Mrs Midas Carol Ann Duffy Mrs Midas Context

Mrs Midas Carol Ann Duffy

Mrs. Midas - Context l Who was King Midas?

King Midas l In Greek mythology, King Midas was granted a wish by the god Dionysus. Midas chose to have the ability of having anything he touch turn to gold. l However, Midas touched his daughter and she became a gold statue. He also couldn’t eat anything because his food turned to gold. l He eventually begged for his powers to be reversed.

Mrs Midas l This is a dramatic monologue told from the point of Midas’ wife. l It explores how she feels about the situation with her husband her perspective on his wish – of all the things he could have wished for, he wished for this. What does this say about what kind of person he is?

Stuff that will be useful to know l Blanching – method of cooking – boil something for a short period of time and then submerge it in cold water to halt the cooking process. l Fondante d’Automne – a delicious type of pear with sweet flesh. l Field of the Cloth of Gold – A place of meeting between King Henry VIII and King Francis 1. l Miss Macready – Mrs. M’s history teacher.

Stuff that will be useful to know Burnished – Polished metal Aurum – Latin word for gold Luteous – a moderate greenish yellow Tutankhamun – An Egyptian pharaoh. Halcyon – calm, peaceful days Ore – type of rock that contains important metal elements Pan – Greek God nature.

Form and structure l l Modern resetting of a familiar legend Dramatic monologue The poem = 11 stanzas (verses) long; Each stanza 6 lines long; regular length unrhymed l Approx. 12 – 15 syllables = relaxed, narrative effect. l Unpredictable length of lines reflects how unpredictable life becomes for Mr and Mrs Midas.

l Internal rhyme (rhyme within the lines) used as well as personification and frequent enjambment to convey the speaker’s train of thought. l Gives the narrative a feeling of prose. l Rhythm in the ideas too, as concepts build on one another and become clear to the reader.

Tone and style l A conversational feel created with asides and interjections (interruptions) of added or qualifying information. Effect = intimacy between the speaker and listener. l Conversational tone – since we notice the story we almost forget how horrific and weird the events are. l References to touch are subtle at the start but in the second half of the poem, the notes of tenderness are more evident.

Allusion l In one piece of literature, there is a reference to another piece of literature, literary idea or wellknown reference. l No specific explanation is required in the text and the reference is therefore loaded with connotations and ideas. l There allusions in Mrs Midas:

‘Field of the Cloth of Gold’ The site of a meeting that took place in France from 7 June to 24 June 1520, between King Henry VIII and King Francis I of France. The glamour and extravagance of the meeting showed two princes out-doing each other with their show of riches. Relevance to Mrs Midas?

Tutankhamun l Tutankhamun was an Egyptian pharaoh (ca. 1332 BC – 1323 BC). l The 1922 discovery by Howard Carter and George Herbert of Tutankhamun's tomb received worldwide press coverage. l The tomb was largely intact so the archaeologists were able to understand the manner of the burial and all the riches of the King were sealed in the tomb which was a tremendous find. l It sparked a renewed public interest in ancient Egypt.

Initial reading activities… 1. What is your favourite description and why? 2. What ideas and connotations are suggested by the setting (time and place) of the poem? 3. What descriptions or words are unfamiliar – how might their context help you work out their meaning? 4. Mrs Midas adds in pieces of extra information as asides, to help her narrative along. Identify a couple of these and suggest why she does this. 5. Identify examples or evidence of humour and word play – what does it add to the poem and your view of the speaker? 6. There a number of idioms and well-known phrases which are referenced in the poem – find two and comment on the effectiveness of their inclusion. 7. What themes might be present in the poem? 8. What is your over-riding feeling about what kind of person Mrs Midas is?

Analysis l We’ll analyse the first stanza together using a few questions as the basis for discussion, then you will work in groups to analyse the rest of the poem. l - Briefly note down what is happening in each stanza. l - What techniques have been used?

‘September’ – a time we would associate with the Personification of The language used to describe golden colours of autumn. But kitchen creates a also, things coming to an end. warm, appealing, the scene reflects the mood of Mrs atmosphere. Midas as she ‘unwinds’ A typical domestic scene is presented in the first stanza. 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. Simile introduces importance of sense of touch to Mrs M – she is later no longer able to touch Midas. Atmosphere is shattered by the final line: ‘snapping a twig. ’ – connotes something violent. Harsh consonant sounds in final phrase contrast with softer consonant and vowel sounds earlier in the stanza.

