Written by the British poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, “Mrs Midas” is one of the entries in her poetry anthology The World’s Wife. All entries in The World’s Wife satirise a foible of man’s nature, through the means of a well-known figure in history (or mythology). “Mrs Midas” is a female recollection of the social repercussions of her husband’s insolence, greed and stupidity. King Midas is one of the most (in)famous figures in Greek mythology and was best known for his ‘touch of gold’. According to popular Greek mythology, the god of wine and pleasure, Dionysus, offered the king a wish. Foolishly, a rather vain king Midas wished that everything he touched would turn into gold, and this wish was granted . Yet no matter how popular the myth, one of the perspectives rarely considered is that of his wife . Therefore, Carol Ann Duffy presents Midas’s predicament from an entirely new perspective Nevertheless, it does not merely present us with her perspective of the consequences of Midas’s wish: the poet uses a vast range of poetic techniques to convey a multitude of emotions. The poem begins in a domestic setting, with a calm and serene mood, where the persona of the poem is beginning ‘...to unwind’ (line 2). As soon as the poem commences, we encounter a series of poetic techniques used by the poet. The first is personification, as the poet describes the kitchen as having ‘steamy breath’ (line 3). Through immediate use of poetic techniques such as personification, we are instantly helped to conjure up vivid images of the setting, which helps the reader fathom the initial situation (and follow the poem from the beginning). Nonetheless, other poetic techniques are employed from the beginning, too. As the persona of the poem gaze... ... middle of paper ... ...l because in ancient times, the detriments of smoking were unknown, and thus one would see no benefit of giving it up. Also, the ramifications of smoking would be the least of one’s worries if they were in Midas’s position). The incorporated comedy serves a variety of purposes: develops the persona, and perhaps lets us sympathise with her, mitigates the feelings of resentment and anger, and reminds us that the poet’s take on king Midas’s tale shall not follow the normal convention of myths (i.e. placed in ancient times). In conclusion, Carol Ann Duffy adds an intriguing touch to one of Greek mythology’s most celebrated tales. The poetic techniques used enable the reader to sympathise with the eclectic range of emotions/moods presented, and the comedy used presents an entirely different appeal to its reader, making “Mrs Midas” a true touch of gold.
The speaker begins the poem an ethereal tone masking the violent nature of her subject matter. The poem is set in the Elysian Fields, a paradise where the souls of the heroic and virtuous were sent (cite). Through her use of the words “dreamed”, “sweet women”, “blossoms” and
Many of the short stories within the collection The Things They Carried, written by Tim O’Brien, can be compared and contrasted in regards to elements including theme, characters, and technique. In “Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong,” the character Mary Anne Bell appears to be apparently similar to the character Martha from “The Things They Carried,” in that both are young women who have relations with a soldier in the war. Though upon further analysis of Mary Anne, it appears she is far from alike to Martha. Rather, an unexpected parallel can be drawn between the characters Mary Anne and Elroy Berdahl, from “On the Rainy River,” in that both appear to be epitomes of masculinity. The peculiar connection between these characters developed by Tim O’Brien shines a light on the ambiguity of conventional gender roles of men and women.
For the Greeks, Homer's Odyssey was much more than just an entertaining tale of gods, monsters, and men, it served as cultural paradigm from which every important role and relationship could be defined. This book, much more so than its counter part The Iliad, gives an eclectic view of the Achean's peacetime civilization. Through Odyssey, we gain an understanding of what is proper or improper in relationships between father and son, god and mortal, servant and master, guest and host, and--importantly--man and woman. Women play a vital role in the movement of this narrative. Unlike in The Iliad, where they are chiefly prizes to be won, bereft of identity, the women of Odyssey are unique in their personality, intentions, and relationship towards men. Yet, despite the fact that no two women in this epic are alike, each--through her vices or virtues-- helps to delineate the role of the ideal woman. Below, we will show the importance of Circe, Calypso, Nausicaa, Clytaemestra, and Penelope in terms of the movement of the narrative and in defining social roles for the Ancient Greeks.
In The Golden Ass, Lucius draws a strong parallel between the stepmother’s story and that of Meroe, the evil, old witch who kills Socrates when he tries to escape her lustful affections. The stepmother is metaphorically likened to a witch because doing so comments on the danger of a weak-natured woman who holds a position of power. Although no magical evils, such as the spells that Meroe casts upon Socrates, manifest themselves in the story of the stepmother, the emphasis on the unnatural transformation in her disposition and the perverse and sinful nature of her wanton affections symbolize her witchlike nature. The similarity between the two stories helps to fortify the connection between witches and women in a position of power, which ultimately condemns the latter while simultaneously upholding male legacy.
This is connected to my subject of women roles in literature because even though the women in this story are very independent they are all gullible and insecure qualities, which flaw capabilities of being dominant or at least equal to men. Reading and comparing the Odyssey, Sakuntala, and Good Country People can see the changing role of women in literature. The women in all three works are highly valued by the men close
This essay explores the role of women in Homer's Odyssey, James Joyce's Ulysses (1922) and Derrick Walcott's Omeros (1990), epics written in very different historical periods. Common to all three epics are women as the transforming figure in a man's life, both in the capacity of a harlot and as wife.
