Summary

“Zeus and the woman depart. The Scientist takes off her lab coat and joins the Laundresses. The trio settles. Two of the women dip linens into the pool while the First Laundress lounges” (7). The First Laundress muses about what she would do if she had a lot of money, saying that she would never do laundry again. The Second Laundress tells the story of King Midas, which is played out as the Laundresses continue to work.

The somewhat absent-minded Midas tells the story of how he got as wealthy as he did, becoming increasingly irritated at the interruptions of his playful daughter. He becomes even more irritated by the arrival of the drunken Silenus. Midas then becomes excited when Silenus starts talking about a people beyond the sea who live forever. Eventually, Midas becomes bored when Silenus reveals that the secret of...