Mr M’s disbelief over what is happening Personification: ‘dark of the ground is emphasised by the length of time she seems to drink the light of the sky’ – takes to comprehend what she is seeing. sounds ominous. Reflects the idea of life being drained from something. 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 light bulb. On. I thought to myself, Is he putting fairy lights in the tree? Contrast between lack of light in first two lines and brightness of ‘gold’ twig and pear ‘like a lightbulb. ’ This simile seems unnatural and comical– and perhaps symbolises Midas realising… Structure (‘On. ’) adds dramatic effect. Question in last line again highlights Mrs M’s disbelief. Again a humorous undertone pervades these lines.

The name ‘Midas’ is not mentioned – perhaps reflecting the blame Mrs Midas puts on her husband for what he does. Mrs M is reminded of a history lesson – Fields of the Cloth… where Kings of England France met to show off their great wealth. 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 is described as king like. Word choice ‘strange, wild, vain, ’ reflects his greed and selfishness as well as him contemplating what has happened. Simile and ‘burnished’ reflect grandeur/ wealth. Question again reflects Mrs’ M’s disbelief. Contrasted with ‘laugh’ – Why? He sees what his selfishness has brought him? Is it his cruelty?

Comic effect – Mrs M continues to go about her domestic chores despite absurd situation Appropriate choice of food – visually fitting. Horror of what is happening becomes apparent – Midas can’t even eat. Represents the fact that his greed and desire for wealth has brought him to this. 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 shaking hand, a fragrant, bone-dry white from Italy, then watched as he picked up the glass, goblet, golden chalice, drank. ‘shaking’ further emphasises Mrs Alliteration/ Harsh consonant M’s worry over what sounds add to the drama/ is happening. seriousness of the situation. ‘chalice’ often associated with the last supper. Shows the transformation of the. glass - The blend of the vowels with the letter ‘l’ links to the golden luxury of the item, while the harsh alliterative ‘g’ sound drives home the seriousness of this so-called gift

Dramatic opening to stanza as both accept full reality of what has happened. ‘Scream’ demonstrates Mr’s M’s horror, while Midas ‘sinks to his knees’ in despair. Horror/ Shock is combined with comedy – it seems absurd that both would be ‘calmed’ so quickly and that Mrs M would continue with her drink. It was then that I started to scream. He sank to his knees. After we had 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: Suggestion that Midas still seeks a physical relationship with Mrs M. 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. Further comedy combined with Mrs’ M’s disbelief/ shock.

Enjambment – makes us pause - reflects Mrs M’s pause/ confusion/ disbelief as she hears the confession from Midas. The pun on ‘granted’, the rhetorical question and the short one word sentence all convey a sense of disgust from Mrs M. 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. Mrs M answers her own rhetorical question explicitly stating the foolishness of her husband’s wish Further rhetorical question emphasises that Mrs M thinks wish was outrageous. Mrs M is mesmerized by the visual nature of the ‘curse’ – the colours blue and gold. The stanza end with another comical note – Mrs M looks at the positives the situation brings.

The short sentence/ factual statement emphasises the permanent effect of Midas’ gift/ wish. The word choice ‘in fact’ emphasises that their situation is worse than ‘separate beds. Mrs M’s actions and word choice ‘petrified’ emphasise her fear. Separate beds. In fact, I put a chair against my door, near petrified. He was below, turning the spare room into the tomb of Tutankhamen. 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. The metaphorical language here extends the ‘gold’ imagery and emphasises that Midas’ touch will turn anything to gold – the word ‘tomb’ suggests he is doomed. Even the quick succession of rhyming words emphasises the speed at which he turns everyhting to gold. Connotations of words convey what they have lost. Idea of something seemingly good being a threat.

Ironic – metaphor ‘heart of gold’ normally has positive connotations – but here is meant literally. Rhetorical question asks us to empathise with Mrs Midas’ position. She can never have children… We learn of some of the long term consequences of Midas’ wish. We sympathise with Mrs M as she dreams of disturbing images – combining positive word choice like ‘precious’ and ‘perfect’ with images of a child like a statue – ‘amber eyes’/ ‘ore limbs’ 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 Tone of stanza is fearful/ she is in anguish burned in my breasts. I woke to the streaming sun. Word choice – ‘dream-milk’ reveal Mrs M has been longing for a child. Enjambment creates contrasts in word choice with ‘burned’ – her dream has been destroyed ‘streaming sun’ – word choice/ image – a reminder that Mrs M faces a future of waking to a world filled with gold.

There is a resigned tone to this opening line – the short factual statement gives the sense that Mrs M has given up hope for their relationship/ future. It’s a blunt, final decision Word choice ‘wilds’ and ‘its own’ reveals how she has to isolate Midas. Also a metaphor for the distance that has grown in their relationship. So he had to move out. We'd a caravan in the wilds, in a glade of its own. I drove him up under cover of dark. He sat in the back. And then I came home, the women who married the fool who wished for gold. At first I visited, odd times, parking the car a good way off, then walking. Word choice – ‘At first’ reveals that their relationship becomes more distanced as time past. She parks a ‘good way off’ – metaphor for them growing apart. Perhaps word choice ‘under cover of dark’ and ‘fool’ reveal that Mrs M is embarrassed by her husband’s greed and selfishness. She clearly blames her husband for his stupidity.

