- This topic has 17 replies, 10 voices, and was last updated Feb 16, 2019, 11:28 pm by
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The three versions of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream are extremely different from each other. The Dromgoole video presents the play similar to I perceive it was presented during Shakespeare’s time. The actors and actresses were dressed in Shakespearean era clothing while performing at the Globe theater in England. The Bennet version is the complete opposite. It presents the play as a Hollywood film, depicting the characters as the equivalent of modern day Hollywood actors, actresses, and billionaires. The actual text version leaves more room for interpretation because all you are doing is reading it from the paper. Therefore, when I was first introduced to Hippolyta via the text, I depicted her as a peaceful woman who, although does not want to marry Theseus, openly accepts her fate. The Dromgoole version is the complete opposite. Hippolyta is presented as a fierce, aggressive, almost “warrior-like” woman. She isn’t as willing to accepts her fate with Theseus and is willing to put up a fight. The Bennet version takes a totally different route. There, Hippolyta is depicted as a beautiful and alluring woman who seems to play along with whatever Theseus has planned for the both of them. There aren’t any specific instances that brought me to come to my decisions as to how these videos differ from the text. It was mostly the overall execution of these pieces that enabled me to see the different takes one can have on Hippolyta’s character. I don’t believe that one version is more right over the other because I feel that literature is open to interpretation and imagination and that people are meant to have their own spin on things.
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I think the question is which intepretation seems most closely tied to the text? There is room for interpretation, sure–that’s what theater is–but it’s the job of literary critics to evaluate that interpretation.
As you write, in the Dromgoole production, Hermia martial strength is considerable. She is also, as you write, accepting of her role as a leader. Perhaps to protect her own people she marries. If he see her as resistant to Theseus, it makes the fact that he judges Hermia’s case seem particularly unfair. Any man who will force someone to marry him unwillingly will of course not mind forcing someone else to marry (and indeed, we see that to be true).
What I think the movie version tries to get at, though, is something that is not described in the play but implied by allusion. Hippolyta is queen of the Amazons, a race of beautiful and fierce women who live far away form Athens. So she’s foreign and exotic. She’s unlike the women of Athens and her metaphors are different, too (she literally speaks differently).
She’s hardly in the play at all, but I’ve always found her to be a particularly interesting character because we have so little revealed about her. She never seems quite willing to go along with everything. But then, there are a lot of unwilling people in this play. . .
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The three versions presented of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” were all great interpretations of the actual text. The reading and the performance at the Globe in 2014 were the versions I pictured it to be. The clothing and the age group of the characters were spot on in my opinion. The Globe performance and the actual text were very similar, it allowed me to put a face to the characters and it did a perfect job of representing the scenes however it did add more to the text that gave a deeper message than intended. Hippolyta is played by an older woman in Shakespeare’s text and in the Globe 2014 showing. While reading, I couldn’t interpret Hippolyta’s feelings about the wedding the same way as the person playing her at the Globe. The text gave me mixed emotions while reading because at times I can read it as her wanting to marry him and waiting on the four days like he was. When I analyzed it more, I noticed she wasn’t really up for the ride, but she wasn’t being vocal about it and just went with whatever kept him satisfied. However, in the Globe performance, the beginning was crucial to understanding Hippolyta. In the beginning of the play presented at the Globe, it showed a scene where it looked like the battle that Theseus fought in and captured Hippolyta. This was important to me considering how it reminded the audience how the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta began and why she was not cooperating as one would in a marriage. It allowed me to understand why she was showed no love in Theseus. She had a tone in her voice that allowed the audience to feel like she was forced in the marriage and that she did not want to get married, hoped the four days went longer, and just didn’t happen at all. In Bennet’s 2018 version, it looks as if the person playing her was younger compared to Theseus. Bennet’s version was different considering it was focused more on modern times and tried to make the play fit into the way society is today without changing much of the original words. Hippolyta is presented as a beautiful woman who seems to actually want to marry Theseus with the few minutes, they gave her in the beginning. Since they cut some of her lines and didn’t give her much focus in the movie, it was hard to get a true interpretation of her character from the first 23 minutes.
