Question

What is meant by the "THE HARD FOOD FOR MIDAS" refering to merchant of Shakespeare

Answer 1

"The hard food for Midas" refers to the story of Midas and the golden touch.
In this story,
A wealthy king in Greek mythology who desired that all things which he touched should be turned to gold. The request was granted; but as even the food he touched turned into gold, later even as he touched his daughter, she turned to gold. This turned out to be a bane rather than a boon.
Later he implored Dionysus to take his favour back, which the God did.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Answer:

“hard food for Midas”, metaphor is used to symbolise being attracted to superficial things will be your downfall. This is a reference to King Midas, who is a greek and roman legend, a king of Phrygia, known for his foolishness and greed. The story of Midas was for his kind treatment of Silenus Midas was rewarded by Dionysus with a wish. The king wished that all he touched might turn to gold, but when his food turned to gold and he nearly starved to death as a result, he soon realized his error.