Opening line gives the impression that they have become detached from one an other – Mr M gives the impression she only visits Midas on occasion. List of ‘golden’ items shows the lengths she has to walk to see him – emphasises again the distance that has grown between them. Continuations of the idea of something which appears attractive actuallly being dangerous – ‘glistening’/ ‘beautiful’ (oxymoron in ‘beautiful…mistake’) 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. ‘thin’ and ‘delirious’ – Desperate image of Midas conveyed through word choice. ‘delirious’ and Midas saying he can here another Greek God suggests his curse has driven him mad – it is more than Mrs M can take.

Word choice ‘gets me’ reveals Mrs M’s anger at her husband. ‘idiocy’ and ‘greed’ again emphasise the fact that she blames him for their destroyed relationship. Word choice ‘lack of thought’ – we symapsthise with Mrs M. Short sentence ‘Pure selfishness’ emphasises Mrs M’s anger at her husband. 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. Sense of loss conveyed through last three lines – Mrs M reflects on her lost husband is reminded of him and his ‘gift’ by the golder light of dawn and dusk. Repetition of ‘hands’ emphasises what she misses the most – his touch. Word ‘warm’ contrasts with the cold touch of ‘gold’

Themes The main themes are: greed consequences isolation Greed is certainly a recurring theme as this is what motivated Midas to make his wish in the first place. The damaging effects are portrayed throughout with both husband wife, in the end, being left alone to suffer the effects of wishing to possess a substance which ultimately feeds no one. Consequences are dealt with as we observe the impact of the gift on Midas and his wife. Duffy invites us to consider how something so precious like gold can easily become destructive. Isolation and loneliness in the end is all that is left for either character

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 1) The poet creates a contented domestic scene in stanza one. Refer to both word choice and imagery in your explanation of how she does this. (4) - relaxed’ and ‘unwind’ mean calmness. - Duffy uses personifies the kitchen when she writes ‘its steamy breath blanching the windows’ which makes a domestic scene. The word choice ‘relaxed’ and ‘unwind’ have connotations of calmness and tranquillity. (1) We get the impression that the Midas household is a typical welcoming home. (1) Duffy personifies the kitchen when she writes ‘its steamy breath blanching the windows’ (1). The ‘steam’ and ‘blanching’ reminds us of a typical domestic kitchen scene and the personification of the kitchen conveys a warm, friendly atmosphere. (1)

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 2) Look at stanza two. How does the poet use imagery and sentence structure to make Midas’ gift appear convincing to Mrs Midas and the reader? (4) Mrs Midas witnesses her husband transforming an ordinary pear so that ‘it sat in his palm like a light-bulb’. This simile makes Midas’ gift appear convincing. (1) Just as a light-buld is bright, so we can imagine the brightness of the gold pear Midas creates. (1) Duffy uses a single worded, minor sentence - when the pear was turned to gold it switched ‘On. ’ (1) The suddenness of this short sentence convincingly suggests that the pear appears to suddenly change before the very eyes of Mrs Midas. (1)

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 3) Alternative: Show the poet highlights Mrs Midas’ disbelief as she observes her husband. You should refer to sentence structure in your answer. (2) Duffy uses a single worded, minor sentence - when the pear was turned to gold it switched ‘On. ’ (1) The suddenness of this short sentence reflects Mrs Midas’ shock and disbelief at what she sees. (1)

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 4) “He sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne. ” (stanza 3) (a) In stanza 3, how does Midas react to his newfound powers? (1) (b) How effective do you find the image in this context? (1) Initially Midas seems to be overwhelmed with a sense of grandeur and power – he is clearly pleased with what he has done. (1) This simile compares Midas to a king. Just as a king is powerful and high in status, so does Midas think he is powerful because of his new ‘gift’ and therefore high in status. (1)

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 5) Stanzas 6 and 7 reveal some of the longer consequences for Midas and his wife. By referring to two of word choice, imagery or structure explain what the consequences are and how Mrs Midas feels about them. 6) a) What do you think Mrs Midas’ tone is in stanza 8? (1) b) Explain how Duffy creates this tone. (1) 7) Look at stanzas 9 and 10. What impression are we given of the relationship between Mrs Midas and her husband? Refer to imagery and word choice in your answer. (4)

Mrs Midas – Textual Analysis Practice Questions 6) Many of Carol Ann Duffy’s poems deal with theme of loss. Show Duffy conveys theme of loss in this poem and in at least two of her other poems. (8)