National 5 Scottish Set Texts - Carol Ann Duffy

In this poem, Duffy modernises the story of the mythical King Midas and gives a voice to his fictional wife. In this poem she discusses the effect that this 'gift' has on their once-passionate relationship and shows how his selfishness and lack of consideration for her ends their love. It deals mainly with the themes of relationships, selfishness and bitterness. It can be compared to the three 'love poems' easily (particularly the bitterness of 'Havisham' and the idea of loss in both 'Havisham' and 'Anne Hathaway').