MRS MIDAS

“it was late september, id just poured myself a glass of wine”

tone: calm and relaxed tone shows normal life before everything changes

“the vegetables cooked”

theme (domestic life): highlights ordinary marriage life, later contrasted with chaos

“the kitchen filled with the smell of itself”

imagery: creates warmth and comfort, making the curse more shocking

“its steamy breath gently blanching the windows”

personifications: makes the kitchen feel alive and safe

“he was standing under the pear tree snapping a twig”

sentence structure: simple action builds tension before the reveal

“that twig in his hand was gold”

word choice: “gold” signals danger and greed, marking the turning point

“like a lightbulb, on”

sentence structure: short sentence shows sudden shock and realisation

“the doorknobs gleamed”

imagery: shows how the curse spreads uncontrollably

“he sat in that chair like a king on a burnished throne”

theme (power and greed): suggests gold makes him feel powerful and superior

“the look on his face was wild, vain”

word choice: violent image shows wealth is harmful and painful

“corn on the cob”

detail: ordinary food becomes dangerous, showing the curses impact

“spitting out the teeth of the rich”

word choice: violent image shows wealth is harmful and painful

“golden chalice”

symbolism: gold symbolises greed rather than happiness

“i started to scream”

tone: panic replaces calm, showing emotional trauma

“separate beds”

sentence structure: blunt sentence shows emotional and physical separation

“the tomb of tutankhamen”

symbolism: links gold with death, not life

“the kiss that would turn my lips to a work of art”

theme (loss of life): affection becomes deadly, destroying intimacy

“who has wishes granted? him”

tone (bitter & resentful): shows growing anger towards midas

“pure selfishness”

sentence structure: empathic judgement of his actions

“i miss most, even now, his hands”

tone: regretful, ends the poem with sadness and longing