinions as insignificant, this scenario shows that women’s opinions influence difficult situations.
Hippolyta is seen as a courageous and bold person. This is because she only agrees to marry Theseus after losing a battle while fighting him (Act 1, Scene 1). Xiao criticizes this by saying that the marital stages are an “important part for women” by emphasizing that a woman as it shapes who she is (172). This implies that marriage is natural and is not based on any circumstance. Her marriage to Theususe shows that she has agreed that her courage and fearlessness be dominated without question. This suggests that women were only viewed as people who were supposed to conform to marriage duties at the expense of their own lives.
In her relationship with Theseus, she appears more mature and stable. Many of Anthen’s marriages were based on the winnings of a war. Once Theusues wins against the Amazons, Hippolyta has to become his spouse. The relationship is very calm, but one can still sense some tension in how they talk to one another. One tends to ask how one battle can make a person win someone’s love. Theusus tells Hippolyta that he “wooed thee with my sword and won thy love doing thee injuries”, showing that the two are not actually in love (Act 1 Scene 1). As they go for a hunting stroll, Thesues tends to mock Hippolyta for how he won her heart after the conquest in the war. (Act 4, Scene 1). Hippolyta believes the marriage will only last for a while since the foundation was based on war. Unlike Helena and Demetrius’ relationship, the couple is seen to have few instances of quarrels. This illustrates that females were considered prizes to be contended against and won for, making them look like property.
Xiao argues that Hippolyta’s character is the same as Oueen Elizabeth 1 in some aspects. She is seen as the ruler of monarchs and the most popular female leader in English history (172). She was also celebrated because there was political stability and a thriving economy at the time of her reign. The Queen of England refused to marry because it would mean she would give up her ruling power to men. Hippolyta’s submission to her husband makes a reader reenact the story of Queen Elizabeth in mind because if she had agreed to marry, she would have lost all her ruling power due to marriage. This explains why Queen Elizabeth chose to remain unmarried during her reign.
As much as Hippolyta is seen in very few instances of the play, the contributions she makes are worth noting. She demonstrates a mature love that the Anthnes never seem to get to. She views other lovers’ stories as unusual, insincere and illogical, unlike her relationship with Theseus. On several occasions, she shows that love can result from war. Additionally, she acts as a voice of reason, especially for brow-raising acts. Her insights let the reader know what happened in the play and what occurred in Anthen’s history. Additionally, her wish to be independent by avoiding marriage is contended by literary critics who argue that marriage was compulsory in the 19th century. A Midsummer Night’s Dream reveals a reflective role of Shakespeare’s view on women.
Works Cited
Xiao, Qingyu. “Analysis of the Image of the Queens in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 2022 International Conference on Comprehensive Art and Cultural Communication (CACC 2022). Atlantis Press, 2022.
Shakespeare, W. (n.d.). A Midsummer Night’s Dream. https://folger-main-site-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/11/a-midsummer-nights-dream_PDF_FolgerShakespeare.pdf
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