Mrs Midas Flashcards
Introduction
The theme of Mrs Midas is about the myth of Midas the Greek God. He was given a ‘gift’ of whatever he touches will turn to gold, including her. Throughout the poem there is an ongoing theme of selfishness of Midas which we are told through Mrs Midas’ perspective
Key Themes
Transformation is explored when the relationship starts to transform into a complete disaster due to his selfish actions causing her to abandon him.
Consequences is explored when Mis Midas’ kicks him out and takes him far away from the house. He has to face the consequences of his selfish choice. He can no longer eat food, drink water or touch her. He is losing his life.
Loss of intimacy is explored as they used to have a very intimate relationship and that has ended because if Midas were to touch his wife she would die.
Desire is explored as Mrs Midas’ has always dreamt of being a mother to his children but now her dream has been crushed and she has to live with knowing that she can’t fulfill those dreams.
Mrs Midas’ Perspective
Mrs Midas’ perspective of her husband’s golden touch is negative. She feels lonely without him as she cannot be in a close proximity of him, this heightens her loneliness.
The Gold Metaphor
The gold motif is used throughout the poem as is signifies wealth and power. Midas wanted to be seen as this powerful god with the touch of gold completely forgetting of the forbidden consequences to this gift.
The Disintegration of the Relationship
The gift has truly impacted their relationship as he has chosen wealth and power over his loving wife. She has been abandoned for this gift that is slowly fading him away as well as fading the relationship. They cannot share a bed no more, they cannot touch no more and he cannot sit anywhere other than his golden throne.
The Moral Dilemma
She has to face the fact she can no longer carry on being with her selfish husband and grow old with him. Her desires of being a mother conflicts with his ‘gift’ of having the touch of gold. She has had to make the choice of removing him from her life and facing the consequences of being alone for the rest of her life.
Language and Imagery
“Hand was gold” the dark image of this followed by colour gold - his gift is not a positive thing.
“He was spitting out teeth of the rich” the humorous image suggests he is spitting out golden teeth. Negative undertone that he realises he cannot eat food and indicates that there is no food = no energy = no life.
“Sat in his palm like a lightbulb” the simile suggests the similar shape and colour. Light-hearted image as she doesn’t understand yet.
The overall tone of the poem is typically Mrs Midas’ mocking him for being so stupid in his actions.
The End of the Poem
She is craving his touch as she has been left with no choice but to abandon him. It is her greatest wish for him to come back so she can have one last touch from his warm hands. This creates an emotional impact as she has been left to cope on her own due to her husband throwing their relationship away.
Tone and Mood
She tries to cope with this sad experience by using humour to make her husband feel shameful for his decision. Later on in the poem it leads to her being very depressed without him as she has been abandoned for wealth, she feels worthless.
Interpretation and Message
The poem talks about a range of themes from lust to loss. Mrs Midas explores many emotions as she is coping with the loss of her husband and relationship due to his selfish actions. The complex emotions she feels are mainly loss and loneliness.
Connection to Myth
Duffy’s poem revamps the famous myth of King Midas, with a major shift: the focus of the story is not the king himself, but rather his wife. The poem thus elevates a perspective that was left out of the original story, revealing how a greedy man’s wish sent the life of the woman closest to him into turmoil.
Conclusion
Midas ruins his relationship with his wife for the feeling of power, which actually ends up being a disaster for him. Mrs Midas is coping without him but goes through many emotions like anger and loss. This poem connects to the original myth of the Greek God Midas.
