The Happy Prince

The statue of the Happy Prince stood high above the city. It was covered with gold, its eyes were
bright blue jewels, and a red jewel hung from its waist. Everyone thought that it was very beautiful.

‘Why aren’t you like the Happy Prince?’ mothers said to their little boys when they cried.

Sad men looked at the statue and said, ‘I am glad that someone in the world is happy.’

One night a little bird flew alone over the city. The other birds were all in Egypt now. ‘Where can I
stay tonight?’ he thought. Then he saw the statue. ‘I will stay there,’ he thought. ‘It is high up, so there
is plenty of fresh air.’

He landed between the feet of the Happy Prince. ‘I have a golden bedroom!’ he thought. But as he put
his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him.

He looked up.’ That is very strange!’ he thought.’ There is not a cloud in the sky, but it is raining!’

Then another drop fell. ‘I cannot stay on a statue that does not keep me dry,’ he thought. ‘I must find
another place.’ And he decided to fly away. But as he opened his wings, a third drop fell. He looked
up and saw — Ah! What did he see?

The eyes of the Happy Prince were full of tears. Tears ran down his golden face. The face was very
beautiful in the moonlight, and the bird felt sorry for him.

‘Who are you?’ asked the bird.

‘I am the Happy Prince.’

‘Then why are you crying? I am wet with your tears.’

‘When I was alive,’ said the prince,’ I had a heart like every other man. But I did not know what tears
were. I lived in a palace where there was no sadness. In the daytime I played with my friends in a
beautiful garden, and in the evening I danced. There was a high wall round the garden. But I did not
know what lay on the other side. So I was called the Happy Prince. I was pleased with my little world.
Now I am dead, and they have put me up here. I can see all the unhappiness of my city. My heart now
is made of a cheap metal. But even that poor heart can feel, and so I cry.’

‘Oh,’ said the bird to himself, ‘he is not all gold — he is only gold on the outside.’

‘Far away from here,’ said the Happy Prince in a low voice, ‘there is a poor house in a little street.
Through an open window, I can see a woman at a table. Her face is very thin and she has rough, red
hands. She is making a dress for one of the queen’s ladies, for a dance in the palace. Her little boy is
lying on a bed in the corner of the room. He is very ill. He is crying because she can only give him
water from the river. Little bird, will you take my red jewel to her? I cannot move from here.’

‘My friends are waiting for me in Egypt,’ said the bird.

‘Little bird, little bird,’ said the prince, ‘please stay with me for one night and do this for me. The boy
is crying and his mother is so unhappy.’

The Happy Prince looked very sad, and the little bird was sorry for him. ‘It is very cold here,’ he said,
‘but I will stay with you for one night. Tomorrow I will take the jewel.’

‘Thank you, little bird,’ said the prince.

So the bird took the great red jewel from the prince’s waist and flew away with it over the roofs of the
town. He passed the palace and heard the sound of dancing. A beautiful girl -was at a window with her
lover. ‘I hope my dress will be ready for the dance next week,’ she said.’ Those women are so lazy.’

The bird passed over the river and flew and flew. At last he came to the poor little house and looked
inside. The boy was lying on the bed. The mother was asleep; she was so tired. He flew in and put the
great red jewel on the table. Then he flew round the bed, moving the air around the boy’s face with his
wings.

‘Oh,’ said the boy, ‘my face does not feel so hot. I think I am getting better.’ And he fell asleep.

Then the bird flew back to the Happy Prince. ‘It is strange,’ the bird said. ‘It is very cold, but I feel
quite warm.’

‘That is because you have done a good thing,’ said the prince. The little bird fell asleep.

When day came, the bird flew down to the river for a bath. A clever man saw him. ‘That is very
unusual!’ he said. ‘That kind of bird, here in winter! I must write that down!’

‘I will go to Egypt tonight,’ thought the bird.

When the moon came up, he flew back to the Happy Prince. ‘Can I do anything for you in Egypt?’ he
said.

‘Little bird, little bird,’ said the prince, ‘please will you stay with me for one more night?’

‘My friends are waiting for me,’ answered the bird.

‘Far away across the city,’ said the prince, ‘I can see a young writer in a little room at the top of a
house. He is sitting at a table that is covered with papers. At his side there are some dead flowers. He
is trying to finish a story. But he is very cold and he cannot write. There is no fire in the room, and he
is weak and hungry.’

‘I will wait with you for one more night,’ said the bird kindly. ‘What shall I take to him?’

