Hippolyta

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In Greek mythology, Hippolyta or Hippolyte is the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle she was given by her father Ares, the god of war.

The ninth labour of Heracles

Heracles' ninth labour was to obtain the girdle at the request of Admete, Eurystheus' daughter. Hippolyta was so intrigued by Heracles' muscles and lion skin, that she gave him the girdle without a fight. In one version of the story, Hera dressed as an Amazon and spread rumours among the Amazons that Heracles was trying to kidnap their queen, so the Amazons attacked and Heracles killed Hippolyta in a rage, assuming that she had betrayed him. In another version she survived and was abducted by Theseus, who made her his wife. Another variant states that Queen Hippolyta was killed by her own subjects, but it was only because Hera told them Heracles had come to kidnap the queen.

Antiope

After Heracles obtained the girdle, Theseus, one of Heracles's companions along with Sthenelus and Telamon), kidnapped Antiope, another sister of Hippolyta. The Amazons then attacked the party (because Heracles' enemy Hera has spread a vicious rumour that Heracles was there to attack them or to kidnap Hippolyta), but Heracles and Theseus escaped with the girdle and Antiope. According to one version, Heracles killed Hippolyta as they fled. In order to rescue Antiope, the Amazons attacked Athens but failed, with Antiope dying in the onslaught in some versions.

Hippolytus

In many versions Theseus married either Antiope or Hippolyta, having a son named Hippolytus. Theseus eventually married Phaedra, either after having left his wife or after the death of his wife in childbirth. In the version in which Theseus was married to and left Hippolyta, she tried to exact revenge by bringing the Amazons to Theseus and Phaedra's wedding in order to kill everyone. In some versions, this failed when she was killed by Theseus' men; in other versions, she was killed by Penthesilea, her sister, in a hunting accident. Hippolytus is said to have been killed by Theseus, his father, at the command of Poseidon. Aphrodite is said to have been angered when Hippolytus refused to worship her and instead worshipped Artemis. She stirred Phaedra's love in her stepson, which angered Theseus.

Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream

In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hippolyta is engaged to Theseus, the duke of Athens. In Act I, scene i Hippolyta and Theseus discuss their fast-approaching wedding, which will take place under the full moon in four days. Theseus declares to Hippolyta that, although he "wooed her with his sword" (which probably occurred when Theseus met the queen of the Amazons in battle), he will wed her "with pomp, with triumph, and with revelling" and he promises to begin a celebration that will continue until the wedding (I.i.19). Hippolyta is then fairly absent in the play, appearing only with Theseus and rarely speaking, and only then in an insignificant manner. This continues until Act V, scene i, in which she and Theseus discuss the preceding events, namely the magical romantic confusions that the Athenian youths report from the night before. While Theseus is skeptical about the veracity of their tale, Hippolyta questions whether they would all have the same story if the night's adventures were indeed imagined. Rather, she argues, the youths' agreement on the way the night's events unfolded proves that things occurred just as they say. This is her final significant contribution to the play. The fact that Hippolyta stands up to Theseus when she disagrees with him in Act V is extremely significant. In Shakespeare's time, it was common practice for the wife to be the submissive, silent partner in a relationship. Hippolyta's role in her relationship with Theseus is indeed striking. Ellen Rogers of Madonna University delves further into the significance of Hippolyta's role in A Midsummer Night's Dream. She states that the play is unusual in its portrayal of strong women, perhaps the most extreme case being that of the Queen of the Amazons, Hippolyta. In the Elizabethan age in which women are dependent on men, Hippolyta comes from a tribe of incredibly strong empowered women. Not only this, but she is the leader of this group in which men are actually dependent on the fearless women who protect them. Rogers argues that Shakespeare uses the character of Hippolyta to enlighten his audience, who probably had negative preconceptions about the Amazonian race. As Louis Montrose notes: Amazonian mythology seems symbolically to embody and to control a collective anxiety about the power of a female not only to dominate or reject the male but to create and destroy him."^[1] However, Hippolyta attracts Theseus with her feminine allure and charm, to such a degree that Theseus is completely smitten with her. Despite her forceful nature, she becomes the object of Theseus' passion. Rogers states that by marrying Hippolyta, Theseus is laying down his sword, "the weapon which gave him power and authority over her," and essentially surrendering to her. By the end of the play, Hippolyta has actually added to her power, becoming the queen of a new realm.^[2]

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