THE HAPPY PRINCE by Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Prepared by SYAFINA and VAISNAVY

The prince in the story is no living prince. He is the statue of a dead prince decorated with gold leaves and precious stones. He is known as the Happy Prince because there is a smile on his lips. But the smile gradually gives way to tears. The Happy Prince cannot help crying over the scenes of misery in the houses of the poor. He decides to help them with his gold leaves and costly stones. The little swallow acts as his messenger, and he gives away all his wealth. The Swallow was on his way back to his homeland when the prince had detained him to help the poor. He still wished to go back but now it was too late. Then the snow came. The little swallow got colder. He knew that his end has come. Thus the little swallow lost his life in helping the poor. His death broke the princes heart. So the swallow and the prince die for a noble cause. But their death was not the end. It made them immortal. That is why the angel selected the dead swallow and the lifeless heart of the prince as the noblest things on earth. The story teaches a very useful and very true lesson.

NORTH OF EUROPE

PLACE SETTING

Page 2, line 4 : The climate is the north of Europe is really dreadful. Page 2, line 12 : I did not know what tears were, for I lived the Palace of Sans-Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. EGYPT Page 1 line 8 : His friends had gone away to Egypt six weeks before but..

FURNACE Page 7 line 1 : Then they melted the statue in a furnace.

PARADISE/ HEAVEN
Page 7 line 5: for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall..

TIME SETTING
SUMMER :
Page 1 line 9 : This was his courtship, and it lasted all through the summer

AUTUMN :
Page 1 line 10 : Then the autumn came they all flew away.

NIGHT :
Page 2 line 1 : All the day long he flew, and the night time he arrived

WINTER :
Page 3 line 13 : A swallow in winter!

POOR PEOPLE

COMMUNITY SETTING

SEAMSTRESS : Page 2 line 14 : Her face is thin and worn, and she has coarse, red handsshe is a seamstress

A LITTLE MATCH GIRL : Page 5 line 2 : there stands a little match girl She has no shoes or stocking, and her little head is bare.

PLAYWRIGHT : Page 4 line 5 : . I see a young man in a garret.., there is no fire in the grate and hunger has made him faint.

# Page 5 line 11 : . While the beggars were sitting at the gates and saw the white faces of starving children

RICH AND GREEDY PEOPLE

Page 5 line 11 : , and saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses,

Page 6 line 12 : said the Mayor in fact, he is little better than a beggar.

Page 6 line 13 : Little better than a beggar, said the Town Councilors.

Page 7 line 1 : and it shall be a statue of myself

HAPPY PRINCE MINOR CHARACTERS SWALLOW

CHARACTERS

REED SEAMSTRESS

COUNCILLORS
MAJOR CHARACTERS MAYOR

PLAYWRIGHT
MATCH-GIRL

 He is a golden statue that can see whats going on around him, but cannot move. He was happy all through his life, but now he weeps for he can see all of the hardship that faces the people of his city. He asks the Swallow to take pieces of him (the gold leaf of the statue, the sapphires that are his eyes, and the ruby that is in the hilt of his sword) and give them to the poor of the city. In the end, he is melted down as the statue is not beautiful without its decorations.

THE HAPPY PRINCE

THE SWALLOW
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 disapproved and thought that this was a foolish decision. The Reed eventually 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 sad by everything that he sees going on in the city. The Swallow is the agent of the Princes generosity, 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 statues feet.

THE REED
She decides not to accompany the Swallow, who has been courting her, breaking his heart. She is too close to her home, and cannot bear the thought of leaving. Thus, the Swallows courtship was in vain.

THE TWO TOWN COUNCILORS They are greedy and obsessed with their public image. They want the metal of the melted-down statue to be made into statues of them.

THE POOR SEAMSTRESS

Her son is ill, and she struggles as a seamstress to make enough money to take care of him. She receives the ruby from the hilt of the Princes sword.

THE YOUNG PLAYWRIGHT

He is a starving artist struggling to complete a play, but he cannot concentrate because he is so hungry. He receives the first sapphire eye.

THE LITTLE MATCH-GIRL She drops the matches that she is supposed to sell 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 torn down. He wants the metal to be made into a statue of himself.

OUTWARD BEAUTY IS NOTHING IT IS JUST A SHOW

The Happy Prince has a lead heart, but this heart is full of sympathies for the poor and the needy. He sacrifices , his jewels and gold covering just for the poor. Now without it, 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. God is pleased with him. After his death, he is taken to the city of gold where he will praise God forever. The Swallow, he sacrifices his life for the love of the Happy Prince. Nevertheless, he also achieves spiritual beauty. He will sing for evermore in Gods garden of Paradise. Page 7 line 5 : You have rightly chosen, for in my garden of Paradise this little bird shall sing for evermore, and in my city of gold the Happy Prince shall praise me.

HAPPINESS AND SADNESS

- The townspeople believe that in life the Prince was happy because he never had to worry about the woes of others or see the poor of his city. - The Prince was not happy but sad by what he witness in the village.
Page 2 line 12 : ... 'I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci where sorrow is not allowed to enter. .. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.'