‘Take him one of my eyes,’ said the prince. ‘They are made of beautiful blue stones from India. The
young man can sell it and buy wood and food. He can finish his story.’

‘Take out your eye, dear prince?’ said the bird. ‘I cannot do that!’ And he began to cry.

‘Do it!’ said the prince.

So the bird took out the prince’s eye and flew away to the young man’s room. It was easy to get in
because there was a hole in the roof. The young man was sitting with his head in his hands, so he did
not hear the bird’s wings. When he looked up, a beautiful blue jewel was lying on the dead flowers.

‘Someone likes my stories!’ he cried happily. ‘This is a gift from someone who has read my books.
Now I can finish writing this story!’

On the next day the bird flew down to the river. He watched the seamen working on the ships. ‘I am
going to Egypt!’ he cried, but no one listened to him.

When the moon came up, he flew back to the Happy Prince. ‘I have come to say goodbye to you,’ he
said.

‘Little bird, little bird,’ said the prince, ‘please will you stay with me for one more night?’

‘It is winter,’ answered the bird.’ The snow will soon come. In Egypt the sun is warm and the trees are
green. Dear prince, I must leave you; but I will never forget you.’

‘A little girl is standing there in the square below. She is selling eggs. Her eggs have fallen on the
ground and they are broken. She has no money to take home. Her father will hit her. Take out my
other eye and give it to her.’

‘I will stay with you for one more night,’ said the bird,’ but I cannot take out your other eye. You will
not be able to see!’

‘Do it!’ said the prince.

So the bird took out the prince’s other eye and flew down with it. He flew to the girl and put the jewel
in her hand.
‘This is a beautiful piece of glass!’ cried the little girl. She ran home, laughing.

Then the bird flew back to the prince. ‘You cannot see now,’ he said,’ so I will stay with you.’

‘No,’ said the poor prince,’ ‘you must go to Egypt.’

‘I will stay with you,’ repeated the bird, and he slept at the prince’s feet.

The next day he stayed with the prince. He told the prince stories about the strange lands that he knew.

‘Dear little bird,’ said the prince, ‘you are telling me about strange and wonderful things, but the
suffering of men and women is stranger than anything. Fly over my city, little bird. Tell me what you
see there.’

So the swallow flew over the great city. He saw the rich eating and drinking in their beautiful houses.
He saw the poor people sitting at the gate. He flew into the dark streets and saw the white faces of
hungry children with sad eyes. Under a bridge, two little boys were lying close together to keep warm.
‘We are so hungry!’ they said. ‘You cannot lie there!’ shouted a guard.

Then the bird flew back and told the prince.

‘I am covered with fine gold,’ said the prince. ‘Take it off, piece by piece, and give it to my poor
people.’

The bird pulled off the gold, until the Happy Prince looked grey and ugly. The bird took the gold to
the poor, and the children’s faces became brighter. ‘We have bread now!’ they cried.

Then the snow came. Ice followed the snow, and hung down from the roofs of the houses. Everyone
wore thick coats.

The little bird became colder. He did not leave the prince, because he loved him too much. But he was
dying.

‘Goodbye, dear prince!’ he said.’ Can I kiss you?’

‘I am glad that you are going to Egypt,’ said the prince. ‘You have stayed too long. Kiss me, because I
love you.’

‘I am not going to Egypt,’ said the bird. ‘I am going to the House of Death.’ He kissed the prince, and
fell down dead at his feet. Then there was a strange sound inside the statue. CRACK — the metal heart
broke into two pieces.

Early next morning, an important man in the city was walking below with two of his friends. He
looked up at the statue.’ The Happy Prince does not look very bright!’ he said. ‘The red stone has
disappeared, his eyes are not there, and he is not golden. He looks like a beggar.’

‘Yes he does!’ said the man’s friends.

‘Here is a dead bird at his feet!’ said the officer. ‘We must make an order that birds cannot die here.’
They pulled down the statue of the Happy Prince and put it in the fire. A stream of bright metal ran
out.

‘This is strange!’ said the workmen. ‘This broken piece in the middle of the statue has stayed hard. We
must throw it away.’ So they threw it away with the dead bird.

God said to his servants, Bring me the two best things in the city.’ They brought Him the broken heart
and the dead bird.

‘Yes, you have brought the right things,’ God said. ‘This little bird will sing for ever in my garden,
and the Happy Prince will stand in my city of gold.’

