Mrs Midas is a revisionist tale of King Midas, told from the female viewpoint. This story was originally about a man who could transform everything into gold with just a touch. The poem describes the sadness that Mrs Midas feels about not being able feel her husband’s touch — bringing to light the anger, disgust, and anguish she has for his greediness. Feminist critics will find this poem particularly interesting because it could be that Midas is strong-willed and doesn’t let her husband ruin her life. She runs away and lives her own life. Another reading states that Midas’ husband controls her emotions, and she longs for a loving husband.
Duffy starts the book with Mrs Midas as the dominant voice. She retells the story through her eyes and is the voice that Duffy prioritizes. Feminist critics would be interested in this tactic, since women often are not heard or have a voice behind men. However, it is obvious that Mrs Midas is in control and telling her story with some autonomy. It is possible to understand her divorce and learn more about the concept of wealth. You may see that Mrs Midas was challenging society’s demands for ‘feminine behavior,’ as Simone de Beauvoir would say, when she ‘poured another glass of wine’. This shows a lack of interest in women not being drinkers. It is funny how the poem is introduced casually. The poem is mysterious because it was just after I had poured a glass …’. When we realize that she is talking about a difficult time, it feels like strength. We can usually assume that a divorce is an extremely difficult topic to discuss. She quickly hides her cat in fear of her husband. This gives her an air and sense of humor that makes her seem heroic. Duffy is trying to emphasize this inequality by explaining Mrs Midas’s characteristic. Duffy is trying to highlight this inequality by using Mrs Midas’s love for her husband as a metaphor. Mr Midas is first shown to us when he is’snapping trunk’. His snapping sounds violent and could indicate that the relationship may be very patriarchal. Although the women have a voice, it’s still less than the men’s in this arrangement. Mrs Midas’ husband is greedy and hurting her emotionally. Despite being a selfish man, he still receives the stereotypical wife who ‘poured the meal’ and who ‘poured with shaking hands’.
Feminist critics would also be interested to know that Mrs Midas believes her husband is a liar and is a selfish person. However, she wants to have children and that is what society has defined happiness and a good relationship as. Duffy made Mr Midas look almost evil by introducing Mrs Midas’ dream of having children. The desire to have children is something that couples usually agree on respectfully. However, his greed for wealth overtook his love. However, this conflict also has another side. Although Mr Midas destroyed her dream of marriage, Mrs Midas continues to monitor him even after he is kicked out.
One could argue that “Mrs Midas” is a feminist poem, which aims to show the inequalities that women face in literature and real life. Duffy portrays a stereotypical woman who cleans and cooks. However, he subverts that stereotype by suggesting Mrs Midas is an intellectual and strong-willed woman. Duffy uses ‘Mrs Midas’ to draw attention to the differences that can eventually be overcome by strength of character.