LOVE AND SACRIFICE

The Prince has the swallow take away his jewels, gold and rubies and distribute them amongst the poor in the town. As the Swallow was helping the Prince and the towns poor, winter came and the swallow died on the stripped statue of the Prince.
Page 6 line 7 : Leaf after leaf of the fine gold the Swallow picked off, till the Happy Prince looked quite dull and grey. Leaf after leaf of the fine gold he brought to the poor, and the children's faces grew rosier, and they laughed and played games in the street. 'We have bread now' they cried.

GREAT GAP BETWEEN THE RICH AND THE POOR

During his life, the Happy Price just know about happiness because in that palace he always be happy, live in luxurious place, he almost never being sad. In fact, behind that wall there are many people who get misery because they are poor. After his death, he can see all the ugliness and all the misery of the city.
Page 2 line 12 : ... 'I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci where sorrow is not allowed to enter. .. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.'

NOBLE FRIENDSHIP
Swallow never leave Happy Prince that is blind and decided to stay even though the winter getting so cold.
Page 5 line 6 : Then the Swallow came back to the Prince. "You are blind now," he said, "so I will stay with you always." "No, little Swallow," said the poor Prince, "you must go away to Egypt." "I will stay with you always," said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince's feet.

SELF-SACRIFICE
Happy Price sacrifices everything in his life to help suffering people. He gave away all his decorations and make him no longer beauty. The Little Swallow sacrifices his journey with his friend to the Egypt and stayed with the Happy Prince and helping him through winter season.
Page 5 line 8 : 'I will stay with you always,' said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince's feet. Page 6 line 1 : 'I am covered with fine gold,' said the Prince, 'you must take it off, leaf by leaf, and give it to my poor; the living always think that gold can make them happy.

LOYALTY
Swallow loyalty in love with the Happy Prince even though its only a statue. It refused and insisted to stayed with Happy Prince till the end until its died.
Page 5 line 6 : Then the Swallow came back to the Prince. "You are blind now," he said, "so I will stay with you always." "No, little Swallow," said the poor Prince, "you must go away to Egypt." "I will stay with you always," said the Swallow, and he slept at the Prince's feet.

CARING
The Happy Prince is crying because of misery on his own city. Ask the swallow to leave him because he is knows that the swallow cannot survive in the winter and he will be die.
Page 2 line 12 : And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot choose but weep.'

Page 5 line 6 : "No, little Swallow," said the poor Prince, "you must go away to Egypt."

OBEDIENT
The Swallow always obey every command from The Happy Prince.
Page 5 line 4 "Swallow, Swallow, little Swallow," said the Prince, "do as I command you.":

EXPOSITION
The Swallow fall in love with Reed, so he didnt go to Egypt with the other swallows. After other swallows had gone, he felt lonely and tired of his lover, the Reed. The swallow think the Reed is a coquettish girl, so he decided to leave her.

RISING ACTION
The Swallow arrived at the city and alighted between the feet of the Happy Prince. A drop fell on the Swallow, and he found out that the drop was the Princes tear. The Happy Prince demanded the Swallow to be his messenger, helping him to bring the jewels to someone in need; however, the Swallow agreed reluctantly.

CLIMAX
The Happy Prince became blind, so the Swallow decided to stay with him and replaced his empty eyes, to watch the city and tell the Happy Prince what he sees. The Happy Prince then requested the Swallow to take off the fine gold covered on him and sent the gold to the poor. Although the Happy Prince lost his eyes, he still gave away his last precious decoration-the gold

REVERSAL
The Swallow soon realized he would die because of the cold winter. He determined not to leave the Prince, because he loved him so much.

FALLING ACTION
The Prince asked the Swallow to kiss his lips, and the Swallow did so then fell down at the Prince's feet. At that moment, a crack sounded inside the statue as the Prince's heart broke. The statue was then pulled down and put into a furnace as it was no longer deemed beautiful.

RESOLUTION
Finally, the God asked his angels to find the two most precious things in the city ." The Happy Princes broken heart would not melt and was brought up to heaven along with the dead swallow.

LITERARY DEVICE
The story itself is a allegory (importance of charity) Figurative Language: The story is written as a fable, where animals present human characteristics. PERSONAFICATION: where the Happy prince and swallow can talk like human. SIMILE: a) He is beautiful as a weathercock, page 1 line 2 b) His lips are red as pomegranate page IMAGERY: Statute on a high column. People admiring the Happy Prince. The Swallow in love with the Reed. The Swallows plans for going to Egypt. The Maid-of-Honour in a party talking about seamstress.

WRITERS MOOD
Sympathy for the poor and makes adults look back on their attitude toward the unfortunate people around them.

Explanation : The Happy Prince's actions of helping the poor are worthy of respect. Without the ruby from his sword hilt, the seamstress's son may die of fever. His immediate and valuable action also helps the playwright out with a sapphire to buy food and firewood and escape from hunger and coldness. Again, the Happy Prince prevents the poor little match seller from being beaten by giving her the remaining sapphire. He is not hesitant to strip himself of all fine gold leaves to help the homeless children. Although the Happy Prince is a beautiful statue, a splendid work of art, he accepts his dull and grey appearance to help the needy to have a happy and sufficient life. His actions deserve being appreciated and praised.

WRITERS OPINION
We think that writer want to teach us that those who have much money they have to share with the poor, instead of spending it on unnecessary things. At first the prince was not happy, because the people around was poor and sad, but he chose to give all the gold that had the poorest person, and so got to be happy and make other people happy. If the prince who made of statue can give/donate money, we as people are living we can do more for needy people.