Mr. E.K. Chambers has collected (in
Appendix D to his edition) nine passages from North's Plutarch's _Life of
Theseus_, of which Shakespeare appears to have made direct use. For
example, Oberon's references to "Perigenia," "Aegles," "Ariadne and
Antiopa" (II. i. 79-80) are doubtless derived from North; and certainly the
reference by Theseus to his "kinsman Hercules" (V. i. 47) is based on the
following passage:--
... "they were near kinsmen, being cousins removed by the mother's
side. For Aethra was the daughter of Pittheus, and Alcmena (the mother
of Hercules) was the daughter of Lysidice, the which was half-sister to
Pittheus, both children of Pelops and of his wife Hippodamia."
In modern phraseology, Theseus and Hercules were thus second cousins.
Of the Amazon queen North says:--
"Touching the voyage he [Theseus] made by the sea Maior, Philochorus,
and some other hold opinion, that he went thither with Hercules against
the Amazons, and that to honour his valiantness, Hercules gave him
Antiopa the Amazon. But the more part of the other Historiographers ...
do write, that Theseus went thither alone, after Hercules' voyage, and
that he took this Amazon prisoner, which is likeliest to be true."
At this point we should interpolate the reason why Hercules went against
the Amazons.
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