In A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Theseus is the Duke of Athens who marries Hippolyta.
The play opens with Theseus preparing for his wedding to Hippolyta, the Queen of the Amazons. Their approaching marriage provides the framework for the comedy: the lovers’ flight into the forest, the mechanicals’ rehearsal, and the fairies’ magical quarrel all eventually converge on the wedding celebrations in Athens.
Theseus also acts as the city’s ruling authority. When Egeus demands that Hermia marry Demetrius or face severe punishment, Theseus initially presents her with the alternatives allowed by Athenian law. Later, after the lovers return from the forest and Demetrius’s affections have changed, Theseus overrules Egeus and permits the couples to marry.
The other options belong to different parts of the play. Lysander and Demetrius are rival Athenian lovers, while Oberon is king of the fairies. Shakespeare probably wrote the play between 1594 and 1596, and its multiple plots culminate in the shared wedding celebration of Theseus and Hippolyta.