“THE HAPPY PRINCE” BY “OSCAR WILDE”

Musleh Saadi
Oct 8
6 min read

Introduction:

“The Happy Prince” is written by “Oscar Wilde”. In such an explicit way that the story

shows us the real image of society by discussing the themes of Repression, injustice and,

inequality.

The Happy Prince also depicts the darker sides of society’s obsession with beauty that

when the statue was covered with jewels. People praised it but when the statue sacrificed its

beauty people made it fall and melt him in a furnace this shows the qualitative property of

society.

Plot:

The Story “The Happy Prince” begins when the swallow delayed his trip to Egypt for

winters and waited for Reed his love to come and they would go together but she refused to

leave. So, the swallow with broken heart decided to find shelter and he stayed under the statue of

Happy Prince.

The Statue spoke to the swallow all about the people of the city that how they are living

their life. He mainly talked about the poverty of the lower class and injustices of the higher class

in the society and he asked the swallow to assist him by helping the poor by delivering the jewels

of the statue to the people in need. When every piece of jewels was delivered the prince felt

warmth in happiness and the swallow started loving him and decided to stay with him for the rest

of his life because the statue couldn’t see now. The weather started to get cold and the swallow

realized that he might die soon so he confessed his love to the Happy Prince. The statue becomes

dull and unattractive due to the loss of diamonds so the people who once loved him started to

hate him because of his shabbiness. The Mayor decided to melt it down but the lead heart of the

prince wouldn’t melt so they threw the heart to the body of the sparrow.

God asked to bring the most precious things from the earth by his Angel and the angel

brought the heart of the prince and swallow’s body and God placed these two in paradise because

of their sacrifices.

Symbolism:

The Swallow is the symbol of Friendship and Honesty as he did not leave with other

Birds but stayed with the prince to fulfill his wishes.

The Lead heart of the prince shows immortality and love that how a dead heart thought

about the city while the power holder of the city couldn’t see the sufferings of the poor. It shows

immortality when it was melted by the mayor but it didn’t melt and then it was pleased with the

dead swallow.

The Mayor and Councill members show injustice in society. They are represented by

Repression and Heartless people

The Old Women, the Playwright represent the lower class of society. Who tolerated the

cruelty of upper-class society.

The little girl in the story represents the child labor in our society as she was forced to

work for her greedy father rather than enjoying her precious childhood time.

Characters:

The Happy Prince:

He is the protagonist. The prince led a life of luxurious but when he died, he was turned into a

statue and was covered with jewels, and was placed up above the city. The statue was always

looking at the city and witnessed the poverty and injustices in society. The prince realized that he

lived a life of falls happiness because he couldn’t see the sufferings of people living around him

So he decided to sacrifice himself for the poor people of the city.

The Swallow:

The swallow is the other protagonist of the story. The other birds went to Egypt because

of winters but the swallow didn’t leave because of the love of reed, this shows the theme of love

and affection, as the bird stayed in winter he knew that he won’t live a long life but still he

sacrifice and stayed with the prince and help him by helping poor people by giving them jewels

of the prince. When the statue gave sapphires, which were located in the eyes of the prince and

now he was blind but the bird stayed with him forever till death. The bird shows the act of

kindness and moral behaviors. The sacrifice of birds made him live in paradise forever.

The Reed:

The reed betrayed the swallow by not going with him so the swallow went to the city to

live with the happy prince. The characters of the reed show that the bird did not judge her

properly. He thought her as good as her appearance.

God:

the God saved the heart of prince and the dead body of swallow and placed them in paradise for

eternity. This shows justices’ and equality of god.

Playwright:

This person was suffering from cold and hunger so the happy prince sends him another

sapphire from his eye.

Point of view:

The prince lived a life of luxury but was without any idea of poverty and he never payed

attention to the lower class. When he died he becomes aware of poverty and suffering of the poor

and started helping them by sending the jewels and he released the real meaning of jewels that

they were meaningless when the statue heard them but by feeding poor they got meaning and

the prince’s heart and swallow got to live in paradise as in result of their kindness and sacrifices.

They got reward of their good deeds as they were considered the most precious things on the

earth. And they were taken by the angels. This story also reveals the truth of power and

supremacy of higher-class societies that how they kill the rights of poor and needy peoples of

society as they were not given their rights while the mayor and councilors were enjoying the

luxurious life.

Comprehensive Analysis of “The Happy Prince” by Oscar Wilde

1. Introduction

Oscar Wilde’s short story “The Happy Prince” reflects the moral contradictions of a society that values external beauty over inner virtue. The story portrays the degradation of moral values in a class-divided society, exposing themes of repression, injustice, inequality, and the blindness of materialism (1). Wilde presents the gilded statue of the Happy Prince as a mirror of society’s obsession with wealth — a symbol that glows only until its jewels are stripped away to aid the poor. This reflects the Victorian era’s social hypocrisy, where people praise appearances but ignore suffering (2).

2. Plot and Moral Transformation

At the beginning, the swallow delays his migration to Egypt out of love for the Reed, symbolizing attachment and emotional vulnerability. Heartbroken, he shelters beneath the statue of the Happy Prince, who observes the city’s misery and laments his former ignorance. The Prince enlists the swallow’s help to distribute his jewels — an act symbolizing moral awakening and self-sacrifice. With each act of charity, the Prince’s beauty fades, while his spiritual worth increases (3).When the townspeople later condemn the now-dull statue and melt it, Wilde demonstrates how society destroys goodness once it loses ornamental value (4). Only the lead heart, symbolizing eternal love, survives the fire.

3. Symbolism

Symbolism drives the story’s moral power:

The Happy Prince — Represents moral enlightenment through empathy. Once oblivious to suffering, he becomes a symbol of charity and conscience (5).
The Swallow — Symbolizes loyalty and moral courage; his self-sacrifice elevates him spiritually. His journey from earthly affection (for the Reed) to divine love (for the Prince) mirrors spiritual ascension (6).
The Lead Heart — Represents immortality of virtue. Although melted with the statue, it remains intact, signifying that compassion cannot perish (7).
The Mayor and Councilors — Embody political hypocrisy and moral blindness, caring only for appearances.
The Poor Citizens — Symbolize the marginalized majority, whose pain exposes systemic injustice (8).

4. Character Analysis

The Happy Prince, once a symbol of worldly pleasure, becomes a moral beacon after death. His sacrifice transforms him from ornamental beauty to a saint-like figure of love. The Swallow, the story’s second protagonist, illustrates active compassion — choosing self-sacrifice over survival. Together, they form a dual image of divine friendship and altruism.The Reed symbolizes deceptive beauty and emotional fragility, while the Mayor and Councilors reflect social corruption. Their superficial judgment of the statue exposes how institutional vanity erases moral truth (9).Finally, God and the Angel serve as Wilde’s instruments of poetic justice. Their elevation of the Swallow and the Prince to Paradise confirms that eternal worth lies in compassion, not luxury (10).

5. Moral and Social Interpretation

Wilde crafts “The Happy Prince” as both social criticism and moral parable. Through the Prince’s sacrifices and the Swallow’s devotion, he condemns class inequality and aesthetic superficiality, while affirming that true happiness comes through empathy and moral duty. The story asserts that divine justice transcends social blindness — God values mercy and sacrifice above power or prestige. The immortal pairing of the Swallow’s body and the Prince’s heart in heaven encapsulates Wilde’s final message: