One that compos’d your beauties, yea, and one To whom you are but as a form in wax By him imprinted, and within his power
The wax comparison here takes away from Hermia's humanity. The wax takes leaves no room for any deviation from Hermia. Theseus is reminding Hermia that she has no choice.
Like to a step-dame or a dowager, Long withering out a young man’s revenue.
Step-dame means stepmother and dowager means widow. In this case, his reference to both these women is in reference to their dependency on "young man's revenue." The young man is a son or the man in charge of their upkeep. He is therefore comparing how these types of women's finances take away from the men they depend on, to how much the slowness of the moon's changes takes from his time to be with Hippolyta
Like to a step-dame or a dowager, Long withering out a young man’s revenue.
Step-dame means stepmother and dowager means widow. In this case, his reference to both these women is in reference to their dependency on "young man's revenue." The young man is a son or the man in charge of their upkeep. He is therefore comparing how these types of women's finances take away from the men they depend on, to how much the slowness of the moon's changes takes from his time to be with Hippolyta
To whom you are but as a form in wax By him imprinted, and within his power To leave the figure, or disfigure it.
The wax comparison here takes away from Hermia's humanity. The wax takes leaves no room for any deviation from Hermia. Theseus is reminding Hermia that she has no choice.