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I don’t know that we can make much of the clothing. Sure the Dromgoole version is based on Elizabethan dress, so it’s likely similar to how it might have looked in Shakespeare’s age, but it’s certainly not what Athens looks like. Shakespeare’s actors didn’t think that sets or props were important to a play so they largely ignored them. The words are supposed to set the stage (and that’s how we even know we’re in Athens… because people say it and because some of the characters are famous Athenians). Any interpretation which is derived from the text, then, makes sense to me. Shakespeare certainly doesn’t write anywhere “Hippolyta scratches at her leather dress,” so he could be just as equally portrayed in a slinky dress.
I agree with you that Hippolyta seems ambivalent about her wedding. But then, we know it’s not her choice. How could it be? She was won in battle (which is true to the myth but also told to us by Theseus). This could have a romantic meaning, I suppose, and Theseus seems to want to imply he “won her heart.” But the truth is, you don’t fight a war against someone you love. She will be forced to marry someone whose men possibly killed her friends. And we all know what happens on the wedding night. Even if Hippolyta hs grown to like Theseus, it’s hard for me to imagine the whole situation wouldn’t still seem strange.
What strikes me, though, is that Hippolyta may still be in danger. Theseus, after all, threatens someone’s daughter with death for not marrying someone. Hippolyta conceivably has already also chosen, but unlike Hermia, has chosen to give in. What does that say about her in comparison to Hermia? Is she less idealistic? Maybe more mature? Is she a better leader (possibly saving more of her people this way?) Or does she simply not want to die without passionate love (as Theseus warns Hermia)?
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The character who I believe differed the most among the three “versions” of MND was Hippolyta. As we discussed in class, Shakespeare intended for this character to embody an Amazonian Queen who was defeated by Theseus, the Duke of Athens, and then forced to marry him. Forced marriage is not exactly something that any person, especially one as supportive of free will as Hippolyta, would want. When reading Shakespeare’s text, I pictured Hippolyta as a “prisoner” who is trapped and coerced into marrying Theseus—meaning that she has no feelings of love for him(unless she is undergoing a bad case of Stockholm syndrome.) I don’t believe that Bennett’s modern take on the play portrayed her in that manner. While I understand that she was meant to look exotic and foreign, the scene where Theseus and Hippolyta get intimate completely disregards the fact that she is a fierce woman who is capable of resistance. She just gives in to it and that’s what bothered me about his version. In comparison, the Dromgoole production even goes so far as to show how she was defeated and the actress really embodies Hippolyta as someone who has her own free will—just as an Amazonian queen should be portrayed. Her facial expressions show unwillingness to the idea of marrying her enemy and she distances herself showing no intimacy towards Theseus. What I liked most about the Dromgoole production was the scene where Hippolyta draws a cross on Hermia’s forehead and winks at her before exiting the stage. This really showed her woman power and symbolized that Hermia should make her own choice in who she wants to marry and that she shouldn’t be forced to marry someone she doesn’t love, like Hippolyta’s unfortunate fate. She should stand up to the men who want to control her choice, her free will, and be a leader just like Hippolyta was in the Amazon.
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We have to be careful about the word “intention.” We don’t know what Shakespeare “intends” unless he tells us–and even then we have to trust him to tell the truth and not take credit for ideas others have come up with.
For that reason most literary scholars will talk about possible meanings of the text. After all, a connection can be made between words and ideas in a piece of writing even if the author does it unconsciously.
