Mrs Midas
By Carol Ann Duffy
Themes:
- Marriage, isolation, relationships, greed, materialism, relationship breakdowns and so forth.
A brief introduction:
- Written from the perspective of the wife of King Midas – from Mythology (Ovid’s Metamorphoses). Continues the theme of fictional or historical ‘forgotten’ wives.
- This dramatic monologue story tells of Midas who is granted a wish from the god Dionysus, whereby everything he touched turned to gold.
- This poem presents various emotions and is comical at times, as Mrs Midas discusses her husband’s foolishness. She leaves him to waste away in isolation whilst she mourns the loss of their relationship – physically. This results in the inability to have a child together and fulfil this dream they shared.
Structure:
- 11 stanzas
- Irregular rhythm and line lengths. This illustrates how unpredictable and chaotic life is for the pair. Anything could happen. If her husband even touches her, she might turn to gold.
- The poem is split into 2 sections:
- (verses 1-6) Mrs Midas retells the story from her perspective and how she discovered the news. It has a comical undertone as the inventory of things which have been transformed to gold grows. The discovery of the wish creates an element of panic as they try to come to grips with this new power.
- (verses 7-11) is more serious and emotional. Mrs Midas explores the deep and painful implications this has for them and their future. Mrs Midas is regretful about the situation and misses contact with her segregated and lonely husband.
It was late September. [R1]I’d just poured a glass of wine, begun
to unwind[R2], while the vegetables cooked[R3]. The kitchen
filled with the smell of itself, relaxed, its steamy breath
gently blanching the windows. [R4]So [R5]I opened one,
then with my fingers wiped the other’s glass like a brow.[R6]
He was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig.
Now the garden was long and the visibility poor, the way
the dark of the ground seems to drink the light of the sky[R7],
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. [R8]On.
I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree?[R9]
He came into the house. [R10]The doorknobs gleamed[R11].
He drew the blinds. You know the mind[R12]; I thought of
the Field of the Cloth of Gold [R13]and of Miss Macready.
He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne[R14].
The look on his face was strange, wild, vain. [R15]I said,
What in the name of God is going on? [R16]He started to laugh.[R17]
I served up the meal. For starters, corn on the cob.
Within seconds he was spitting out the teeth of the rich.[R18]
He toyed[R19] with his spoon, then mine, then with the knives, the forks.
He asked where was the wine. I poured with a shaking hand[R20],
a fragrant, bone-dry [R21]white from Italy, then watched
as he picked up the glass, goblet, gol[R22]den chalice, drank.
It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees.[R23]
After we’d both calmed down, I finished the wine[R24]
on my own, hearing him out. I made him sit
on the other side of the room [R25]and keep his hands to himself.[R26]
I locked the cat in the cellar[R27]. I moved the phone.
The toilet I didn’t mind. I couldn’t believe my ears:
how he’d had a wish. Look, we all have wishes; granted[R28].
But who has wishes granted? Him. [R29]Do you know about gold?[R30]
It feeds no one[R31]; aurum[R32], soft, untarnishable; slakes[R33]
no thirst. He tried to light a cigarette; I gazed, entranced,
as the blue flame played on its luteous [R34]stem. At least,
I said, you’ll be able to give up smoking for good.[R35]
Separate beds. [R36]in fact, I put a chair against my door,
near petrified[R37]. He was below, turning the spare room
into the tomb of Tutankhamun[R38]. You see, we were passionate then[R39],
in those halcyon[R40] days; unwrapping each other, rapidly,
like presents, fast food. [R41]But now I feared his honeyed embrace[R42],
the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art.
And who, when it comes to the crunch, can live
with a heart of gold[R43]? That night, I dreamt I bore
his child, its perfect ore limbs[R44], its little tongue
like a precious latch, its amber eyes
holding their pupils like flies. [R45]My dream milk
burned[R46] in my breasts. I woke to the streaming sun[R47].
So he had to move out. We’d a caravan
in the wilds, in a glade of its own.[R48] I drove him up
under the cover of dark.[R49] He sat in the back.
And then I came home, the woman who married the fool[RP50]
who wished for gold. At first, I visited, odd times[R51],
parking the car a good way off, then walking[R52].
You knew you were getting close. Golden trout
on the grass. One day, a hare hung from a larch,
a beautiful lemon mistake. [R53] And then his footprints,
glistening next to the river’s path. He was thin,
delirious[RP54]; hearing, he said, the music of Pan
from the woods.[RP55] Listen. That was the last straw.[RP56]
What gets me now [RP57]is not the idiocy or greed
but lack of thought for me. Pure selfishness. [RP58]I sold
the contents of the house and came down here.
I think of him in certain lights, dawn, late afternoon,[RP59]
and once a bowl of apples stopped me dead[RP60]. I miss most[RP61],
even now, his hands, his warm hands [RP62]on my skin, his touch.
[R1]Narrative voice – retelling a story and setting the scene.
[R2]Relaxing. Not a chaotic scene. Doesn’t last long.
[R3]A comfortable home environment.
[R4]The kitchen is personified. Brings the kitchen to life. Seems like a place of life and warmth. Contrasts with how the home will be described later.
[R5]Casually told.
[R6]Simile and personification. Again the house is alive.
[R7]Contrast and personification.
[R8]Simile. The shape of the pair and the brightness illuminating it is like a light bulb.
