Mrs Midas Flashcards
Stanza 1:
It was late September. I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun
to unwind, while the vegetables cooked. The kitchen
filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath
gently blanching the windows. So I opened one,
then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow.
He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig.
A time we associate with the golden colours or autumn, but also of things coming to an end – the summer. This mirrors what is going to happen to their relationship. The autumnal colours are an implicit reference to King Midas’ gold.
Personification ‘its steamy breath gently blanching the windows’ is used to describe the kitchen creating a warm, appealing atmosphere.
Simile used, ‘other’s glass like a brow’ just as someone might wipe their brow, she wipes the condensation from the window, demonstrating that she cares for her home.
At the end of the stanza, Mr Midas snaps a twig, which connotes something violent. The atmosphere changes from relaxed and peaceful to chaotic and tense. ‘Snapping’ has connotations of violence and foreshadows the troubles that the Midas family will face. The use of the onomatopoeic ‘snapping’ helps the reader hear the abrupt, brittle sound of the twig breaking, contributing to the tense and uneasy atmosphere that builds as Mrs. Midas observes the strange transformation occurring in her husband.
Pathetic fallacy is used in this stanza to reflect the emotional state of Mrs. Midas. “It was late September. I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun to unwind, while the vegetables cooked.” The setting of late September, a time when autumn is in full swing and nature begins to wither, reflects the impending decay in Mrs. Midas’ life. The peaceful, domestic scene she describes soon turns into turmoil, mirroring the disruption that Midas’ wish brings to their lives.
Stanza 2:
Now the garden was long and the visibility poor, the way
the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky,
but that twig in his hand was gold. And then he plucked
a pear from a branch. – we grew Fondante d’Automne –
and it sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On.
I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?
Contrast of Mrs Midas inside and Mr Midas outside, suggests the physical and emotional distance between the couple.
‘Visibility poor’ connotes she is unable to see clearly, and suggests she is struggling to comprehend what she is witnessing.
Personification of the ground, ‘the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky” which sounds ominous and reflects the idea of life being drained from something, as if it is actively consuming the light, which can be seen as a metaphor for the darkness and despair consuming Mrs. Midas’ previously bright and hopeful existence. The encroaching darkness mirrors the emotional and relational decay that follows Midas’ transformation. Also contrasts the dark of the ground and the light of the sky, which are opposites, and hints to the complex nature of relationships.
“Sat in his palm, like a lightbulb. On.” Use of a simile – just as a lightbulb is round and bright, so too is the pear illuminated from being turned to gold. A ‘lightbulb’ moment is a moment of discovery. Midas is discovering his new power.
Use of caesura with ‘On’ is particularly impactful because it creates a moment of pause, highlighting the irreversible nature of the transformation that Midas’s wish has brought into their lives. This caesura acts as a pivot point in the poem, signifying a moment of realisation and resignation for Mrs. Midas. It forces the reader to stop and reflect on the magnitude of the change and its consequences.
“Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?” this rhetorical question emphasises the confusion and disbelief felt by Mrs Midas witnessing her husband’s power. This symbol of light and joy is immediately juxtaposed with the disturbing truth of the situation. It contrasts the mundane with the magical.
The use of autumnal imagery and the transition from light to dark serve as examples of pathetic fallacy, enhancing the reader’s understanding of Mrs. Midas’s emotional turmoil and the bleakness brought on by Midas’s greed.
Stanza 3:
He came into the house. The doorknobs gleamed.
He drew the blinds. You know the mind; I thought of
the Field of the Cloth of Gold and of Miss Macready.
He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne.
The look on his face was strange, wild, vain. I said,
What in the name of God is going on? He started to laugh.
Midas journeys through the house and turns everything to gold. It makes her think back to a school history lesson about the Field of the Cloth of Gold, which was the site of the meeting between the kings of England (Henry VIII) and France (King Francis I) in 1520. During this meeting, each tried to outshine the other with their displays of wealth.
Use of third person pronoun ‘he’ is used rather than his name, reflecting the blame placed on Midas by his wife, perhaps depersonalising him and suggest a lack of intimacy.
‘He sat in the chair…throne” another simile showing off his wealth and status.
“His face was strange, wild, vain’ connotations of being out of control, selfish and greedy. The tricolon, “strange, wild, vain” create a vivid and intense portrayal of his reaction to his newfound power, highlighting his immediate shift towards arrogance and detachment from reality.
‘What in the name is going on?’ The rhetorical question adds humour and reaffirms that she has no idea what is happening. By contrast, he stated to laugh, which implies the marked difference between both characters. Mrs Midas is dumbfounded whereas King Midas finds the situation amusing.
Stanza 4:
I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob.
Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich.
He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.