That means we have only what Shakespeare writes. Hippolyta doesn’t say she doesn’t want to get married, she just doesn’t seem as eager. Is this flirtatious joking (as it seems to be in Bennett’s production)? What other evidence is there that she might be hesitating? For me, a possible answer comes after Theseus has been arguing with Hermia/Lysander. Hippolyta is totally silent. Why does she stay out of this question about who a woman should marry? She’s about to be Queen? Does she stay out because the subject is too close to her own situation? Is it because she knows Theseus will just do what he wants anyway? Is it because she’s scare of him (hinted at in Dromgoole’s version)? Or is it simply because she’s not yet an Athenian or queen and so not her problem? Or maybe she doesn’t care? We simply don’t know because Shakespeare doesn’t tell us.
But then, in line 121, Theseus makes clear his threat to Hermia (“To death, or to a vow of single life [aka virginity]”). It strikes me that Hermia has the choice not to marry, but we don’t know if Hyppolyta does. Right after this threat, Theseus must turn to Hippolyta because he asks her to follow (“Come, my Hippolyta…”). The use of “my” here is likely the romantic use of it, but it is also a term of ownership. Previously, Theseus talked about his marriage by comparing it to a dowry: Hippolyta is a prize to be won and while he has won it, he can’t “spend” it yet. Is the use of “my” romantic of sinister? Maybe it’s both? Maybe Theseus doesn’t recognize his own (possible) cruelty.
Does Hippolyta feel angered by this? She doesn’t speak again in the scene, so it’s hard to tell. However, at the very end of the previous line, speaking to her, Theseus asks how she is (“what cheer, my love?” 1.1.122). It’s a repetition of the “my,” but also it implies that Hippolyta has made a face or reacted. She’s clearly not near him (or else why ask her to “come”).
I think it’s this moment that modern audiences often want to read as symbolic of Hippolyta’s resistance. It’s small but possibly important because it would show that Shakespeare has the capacity to imagine that a woman might not want to marry her conqueror (even he allows it happen) and that women at this time would have been thinking about these issues, too.
Also if we take Eagleton at his word and assume that all poetry (maybe even all creative activity) is a moral statement, then you get right to the heart of the matter: does Shakespeare imagine a strong Hippolyta who resists even in subtly textured ways that might be a model of resistance to young women even in the 1600s, or is he simply incapable of thinking that Hippolyta has any thoughts at all (and hence, she doesn’t speak for most of the scene). Our decision changes drastically the moral value of the piece as a whole even if not critiquing the work’s complexity.
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As we read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in class, I quickly began to form an image of Hippolyta. In my mind, she was this bad ass foreigner who couldn’t be bothered to pretend to like her fiance. She’s an Amazonian, so we know she’s a fighter, but Theseus bested her.
Coming from a culture that praises warriors, I imagined Hippolyta to be bitterly accepting of her upcoming matrimony, after all, Theseus won her hand fair and square. This bitter acceptance is shown by Hippolyta referring to her wedding as a “the night of [their] solemnities” (1.1.10-11). Solemnity often used to describe something gloomy, so I don’t think this word choice was accidental.
Despite being forced to marry Theseus, I imagined Hippolyta still had fire in her. Her reference to the moon looking like a bent, silver bow (1.1.9-10) struck me as an act of defiance, as if to say “You can take the Amazonian out of the Amazon but you can’t take the Amazon out of the Amazonian.”
My version of Hippolyta did not coincide perfectly with either representation we saw in the films. I thought that the Globe Theatre’s rendition showed a Hippolyta that was too outwardly defiant (then again, she was reacting to a rude Theseus — my Thesues was a horny dope). As I explained before, I would think that someone well versed in the art of war would honor the outcome of a battle rather than throw a fit. Also, I found it interesting that Hippolyta was wearing the same clothes as the rest of the Athenians. This shows that she has been officially conquered by Theseus. I expected Hippolyta to be wearing what was typical to her culture because she is not Athenian, she is Amazonian!
