Hippolyta

In Classical Greek mythology, Hippolyta (/hɪˈpɒlɪtə/; Greek: Ἱππολύτη Hippolyte) was the Amazonian queen who possessed a magical girdle (a waist belt that signified her authority as queen of the Amazons) given to her by her father Ares, the god of war. Hippolyta figures prominently in the myths of both Heracles and Theseus. The myths about her are varied enough that they may therefore be about several different women.[1]

Hippolyta from "Promptuarii Iconum Insigniorum"
Heracles Obtaining the Girdle of Hyppolita by Nikolaus Knüpfer

The name Hippolyta comes from Greek roots meaning 'horse' and 'let loose'.[2]

Legends

Ninth Labor of Heracles

In the myth of Heracles, Hippolyta's girdle (ζωστὴρ Ἱππολύτης) was the object of his ninth labor. He was sent to retrieve it for Admete, the daughter of King Eurystheus.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Most versions of the myth indicate that Hippolyta was so impressed with Heracles that she gave him the girdle without argument, perhaps while visiting him on his ship. Then, according to Pseudo-Apollodorus, the goddess Hera, making herself appear as one of the Amazons, spread a rumor among them that Heracles and his crew were abducting their queen, so the Amazons attacked the ship. In the fray that followed, Heracles slew Hippolyta, stripped her of the belt, fought off the attackers, and sailed away.

Adventure of Theseus

In the myth of Theseus, the hero joined Heracles in his expedition, or went on a separate expedition later, and was actually the one who had the encounter with Hippolyta. Some versions say he abducted her, some that Heracles did the abducting but gave her to Theseus as spoils, and others say that she fell in love with Theseus and betrayed the Amazons by willingly leaving with him. In any case, she was taken to Athens where she was wed to Theseus, being the only Amazon to ever marry. In some renditions the other Amazons became enraged at the marriage and attacked Athens. This was the Attic War, in which they were defeated by Athenian forces under Theseus or Heracles. In other renditions Theseus later put Hippolyta aside to marry Phaedra. So Hippolyta rallied her Amazons to attack the wedding ceremony. When the defenders closed the doors on the attackers, either Hippolyta was killed, Theseus directly killed her in the fight, she was accidentally killed by another Amazon, Molpadia, while fighting by Theseus' side, or was accidentally killed by her sister Penthesilea during this battle or in a separate incident. This killer was in turn slain by Theseus or Achilles. Some stories paint Theseus in a more favorable light, saying that Hippolyta was dead before he and Phaedra were wed, and this battle did not occur. Further complicating the narratives, a number of ancient writers say the Amazon in question was not Hippolyta at all, but her sister Antiope, Melanippe, or Glauce. Moreover, there are combined versions of the tale in which Heracles abducts and kills Hippolyta while Theseus, assisted by Sthenelus and Telamon, abducts and marries Antiope. There are also stories that Hippolyta or Antiope later bore Theseus a son, Hippolytus.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][9]

Shakespeare character

A wax sculpture of Hippolyta at Samsun.

In William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hippolyta is engaged to Theseus, the duke of Athens. In Act I, Scene 1 she and he discuss their fast-approaching wedding, which will take place under the new moon in four days (I.i.2). Theseus declares to Hippolyta that, although he "wooed her with his sword," he will wed her "with pomp, with triumph, and with revelling" and promises to begin a celebration that will continue until the wedding (I.i.19).

The characterization of Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night's Dream (as well as that of Theseus), like many other mytho-historical characters found in Shakespeare's plays, is based on ancient biographical accounts found in Plutarch's work Parallel Lives. In The Life of Theseus, according to Plutarch, it was Hippolyta who concluded a four month long war between Athens and the Amazons with a peace treaty, resulting in the marriage between Theseus and Hippolyta. The dramatic representation of Hippolyta and Theseus in A Midsummer Night's Dream, however, is entirely a product of the playwright's imagination.

The character of Hippolyta also appears in The Two Noble Kinsmen, a play co-written by Shakespeare and John Fletcher.

References

  1. Robert Graves (1955) The Greek Myths
  2. "hippolytus - Origin and meaning of hippolytus by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
  3. Euripides, Herakles, 408 sqq.
  4. Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica, II. 777 sqq. and 966 sqq.
  5. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, IV. 16
  6. Ps.-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke, II. 5. 9
  7. Pausanias, Hellados Periegesis, V. 10. 9
  8. Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica, VI. 240 sqq.
  9. Hyginus, Fabulae, 30
  10. Isocrates, Orations, XII. 193
  11. Diodorus Siculus, Bibliotheca Historica, II. 46. 5, IV. 28 and 64
  12. Ps.-Apollodorus, Bibliotheke, I. 16-17, V. 1-2
  13. Seneca, Hippolytus, 927 sqq.
  14. Plutarch, Theseus, 26-28
  15. Pausanias, Hellados Periegesis, I. 2. 1, I. 15. 2, I. 41. 7, II. 32. 9, V. 11. 4 and 7
  16. Quintus Smyrnaeus, Posthomerica, I. 18 sqq., 227 sqq., 538 sqq.
  • Media related to Hippolyta at Wikimedia Commons
Preceded by
Otrera
Queen of the Amazons Succeeded by
Penthesilea
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