He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand,
a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy, then watched
as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank.
Comic effect – she served up a meal, continues to go about her chores despite the absurd situation.
‘He was spitting out the teeth of the rich’ is a metaphor. The corn on the cob has turned to gold and now resembles little gold teeth. Wealthy people, in olden times, would have had golden teeth.
‘He toyed with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks’ the list emphasises the amount and variety of household objects that Midas has turned to gold. The list emphases Mrs Midas’ growing realisation that something is wrong.
Pouring wine, ‘with a shaking hand’ connotes fear and anxiety as she becomes wary of her husband’s ability.
The tricolon, plosive alliteration ‘glass, goblet, golden’ represents her disdain for her husband’s actions. It is also slightly onomatopoeic as it almost sounds like the glugging sound of someone taking a drink.
Stanza 5:
It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees.
After we’d both calmed down, I finished the wine
on my own, hearing him out. I made him sit
on the other side of the room and keep his hands to himself.
I locked the cat in the cellar. I moved the phone.
The toilet I didn’t mind. I couldn’t believe my ears:
The sinking feeling of reality is further echoed in the first line of stanza five when Mrs Midas starts to scream while her husband sinks to his knees – this connotes fear and despair as she realises the seriousness of the situation.
She makes sure that he ‘keep his hands to himself’ which connotes the lack of physical intimacy between the couple.
His sitting on the other side of the room represents the emotional distance in their relationship brought on by the circumstances.
The series of short sentences at the end of the stanza, emphasises the various ways that his power will impose of their lives. It has a touch of humour, in that Mrs Midas does not mind having a golden toilet, as she appears to be quite aspirational.
Stanza 6:
how he’d had a wish. Look, we all have wishes; granted.
But who has wishes granted? Him. Do you know about gold?
It feeds no one; aurum, soft, untarnishable; slakes
no thirst. He tried to light a cigarette; I gazed, entranced,
as the blue flame played on its luteous stem. At least,
I said, you’ll be able to give up smoking for good.
The end line of stanza five, leads onto stanza six. The slow realisation of what is unfolding and the sheer idiocy of what her husband has done, slowly washes over her and she tries to make light of the situation. Her disbelief when she hears her husband’s confession.
There is a play on the word ‘granted’ meaning both the assumption that something is true and to have a wish accepted.
The word choice ‘him’ is a one-word sentences and an example of caesura, which emphasises her disgust. By not referring to him by name, suggests she is distancing herself from him as one can imagine her spitting out the words, dripping with anger.
Use of a rhetorical question, ‘Do you know about gold?’ which she goes on to answer herself, emphasises her view that his wish was ridiculous. The list highlights all the negative attributes of gold, revealing the lack of true value that gold has.
The stanza ends on a light-hearted note, with the use of humour, “at least…you’ll be able to give up smoking for good’ in an attempt to provide some light relief to the seriousness of the situation and find a silver lining.
Stanza 7:
Separate beds. in fact, I put a chair against my door,
near petrified. He was below, turning the spare room
into the tomb of Tutankhamun. You see, we were passionate then,
in those halcyon days; unwrapping each other, rapidly,
like presents, fast food. But now I feared his honeyed embrace,
the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art.
This stanza explores the damage that King Midas’ wish has had on their relationship. The ‘separate beds’ connotes the lack of intimacy between the two, suggesting the strain on their relationship.
‘I put a chair against the door, near petrified’ connotes terror and fear, that Mrs Midas is afraid of her husband, frozen in fear and needs to barricade herself into her bedroom – that she feels vulnerable at night-time and perhaps cannot sleep for the fear at the thought of her husband’s touch.
‘He was below, turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutenkhamun’ is a metaphor comparing Midas to an Egyptian pharaoh suggesting wealth and status.
Duffy uses ‘you’ to address the reader in a conversational tone and breaks the fourth wall, creating a sense of intimacy. The use of ‘we’ which introduces a sense of nostalgia as she remembers a time with they were truly a couple and were happy.
The use of the simile, “unwrapping each other, rapidly, like presents” compares their intimacy to a gift, something desirable and welcome.
The metaphor of ‘fast food’ emphasises their urgent desire for one another but fast food is often associated with convenience and lack of substance compared to a slow-cooked, home-prepared meal. This circular structure relates back to stanza one, where Mrs Midas was preparing a nutritious meal for her husband and contrasts the early, frenzied passion they felt in the early days of their relationship with the love they now feel.
Fearing his ‘honeyed’ embrace relates to the colour of gold and the use of “honeyed” is ironic because it juxtaposes the traditional associations of sweet and warm honey with the destructive consequences of Midas’s touch.
The metaphor, ‘kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art’ connotes that she would become something to be admired, but never touched – forever frozen. This is the effect of his touch on her; her loss of humanity.
