Mrs Midas Flashcards
“It was late September”
Word Choice - ‘September’ a time we would associate with the golden colours of Autumn. But also, when things come to an end.
“I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun to unwind”
Word Choice - ‘glass of wine’ ‘unwind’ creates a calm, laid-back atmosphere
Dionysus was god of wine so classical allusion to Dionysus
“its steamy breath gently blanching the windows.”
Personification - used to describe the kitchen creating a warm, appealing atmosphere; relaxation contrasts with what’s about to happen
“I” and “He”
Narrative Voice - personal pronoun ‘I’ suggests the poem is told in first person from the POV of Mrs Midas
‘He’ introduces her husband, King Midas, to the poem
“wiped the other’s glass like a brow”
Simile - just as someone might wipe sweat from their brow so too does Mrs Midas wipe the condensation from the window. Sensory imagery is used throughout the poem
“under the pear tree snapping a twig”
Contrast - created between the laid back atmosphere of the opening lines, which describe Mrs Midas and the final lie which introduces her husband. Created through the word choice of ‘relaxed’ and ‘snapping’
“Now the garden was long”
Contrast of inside (Mrs Midas) and outside (King Midas) suggests physical and emotional distance between the couple
“visibility poor”
word choice - connotations being unable to see clearly suggests Mrs Midas is struggling to comprehend what she is witnessing
“that twig in his hand was gold”
Word choice - first mention of the word ‘gold’
“Fondante d’Automne - and it sat in his palm”
Simile - just as a light bulb is round and bright so too is the pear illuminated from being gold
word choice - ‘lightbulb’ moment is a moment of discovery. Midas is discovering his new power
“Is he putting fairy lights on the tree?”
Sentence Structure Rhetorical Question - emphasises the confusion and disbelief felt by Mrs Midas upon witnessing her husbands power
“He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne”
Imagery Simile - just as a king sits on a golden throne so too does Midas sit on his armchair which has now turned to gold. Image suggests wealth and status
“He started to laugh”
Contrast - created through word choice of ‘laugh’ - Mrs Midas is dumbfounded whereas King Midas finds the situation amusing
“I served up the meal”
Word choice Comic effect - mrs Midas continues to go about her domestic chores despite absurd situation. Matter-of-Fact tone established
“he was spitting out the teeth of the rich”
Metaphor - the corn on the cob has turned to gold and now resembles little gold teeth
“He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks”
List - emphasises the sheer amount of variety of household objects that Midas has turned gold. List emphasises Mrs Midas’ growing realisation that something is wrong
“I poured with a shaking hand”
Word Choice - connotations fear and anxiety she is becoming wary of her husbands ability
“glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank”
Alliteration of harsh consent ‘g’ represents her disdain for her husbands actions
climatic list emphasises the quick effect of his power which is further emphasised by the rule of three
“It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees”
Word choice connotations of fear and disdain - a dramatic opening to the stanza as both realisation the seriousness of the situation
“Keep his hands to himself”
Word choice - connotations a lack of physical intimacy between the couple. The fact that he is made to sit on the other side of the room represents the distance in their relationship brought on by circumstances
“Look, we all have wishes; granted. But who has wishes granted?”
Word Choice play on words ‘granted’ meaning both the assumption that something is true and to have a wish accepted
“Do you know about gold? It feeds no one; arum, soft, untarnishable; slakes no thirst”
Rhetorical question which she goes on to answer herself emphasise that she thinks his wish was outrageous
List emphasises the negative attributes of gold, revealing the lack of true value that gold has
“Separate beds.”
Word choice; connotations a law of intimacy between the two suggesting the strain on their relationship
“the tomb of Tutankhamun”
Metaphor; compares Midas to an Egyptian pharaoh suggesting wealth and status
“unwrapping each other, rapidly, like presents, fast food”
Simile; compares their intimacy to a gift, something they longed for
Metaphor; of fast food suggests indulgence
“a heart of gold”
Metaphor; usually a positive expression but this time it has negative connotations symbol of death
“cover of dark”
Contrasts with the brightness of the gold that is their curse
“the woman who married the fool who wished for gold”
She has a negative view of her husband and by extension herself
“lack of thought for me”
The speaker fells hurt and betrayed by her husbands thoughtlessness
“Pure selfishness”
Word Choice; connotations of thoughtlessness suggests she still feels betrayed
“Certain lights, dawn, late afternoon”
Imagery; she remembers him at the time of day when the sky is yellow and orange
“once a bowl of apples stopped me dead”
Sentence Structure; repetition of hands emphasises the importance of his tough throughout the poem
“I miss most, even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch”
miss - word choice; connotations of longing suggests she regrets how things turned out
Imagery; symbolism of the hands/sensory imagery. The thing that she misses the most is ironically the thing that ended her marriage
Themes
selfishness and greed
loneliness
love
Other poems
Mrs M + Originally - leaving home, changing circumstances, journey (physical, metaphorical)
Mrs M + Valentine - love, loss of relationship, unconventional expression of love
