Edith Hamilton's Tale Of Greed In The Less Important Myth

Upon reading “The Less Important Myths” in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology, it became clear that King Midas and his tale of greed and free will would be the most impactful and interesting to read about. Starting off with the depiction of an old man by the name of Silenus drunk and lost in Midas’s vast and beautiful garden. After falling asleep and being spotted by some of Midas’s companions, Silenus was draped in flowers and was awoken to a 10 day celebration full of festivities and entertainment in his honor. The story then takes an abrupt when Bacchus comes about and reunites with Silenus. For treating the old drunkard so well, King Midas was given the opportunity to wish for anything his imagination could conjure up. He declared his wish to be the touch of gold, making it so that anything his body came in contact with would turn to instant gold. This seemed fine at first until he could no longer eat without his food turning to clumps of rock and metal. To reverse the wish, he was told by an oracle to wash off in a nearby river- which gave reason as to why the rivers he washed off in had gold and other rich minerals at the bottom of them.
Greed as well as excessive pride are themes common throughout all of Greek Mythology, as seen in stories like Icarus. In Midas however, we are shown the effects that greed and senselessness can have. Due to his lust for wealth and gold as well as his lack of common sense, Midas suffered the ultimate punishment. It goes to show that there will always suffering to pay for impulsive decisions and bad karma for those that are greedy. Despite this being the main theme, there was another part of Midas’s story that is important to make mention