Hippolyta is the queen of the Amazons, and she is about to marry Theseus as the play opens. Though the Amazons were a race of warrior women, Hippolyta seems boringly tame. In the first scene of the play, she speaks excitedly about marrying Theseus, who is the Duke of Athens. Theseus says he "won thy love doing thee injuries" (I.1.18), meaning that Hippolyta has become the type of person who marries a man who has fought her and harmed her. She has clearly lost some of the power she had when she was an Amazon.
When Hippolyta is about to see the Mechanicals performing, she says, "I love not to see wretchedness overcharged,/And duty in his service perishing" (V.I.79-80). This means that she dislikes seeing poor people working too hard and doing badly in what they're trying to do. This could be seen as a cutting remark, as Hippolyta has no patience for people who are poor or bumbling. She later grows tired of the play and says, "This is the silliest stuff that ever I heard" (V.I.203). Therefore, she does not come across as very kind or patient.
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