The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde [PDF]

Information: The Happy Prince

• Author: Oscar Wilde
• Publication Date: 1888
• Main Characters:
  • The Happy Prince: A gilded statue covered in gold leaf and jewels who, from his column above the city, finally sees the misery he never noticed while he was alive
  • The Swallow: A little bird on his way to Egypt who stays behind, night after night, to carry the Prince's treasures to the poor
  • The Reed: The slender plant the Swallow courted all summer, a short romance that explains why he is late to leave
  • The Mayor and the Town Councillors: The city's officials, more worried about appearances than about the people the statue helped
• Brief Summary: A swallow left behind by his flock stops to rest at the feet of the Happy Prince, a statue covered in gold leaf, with sapphires for eyes and a ruby on his sword. The Prince, who lived a carefree life inside his palace walls, now sees the poverty of his city and weeps. He asks the swallow to carry his ruby, his sapphire eyes and finally his gold to the people who need them, and the bird keeps delaying his journey south until winter arrives.
• Thematic Analysis: The tale explores selfless love, the gap between outward beauty and inner worth, and the indifference of those in power. Wilde contrasts the Prince's late discovery of compassion with officials who only care whether the statue still looks useful.
• Historical Context: Oscar Wilde published the story in May 1888 as the opening piece of The Happy Prince and Other Tales, illustrated by Walter Crane and Jacomb Hood. He wrote these fairy tales after the birth of his sons Cyril and Vyvyan, in the years before his novels and plays made him famous.