Oscar Wilde
“The young King and other stories”
Essex, Penguin Books, 2000
Wilde, Oscar

1853-1900 - An Irish-born English poet, novelist, and playwright. He

Happy Prince:

Summary: High over the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy
Prince. It was an amazing statue and was extremely respected indeed. The statue
of Happy Prince looked simply like an angel. One night there flew over the city
a little Swallow. His companions had left to Egypt a month and a half before
however, he had remained behind, for he has an adoration for a most excellent
Reed. Throughout the day it flew and during the evening time, he arrived at the
city.

Characters:

Round characters

- The happy prince: A golden statue that can see what's going on around
him, but cannot move. When the Prince was alive he was unaware of the
miseries of the poor people of his city. After his statue was placed on a
high column, he wept. He wanted to help them but he couldn't move
therefore he asked the swallow to help him. He sent his ruby to the
seamstress and his sapphires to the playwright and the match girl. He
become blind. He was stripped of gold leaves to help the poor. He loved
the swallow and when he died the Prince's heart broke with grief. He was
kind and noble.
 - The Swallow: the swallow is a bird who stayed behind when the rest of
his flock migrated to Egypt in order to court a Reed (river plant) that he
had fallen in love with. His friends thought that this was a foolish
decision. The Reed finally decides that she will not accompany him, and
the Swallow is angered, and he decides to migrate to Egypt by himself
after all. However, before he leaves, he tries to sleep one night under the
statue of the Happy Prince. The statue begins crying because he is
disappointed by everything that he sees going on in the city. The Swallow
is the agent of the Prince's kindness, bringing the gems and gold to the
poor as instructed, and the two become fast friends. Eventually, the
Swallow dies because he chooses to remain with the blinded Prince rather
than abandon him to fly to Egypt, and the winter gets too cold. He dies at
the statue's feet.

Minors:

-The Reed (river plant). She decides not to accompany the Swallow.

- The Two Town Councilors. They are greedy and obsessed with their public
image. They also want statues to be made for them.

- The seamstress. Her son is ill, and she works as a seamstress to make enough
money to take care of him. She receives the ruby from the hilt of the Prince's
sword.

- The Young Playwright. He is a starving artist struggling to complete a play,

-The Match-Girl. She drops the matches that she is supposed to sell, and is
crying because she knows that she will be beaten by her father when she returns
home without the matches or any money. She receives the second sapphire eye.
- The Mayor. He orders that the statue be tom down. He wants the metal to be
made into a statue of himself.

Setting :

High above the city, the river, at the city, in the winter, between the feet of the
Happy Prince, in the Palace of Sans-Souci Six week after the Swallow's friends
move to Egypt, last summer 2. Occupation and daily manner

The Theme:

The story "The Happy Prince" has at least three themes:

Outward beauty is nothing: The real beauty is the love and sacrifice. The end
of the story gives this idea. The Happy Prince has a lead heart, but this heart is
full of sympathies for the poor and needy. He gives away his gold covering bit
by bit to the poor. Now without his eyes and gold covering, he looks so ugly
that he is sent to furnace to melt . After his death, he is taken to the city of gold
where he will praise God forever.

The love and sacrifice: The second theme is that love and sacrifice are two
saving forces. This world is full of poverty hypocrisy, and exploitation. If there
were no love and sacrifice, the world I could not go on. It is because of love and
sacrifice that this life is going on. Therefore, it is true that love and sacrifice are
two saving forces.

The rich and the poor: The third theme of the story is that there is the great
gap between the rich and the poor the rulers and the masses. The Happy Prince
did not know about the poor and their problems when he was alive Therefore, it
means that the rulers at that time did not know about the problems and the
difficulties of the masses
Plot:

The Happy prince was a statue. He was placed on a high column in the middle
of the city. There were sapphires in his eyes and his body was covered with
leaves of fine gold. A large and rare ruby was set on the hilt of his sword. Once
upon a time a bird came to visit the place and stopped between the feet of the
statue. During night when the swallow was going to sleep, a drop fell on his
head. He looked up and saw that tears coming out from the eyes of the statue.
He became very sad. The bird was surprised and asked about the reason. The
prince told him that he has seen that there is a house at far off place where a
poor woman lives. She is very sad because she has no money to buy food and
medicines for her son who is very sick.

The prince requested him to help the woman. He gave one of the jewels of his
sword to the bird and told to hand it over to the poor old woman. She becomes
happy after getting the jewel as she could buy medicines and good food for her
son.

