Greed In King Midas

The tales of King Midas are not all the same, but greed is a common factor that runs through all of them. King Midas was a wealthy king, but he was very greedy. When given the chance to be granted a wish, he couldn’t help but wish for a golden touch. That was when all of his troubles began.
Most versions of the story of King Midas have common elements. For example, the stories all start with a king with a room that contains gold mountains. It’s said that the king loves his gold more than anything, even his own daughter, the human who is most precious to him. In every story he always falls in love with his new way of getting gold. That is, until he finds out that he can’t eat or drink anything. Then, after realizing he’s lost his daughter, …show more content…
The story is a tree, and the details are the roots. They are important, but they all make up the same story. The way his daughter gets turned to gold varies through the stories. In some versions the king returns a satyr to Dionysus and is granted a wish. In some versions, however, the king’s wish is granted by a male faery. His daughter’s name changes from story to story. Goldie, Marigold, and Phillomena are the common names mentioned. The way he gets rid of the curse varies through the stories. Sometimes he bathes in the water, sometimes he gets a pitcher and pours the …show more content…
King Midas wanted nothing but gold. He loved his shiny, golden coins more than anything else. The room he had to hold his money was nothing short of capacious. One day a satyr was brought before him. He recognized the satyr. It was Dionysus’s main satyr. The God and the satyr were coming back from a trip. While on their way back, the Satyr had too much to drink. He decided a nap would be appropriate and fell asleep in the king’s garden. The king decided to let the satyr stay and kept him for ten days. After those days were over, he took the satyr back to Dionysus. The God, delighted by Midas’s kindness, gave him one wish. Midas knew exactly what he wanted, a touch that could turn anything into gold. Dionysus warned the foolish king that he would regret his wish, but he granted the wish anyway. The King was told to wait until the next morning to get his golden touch. When Midas awoke the next morning, he reached for the nearest thing to see if it would turn to gold, and it did. He was so happy, for he thought he would be the richest king ever.. He probably was for a while, until he realized that everything he touched would turn to gold. Midas soon realized that he could not even touch food or drink without it turning to gold. It was in that moment that he felt his heart shatter. His touch was toxic. He would starve. It was then that his daughter ran