Stanza 8:
And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live
with a heart of gold? That night, I dreamt I bore
his child, its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue
like a precious latch, its amber eyes
holding their pupils like flies. My dream milk
burned in my breasts. I woke to the streaming sun.
In this stanza, Mrs Midas expresses her sadness now of being deprived of the opportunity to have a baby. ‘And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live with a heart of gold?’ she is questioning the reader and trying to justify her thoughts.
The ‘heart of gold’ is a metaphor, which usually has positive connotations, but not in this context.
Positive word choices to describe the baby, ‘perfect’ and ‘precious’ contrasts against the simile, ‘amber eyes holding their pupils like flies’ which paints a disturbing image as we picture the dead eyes of the child.
‘My dream milk burned in my breasts’ is a metaphor that symbolizes the emotional intensity and physical sensation experienced by Mrs. Midas in her dream. The use of “dream milk” represents the maternal instinct and nurturing aspect of motherhood that she will no longer be able to experience and ‘burned in my breasts’ uses plosive alliteration again to demonstrate the pain she feels at his loss.
The further alliteration of ‘streaming sun’ reminds us that her world will always be bright because of the gift of gold.
Stanza 9:
So he had to move out. We’d a caravan
in the wilds, in a glade of its own. I drove him up
under the cover of dark. He sat in the back.
And then I came home, the woman who married the fool
who wished for gold. At first, I visited, odd times,
parking the car a good way off, then walking.
In this stanza, the consequences of the myth and the effect on their lives continues to destroy their relationship to the point where it is past saving. ‘So he had to move out’ indicates that she seems resigned, defeated. The short sentence highlights the matter-of-fact nature of the decision that it was inevitable and presented to Mr Midas as a fait accompli.
The ‘cover of darkness’ contrasts with the brightness of the gold that is their curse and connotes that she is embarrassed by him and his wish. ‘He sat in the back’ implies she is ashamed of what he’s become and what he’s made her as well as creating a sense of distance that is now present in their relationship. This is further highlighted when she describes herself as ‘the woman who married the fool who wished for gold’.
‘At first, I visited, odd times’ is suggestive of the loneliness they are both suffering and the isolation.
Stanza 10:
You knew you were getting close. Golden trout
on the grass. One day, a hare hung from a larch,
a beautiful lemon mistake. And then his footprints,
glistening next to the river’s path. He was thin,
delirious; hearing, he said, the music of Pan
from the woods. Listen. That was the last straw.
This stanza continues to present images of this solitary, distanced, detached separate lifestyle as she describes the single golden items she discovers on her walk from the parked car to her husband during one of her visits. Use of words ‘golden, lemon, glistening’ are connotations of gold, which suggests how debilitating his gift has become as everything is affected.
Use of the word ‘delirious’ implies that his gift is driving him mad and that he is claiming to hear ‘the music of Pan from the woods’. (Pan is the God of nature, who was isolated from other gods, as Midas is now).
‘Listen’ is another example of caesura as Midas pleads with his wife to hear what he is hearing or Mrs Midas is talking to the readers, asking them to listen to what she is having to endure.
‘That was the last straw’ shows that she has abruptly decided to cut him out of her life. It pushes her to breaking point and she realises that she can no longer tolerate her husband’s actions or their consequences. She realises the extent of the tragedy: the loss of physical intimacy, the practical impossibilities of living with someone who can turn things to gold with a mere touch, and the ultimate realisation that their dreams of a family and normalcy are now impossible.
Stanza 11:
What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed
but lack of thought for me. Pure selfishness. I sold
the contents of the house and came down here.
I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon,
and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead. I miss most,
even now, his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch.
The final stanza stresses Mrs Midas’ anger at her husband’s ‘pure selfishness’ in making a wish that has not only affected him but also deprived them both of any physical relationship and his wife the chance to have her dream baby. The speaker feels hurt and betrayed by her husband’s thoughtlessness as she says, ‘What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed but the lack of thought for me.’ We have moved away from the humorous tone in some of the stanza’s now to a sad, melancholic tone.
‘Pure selfishness’ highlights her feelings and a bitter tone is established.
She ‘thinks of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon’; words which are liked to gold such as sunrise. The late afternoon, sunset, is often described as the ‘golden hour’ when the light is soft and diffused and not the glaring sun of midday. She is saying that she remembers him at the time of the day when the sky is yellow and orange.
There are connotations of longing where she states, ‘I miss most’; she regrets how things have turned out.
The tricolon “his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch” poignantly expresses her deep sense of loss and the physical and emotional distance that has been created between them. It underscores the intimacy and warmth that has been irretrievably lost due to his greed.