The bird wanted to fly to the warm place where his family members had gone.
He said good bye to prince but he stopped the swallow to leave him. He wanted
some more works to be done by the bird. One after other he gave out his jewels
from his body and at lost he gave all the pieces of his cloth also. He helped the
poor young playwright who wanted to write plays but unable since he feels
hungry and chilly. The prince helped the little girl who was selling matches that
became wet and she could not sell it. She was afraid that her father will beat her
after reaching home. The prince never wanted to see anything unhappy in the
world. He gave the jewel of his another eye and made the girl happy.

The day came when all the jewels of his body gone. The prince looked ugly and
shabby. The swallow never left the place to help the prince. Then the snow
came. The little bird got colder and he knew that his end has come. "Good bye",
replied the prince. Something broke inside him. It was his heart.

One day the mayor and councilors saw condition of the statue of the prince
during their visit. A dead bird was under his feet. They decided to remove the
statue from that place and put statue of the mayor. They took down the lead
from the statue of the prince gave it to workmen to make statue of the mayor.
The workmen found that there was a heart inside the statue which did not melt.
They decided to throw the heart to the heap of the dust where the little dead bird
was lying.

Then the God ordered his Angles to bring the two most precious things from the
town. They brought the broken heart and the dead bird. The God said "You are
right". It is said that the little bird still lives with the God in his garden of
paradise and the happy prince.

"The Happy Prince" as a fairly tale.

No doubt, the story "The Happy Prince" is a fairy tale. In a fairly tale we find
unreal characters like talking animals, a story which is hard to believe, and
events of that do not happen in real life. The most important quality of a fairy
tale is that it always has a happy conclusion.

When we read this story, we find that it is a perfect fairy tale: Firstly, we find
two imaginary characters -a talking Swallow and a talking statue. In our daily
life, we do not find such characters. Secondly, we see the statue of the Happy
Prince shedding tears on the sufferings of the poor. He has sapphire eyes and a
lead heart. However, he can see through these sapphire eyes and has love and
sympathies for the poor in his lead heart. This is highly unbelievable and it does
not happen in real life. A statue has no eyes and no heart.
Thirdly, the end of the story fulfils the most important requirement of a fairy.
No doubt, the Swallow and the statue of the Happy Prince are dead. However,
this is not the real ending. The real ending is that the Swallow will always sing
in the garden of Paradise and the Happy Prince will always praise God in the
city of gold. Therefore, we can conclude that the story "The Happy Prince" is a
perfect fairy tale.

1. Where did the statue of the Happy Prince stand?

- It stood on a tall column above the city.

2. Where was the swallow going?

- The swallow was going to Egypt to meet his friends.

3. Why did the swallow put up between the feet of the Happy Prince?

- It was a fine place with plenty of fresh air. So he put up there.

4. What does Reed in Happy Prince symbolize?

In the beginning, all the people who live in the city where the Happy Prince
rests on his column admire him for his golden beauty and because they believe
he is constantly happy, unlike them. Other non-human things are personified as
well. The Reed is an actual, literal reed, a tall plant growing near a river.

5. Why was the swallow crying?

- The swallow was crying to see the sorrow and misery of the city people.

6. Why did the swallow feel warm?

- The swallow had done a good deed. So he felt warm.

7. Why was the match girl crying?

- The match girl was crying because her matches had fallen into the gutter.
8. Why was the statue of the Happy Prince pulled down?

- The statue looked dull without gold and rubies. So it was pulled down.

9. What were the two most precious things in the city?

- The dead swallow and the broken lead heart of the Happy Prince.

10. What is the moral of the story The Happy Prince? What is the message
given in the lesson the Happy Prince?

The moral of the story is that we must help the poor and the needy. The prince
set an example of this by giving his jewels to the poor. The swallow also proved
to be a great example of love and sacrifice.

11. How does Happy Prince achieve spiritual beauty?

He sacrifices his eyes and beauty just to help them. He gives away his gold
covering bit by bit to the poor. Now without his eyes and gold covering, he
looks so ugly that he is sent to furnace to melt. He has lost outward beauty, but
with sacrifice and love, he has achieved spiritual beauty.

12. What is the irony in the story The Happy Prince?

- The irony in the chapter is that at last after dying of sparrow and rusting of
happy prince statue, the mayor order to dump them in the dustbin. The satire
part is when sparrow reached under the statue to hide herself, but she get
drenched by weeping of prince and she think it might be rain.