Medea and Lysistrata are two Greek literatures that depict the power which women are driven to achieve in an aim to defy gender inequality. In The Medea, Medea is battling against her husband Jason whom she hates. On the other hand, in Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the protagonist Lysistrata plotted to convince and organize the female gender to protest against the stubbornness of men. In terms of defining the purpose of these two literatures, it is apparent that Euripedes and Aristophanes created characters that demonstrate resistance against the domination of men in the society.
Personification is an important theme throughout this poem. In lines 1-2 it says, “The mountain held the town as in a shadow I saw so much before I slept there once:.” Also in lines 3-4 it says, “I noticed that I missed stars in the west, where its black body cut into the sky.” This is an example of personification. In lines 5-6 it says, Near me it seemed: I felt it like a wall behind which i was sheltered from a wind.” Most of the examples showing personification in this poem, are displayed in the first couple of lines of the poem.
...eable quality in a woman is her beauty. In addition, Duffy makes the protagonist annihilate her husband even though in the original myth, Medusa was decapitated, thereby challenging the speculations that a characteristic of women is to be defend less and insubstantial, dating back to ancient times, by showing that women too are vengeful conquerors.
The tragic play Medea is a struggle between reason and violence. Medea is deliberately portrayed as not a ‘normal woman’, but excessive in her passions. Medea is a torment to herself and to others; that is why Euripides shows her blazing her way through life leaving wreckage behind her. Euripides has presented Medea as a figure previously thought of exclusively as a male- hero. Her balance of character is a combination of the outstanding qualities of Achilles and Odysseus.
King Midas and the Golden Touch, is one of the most famous myths in western lore. It details the story of one man’s greed and lust for wealth leading to his ultimate downfall. Initially written by Ovid, in his Metamorphoses published in 8 A.D, it has been adapted and analyzed even in modern times. Written in Dactylic Hexameter, as customary of great mythological works of the time period, the poem effectively served as a part of a guide to life for the ancient Romans. The morals the story teaches are still applicable in this day and age. As the story is intertwined with the rest of the epic, it is important to evaluate the myth in an educated and modified light. In King Midas and the Golden Touch, Ovid deftly illustrates the importance of restraint by detailing King Midas’ suffering from his greed.
Antigone asks Ismene, her sister, if she recognizes how Zeus fulfills them as they live the curse of Oedipus. Although this idea of fulfillment manifests itself specifically in the tragedy of Ismene's and Antigone's radical behavior, the myth also serves as an archetypical model of a woman's position in society, and its patriarchal elements. The influence of Oedipus' curse over his daughters, whether mythological or directly familial, lingers in the ethos of psycho-sexualized European mores. Culturally, this notion characterizes masculinity as being `large and in charge,' the provider and protector; thus, femininity necessarily involves a certain subservience. Such ethos associates femininity with certain gender roles. The story of Oedipus and his daughters, therefore, highlights the overshadowing efficacy of the male presence and it's effects on the female psyche. For instance, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, and William Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, each paint a picture of the feminine gender role, which predominantly consists of becoming a proper wife, so as to secure a husband, or mother, so as to produce his heir. Essentially, the occidental woman of this period is confined to a life of marriage. In such a patriarchy, what happens to an Antigone, a vicious rejection of all social conventions? And to an Ismene, a passive surrender to patriarchy's nomos? A woman's relationship to society's oppr...
The consistent pattern of metrical stresses in this stanza, along with the orderly rhyme scheme, and standard verse structure, reflect the mood of serenity, of humankind in harmony with Nature. It is a fine, hot day, `clear as fire', when the speaker comes to drink at the creek. Birdsong punctuates the still air, like the tinkling of broken glass. However, the term `frail' also suggests vulnerability in the presence of danger, and there are other intimations in this stanza of the drama that is about to unfold. Slithery sibilants, as in the words `glass', `grass' and `moss', hint at the existence of a Serpent in the Garden of Eden. As in a Greek tragedy, the intensity of expression in the poem invokes a proleptic tenseness, as yet unexplained.
Theseus, Duke, Lord, and Governor of Athens is revered in The Knight’s Tale as a “conqueror with no greater beneath the sun than he” (Overton 738-780). This depiction certainly glorifies that of man in this time. However, Theseus wed Hippolyta who became queen as a result of such a union and was brought to Theseus’ home “in glory and with great pageantry” (Overton 738-780); this would create an ideation that Hippolyta, a Queen, representing women of the community would only be perceived in the light of property and as beauty thus portraying her and other women in what is now recognized as a negative light. Although currently women wish to be perceived in such a light that would warrant more substance than pageantry, it is understood that during the times of this story, to be seen as such was an honor bestowed upon only the most privileged.
The role of women in ancient Greece when put side by side with the role of men is relatively insignificant, yet in Greek tragedies such as Agamemnon, Oedipus the King and Orestes, the women are often given the title of “main character,” thus revealing the ideal standards of how women are treated and thought of in society at the time. Many, if not most of the popular Greek tragedies have several female roles that aren’t simple and irrelevant but rather, they are complex and thoroughly thought out to be involved well into the play. Usually, the feminine characters take up the role as the heroine, the victim or the villain. Sometimes, to make the play extra dramatic, the playwrights will incorporate all three of the personalities into one female role. A well known woman who accomplished that was Clytemnestra in Aeschylus’ Agamemnon who threw many twists and turns into the plot.