[R9]Shows she is ‘in the dark’ about it all. Has no idea what is happening. Thoughts revealed. Very personal voice. The question further demonstrates her confusion.
The tone seems whimsical, playful, light hearted and humorous. Like an old married couple sharing an off the cuff style story about an experience to others.
[R10]Several short sentences as she recalls the order of events.
[R11]Leaving a trail of gold where he travels.
[R12]Speaking directly to the reader.
[R13]Explaining she thought back to a History lesson where she learned about “the field of the cloth of gold.” This was a meeting place for the Kings of France and England in 1520, which was covered in gold embellishments to hide the poverty and deprivation in the area.
[R14]Simile.
‘Burnished’ means gleaming.
[R15]Describing how this power affected him. Recognisably a different man which scares her.
[R16]Confused, perplexed and exasperated.
[R17]Enjoys the power and the secret. Laughs at her confusion. Something uneasy about this. Have yet to realise the seriousness of the situation.
[R18]Onomatopoeia – “spitting.” We first start to see the negative aspects of the gift.
A metaphor which compares the food to the teeth of the wealthy. The only people who could afford gold teeth.
[R19]Still a playful tone. Trying out this new power and seeing the impact.
[R20]Mrs Midas is becoming uneasy and nervous. Frightened of what is going on.
[R21]Metaphorically speaking, things are about to become ‘bone-dry’ and lifeless as more things are transformed.
[R22]Repetition of ‘L’ sounds makes things sound luxurious.
The alliteration of ‘G’ greats a harsher sound, reinforcing the seriousness of the situation.
[R23]Realise the seriousness and the negative implications on their relationship. Panic sets in. Alliteration of the letter S brings the screaming and panic to life. Mr Midas got on his knees which is a sign of regret, remorse and being truly sorry; seeking forgiveness.
[R24]Only she can. Loneliness and isolation setting in.
[R25]Repetition of O and H sounds slows everything down. A sign they took time out to discuss the situation.
[R26]Humorous tone. But it is obvious that they are affectionate with one another and enjoy physical contact. No longer a “gift.”
[R27]Prioritising what should be protected. The cat and phone are but is happy for a golden toilet seat.
Repetition of C sounds – frantic.
[R28]Pun. Humorous. Suggesting it is a guarantee that everyone has desires. Also a play on words because wishes which come true are described as granted.
[R29]‘Typical’ type remark.
Suggests she is irked and distressed at what has happened. Annoyed her husband was such a fool.
[R30]Speaking to the reader. Including them.
[R31]Such a regrettable wish. Wishes that her husband was less flippant and chose something more useful and considerate.
[R32]AU the symbol for gold in Chemistry. Another word for gold.
[R33]Quenches or satisfies.
[R34]Orange-yellow and greenish-yellow colour.
[R35]Humour coming out. Positivity.
[R36]Tone changes to a more serious tone. A lot of damage has now been done and deep consequences set in. Mrs Midas explores how it affects their intimacy and ability to be a couple.
Isolation from each other. Reinforces the theme of solitariness.
[R37]Word choice illustrates how she is scared of her husband.
[R38]Impressive images of what the room might be like – covered in gold but has seriousness to the metaphor. Symbolises the death of their physical relationship. Also an internal rhyme is evident.
[R39]Contrast to how things are now. Cleary love each other.
[R40]Means untroubled.
[R41]This “gift” is not a “gift.” Their relationship was. It was passionate and pleasurable.
[R42]Metaphor. Sweet embrace she misses+. She enjoyed his physical contact yet lives in panic. A pleasure she will not experience with him again. It is deadly. One simple touch has the power to end her life.
[R43]A familiar saying which has connotations of something admirable. A heart of gold is a positive trait. Here it is not given in its familiar figurative meaning but in its literal sense. No one can survive/live on gold.
[R44]How she imagined her baby to be – perfect.
[R45]This ideal image of a child is transformed with contrasting images of something in flames. Symbolic that the dream they shared to have children is now forever gone. Devastated by this notion. Flies fester around something which is dead.
[R46]Hellish. Associated with fire. The dream of feeding a child is up in flames.
[R47]Reality set in. She had a baby in the dream but woke to the piercing sun which reminds her of the truth.
[R48]Forced to move out and separate from his wife who loved this ‘fool’ dearly.
[R49]Ashamed that she married such a fool.
[RP50]Third person narrative.
[R51]Frightened.
[R52]Scared to get too close but wants to see him.
[R53]Accidently touched a hare and it was transformed into a lemon shape which is depicted as attractive, all the same.
[RP54]Dehydrated. Delusional.
[RP55]His delirium makes him think he can hear the music of Pan - another Greek God who was the God of shepherds and flocks (also sung for Midas in Greek myths).
A gift equated with wealth has resulted in such emotional poverty. Ironic.
[RP56]Dramatic. Breaking point for Midas.
[RP57]Anger at her husband. Blames him for their woes. It had deep consequences for not just him but her too. She was prevented from having a child too.
[RP58]Still angry with her husband.
[RP59]Clearly still loves him. A sense of grief, loss and mourning.
[RP60]Certain things make the memories of him come flooding back. The memories are so vivid she stops.
[RP61]Great loss.
[RP62]Important, poignant lines. Repetition of “hand”, emphasises the fact she misses something so simple as the touch of a hand. A symbol of their intimacy is now lost forever.
The final line affects manyhave lost their life partner. Relationships are often ruined through idiocy, greed and disregard for the other person in the relationship.