When comparing my Hippolyta to the Bennett Hippolyta, I found that she appeared more like what I imagined. I did not imagine the characters wearing modern clothing, but I did imagine Hippolyta to standout from the rest of the characters, and that she did. She was tall, thin, elegant, and wore gowns. The rest of the female characters were dressed in regular/slightly elevated Bohemian clothing. Also, Hippolyta was the only female of color seen in the first seen, cast by a Hispanic actress. The Globe Theatre’s production had all white people who were dressed relatively similarly, which made Hippolyta blend in.
Bennett’s Hippolyta however, was a bit too accepting of her relationship with Theseus. She even seemed to be lusting after him (gross– he’s old), or maybe she was just leading him on — I don’t know. I was too uncomfortable to watch the scene again (20:30). Sure, she had some attitude, as we can see by the sassy fanning about 4 and a half minutes in, but she seemed upset that she wasn’t getting any attention, not that she was supposed to marry a nasty old man.
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You’re calling attention to some important observations.
Something that jumps out to me is your attention to the casting. Shakespeare writes the character, but the director chooses the cast. Hippolyta is an Amazon and not a Greek (tidbit: The Amazons were located by the Greeks in the far off parts of southern Siberia). So this is definitely an opportunity to cast someone who looks different than the rest of the cast. The part almost calls for it. Is this a case of white-washing? Would it have been played in a kind of black-face in Shakespeare’s time or would Hippolyta have assumed to have been white? Some of that, historians can help us answer, but it emphasizes the political/ethical (according to Eagleton “moral”) importance of interpretations.
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As I read “A Midsummer Nights Dream”, I found Hippoltya was the most compelling character. Although coming from a very different culture, seeing that she is an amazonian, but she is not fearful of a new place that she is calling now home. As expected of her being a strong warrior in the reading she is quick to speak. She assimilates quick shown very early, but she also shows her true feelings as well. She was a warrior but now she has lost in battle and is being forced into marriage. My imagination of her was an angry woman not only angry about being forced into marriage but also, angry about losing in battle in the first place. This comes from very fact that she is an amazonian, just like any warrior they intend on defeating any and all enemies. Due to her background, I expected her to easily look out of place and she did in Bennets representation. She stood out in build and clothing. The way that I had imagined her attitude falls more in line with the representation in Dromgooles showing of it. She is continously showing anger, and that she not fully accepting of her fate. She shows a great amount of character as she should, she is not like the rest. Hippoltya is a warrior and strong so, she should never be a easy going person. I found that both of these showed different traits that I was looking for in my interpretation of Hippoltya.
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Throughout the three versions of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” Hippolyta was portrayed very different in each one. In the actual text, the image I had of Hippolyta was a dismal and hopeless woman in which Theseus had taken captive and impatiently planned to marry. I felt this way because when she stated “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night,” it seemed that she wasn’t as excited as Theseus was to get married, and on some level had accepted her fate in which led to her having lost hope of ever returning back home. In the Dromgole version, the film depicted Hippolyta as an Amazon warrior who fought with Theseus, but was eventually defeated and forced to surrender to his command. Moreover, the way the Dromgole version expressed the verse “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night,” it was more out of anger and displeasure, similar to a solider in which is held captive and forced to follow his rulers command. Finally, in the Bennett version, Hippolyta was portrayed as a lover of Theseus, in which illustrated bond and harmony between the two. The verse “Four days will quickly steep themselves in night,” illustrated itself in a more mutual loving relationship. In my opinion, the one version that makes the most sense is the Dromgole version. For one, it reenacts the script word for word while imposing the same timeline of the book through costumes and background scenery. Second, since Hippolyta was from the Amazons you would have to assume that she was a warrior and a fighter, and not as the script portrays as just a woman held captive by an aggressive ruler or as the Bennett version depicts as a lover. This doesn’t mean that the other versions were totally wrong, rather they just didn’t feel as they portrayed the character appropriately.
