the part of mrs midas that matters Flashcards
“And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live with a heart of gold?”
this metaphor usually has positive connotations of kindness and empathy. here it is ironically inverted as the literal meaning is implied, inferring that it would be impossible to survive with such a heart.
“its perfect ore limbs, its little tongue like a precious latch, its amber eyes”
she dreams of their golden child - mainly positive yet lifeless description. “ore” and “amber” link to gold
“holding their pupils like flies”
image turns disturbing as we picture the dead eyes of the child - simile
“my dream milk burned in my breasts”
milk will only ever remain a dream as she can’t bear his child - alliteration of harsh sounds to show the pain she feels at this loss
“i woke to the streaming sun”
rude awakening. poignantly reminds us that each day she will awake to a world in which gold dominates every waking moment
“so he had to move out.”
short sentence creates a blunt dismissal of her husband
“i drove him up under cover of dark” “i came home, the woman who married the fool”
she tries to hide him from others as she is ashamed of what he has become and what he’s made her
“at first, i visited, odd times”
she is beginning to detach herself - no regular visits
“you knew you were getting close”
creates suspense and suggests something is to be feared
“golden trout on the grass. one day, a hare hung from a larch”
alliteration to draw attention to the damage he is causing
“he was thin, delirious; hearing, he said, the music of Pan from the woods. Listen.”
he is in a sorrowful state and is beginning to lose his mind. Pan is God of shepherds and flocks, and he was isolated from other gods. Midas is part of the wilderness now because she moved him out to the forest. there is irony here as well because a gift so equated with wealth and prosperity has resulted in emotional poverty.
“That was the last straw”
short sentence to show how abruptly she decided to cut him out of her life
“What gets me now is not the idiocy or greed but lack of thought for me.”
duffy encourages us to consider the effect of Midas’s story on his wife becuase his gift is not only hurting him. this explores the selfish nature of relationships
“pure selfishness.”
short sentence shows how bitter she is about his blatant disregard for her feelings.
“i think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon, and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead”
despite unleashing all her anger and separating herself she can’t help dwellling on what she has lost and how little she has
“his hands, his warm hands on my skin, his touch”
use of a list to show mrs midas remembering their once full relationship and mourns the loss of the physical part. repetition of “hands” emphasises that his touch and their intimacy is now lost to her – unlike human contact, gold is cold and hard.
what are the main themes
- love
- loss
- relationships
what is the idea behind this section of the poem
it reveals the harsh heartfelt implications of Midas’ gift, highlighting the damage it has done to the couple’s relationship and their future together. the final line in the poem sums up Mrs Midas’ regret at the loss of physical contact with her isolated husband