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I believe that the text is the primary source of information, while the two films are a lens to the text. When reading the text, I pictured Hippolyta to be a pretty woman who does not try to win the fight of life. Oftentimes, in life we are faced with similar situations, on whether or not we should stand up for ourselves. In the text, it doesn’t sound like she is standing up for herself but you could definitely smell something strange with her character. In the Dromgoole version, they wanted us to see her neglect towards Theseus. While in the Bennet version, we don’t see that. In the Bennet version, they wanted to see this situation exactly like how we read it from the primary source (the text). In the Dromgoole version, they wanted us to get the point because oftentimes it is harder for us to study a story visually versus through text.
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The text is the primary source, but plays are meant to be performed. When you describe how you picture Hippolyta–pretty, submissive–what in the text lead you to picture that? Theseus calls Hippolyta “fair” several times. Is that why you think she’s pretty? What lines indicate to you that Hippolyta doesn’t like to stand up for herself?
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The three versions of Hippolyta were very different from one another. When I first read the text, I imagined her to be a very mellow, yet strong woman. I imagined her dialogue in the first exchange with Theseus at the beginning of the play to be relayed very calmly, in almost a stoic manner. This was because I was thinking of the history and nature of Theseus and Hippolyta’s relationship – a union born of battle. This image of Hippolyta was very different from Dromgoole’s reenactment of the play. Hippolyta is a warrior, and she is very headstrong in the way she communicates with Theseus. She is loud, and the very opposite of mellow. The Bennet rendition of Hippolyta was a bit closer to how I imagined her, but not quite. The scene towards the end of Act I in the film shows her to be very calm and mellow, but at the beginning she is seen as very antagonistic towards Theseus’ advances. That does make sense in the context of the story but it’s just not how I imagined her whilst reading the text.
Both of the interpretations make lots of sense to me, and I can’t think of any reason one is better than the other. Although Dromgoole’s version wasn’t how I imagined her, I really enjoyed her character and I can see how the character can be interpreted that way successfully. The same goes with Bennet’s version. Watching both of these made me wonder how many other ways her character could be portrayed, and how many different personalities a specific character with given dialogue could take.
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Performances are forms of criticism, really. When you write about a work of literature, you try to direct people’s attention to specific points and connect dots that enrich people’s reading experience. A performance does the same, asking you to hear the words in new ways and to make new connections. That would mean that an essay is a kind of performance, too.
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From the very beginning of the first act it is evident that Hippolyta is remarkably strong woman. My impression of her strength while reading the text was that it was purely physical. I also initially viewed her fate of wedding Theseus to be symbolic of a purely physical form of oppression.
Watching the two different performances, each with a unique portrayal of the Amazonian queen, I realized that strength (not least the strength of a fierce woman in a man’s world) can take on many forms. There is the blatantly physical power, complete with bows and swords and arrows, that my initial reading of the first act associated with the Amazonian leader. There is the alluring, mysterious power of the shadowy Hippolyta of the Bennet performance, who somehow manages to strike a presence and convey distaste or passion without even showing her face. And then there is the emotional strength of the Drongoole Hippolyta. A fierce but quiet woman who is clearly frightened by her fate, yet refuses to relinquish her pride. Despite their differences, all three Hippolytas are similar in their apparent differences from the rest of the characters. All versions of her are clearly foreign, and their particular combination of femininity and sheer power does not seem to be common in Athens. So although at first Hippolyta’s presence in the play seems slightly out of place, I believe her strength serves as precursor for Hermia’s rebellious pursual of forbidden love. While Theseus attempts to quash Hippolyta’s fierce independence by forcing her to marry him, her presence gives Hermia the strength and rebellion to stand up to her father.
I do not believe any one version of Hippolyta was “more true” than the others. There were parts in the plays that I personally found to deviate from my interpretation , but I did feel that they were all legitimate versions.
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There’s a line in your response that caught my eye: how Hippolyta’s “particular combination of femininity and sheer power does not seem to be common in Athens.” I wonder what you’ll think about the other women we meet in the play by Act III. We’ve already seen some similarities between Hermia and Hippolyta (emphasized in the Dromgoole version).
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