Summary

The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde is a poignant and heartwarming story that teaches the value of compassion and selflessness. The story revolves around a statue of the Happy Prince, who is adorned with gold leaves, precious gems, and sparkling jewels. The statue is placed atop a high column, overlooking the city. One day, a swallow on its way to Egypt takes shelter under the statue and learns from the Prince that he is not happy, but rather filled with sorrow.

While alive, the Prince was shielded from the suffering of the world, living in luxury within his palace. However, after his death, he became aware of the misery and pain in the city below. As a statue, he wished he could help, but he could not move. The Prince’s eyes were made of sapphires, and his sword handle had a red ruby, all of which made him appear magnificent to onlookers, but the Prince’s heart ached as he saw the poverty and suffering around him.

The swallow, moved by the Prince’s plight, agrees to carry out the Prince’s wishes. The Prince asks the swallow to help the poor and suffering people of the city. He starts by giving away the ruby from his sword to help a poor seamstress whose son is ill. Later, the Prince instructs the swallow to remove one sapphire from his eye and give it to a struggling playwright. When the swallow relays the sapphire to the playwright, the Prince insists the bird help a young match girl who has been beaten by her father. Although this causes the Prince to lose his other eye, the swallow obeys and continues his mission.

The swallow, despite growing weaker in the cold winter, does not leave the Prince. He continues to remove the gold leaves from the Prince’s body, distributing them to the poor. Eventually, the swallow succumbs to the cold and dies beside the Prince. The Prince’s leaden heart breaks at the loss of the swallow, and the statue is left in a sad and dull state.

The Mayor and the Town Councillors, seeing the now-dull statue, discard it, melting it down. However, the leaden heart and the dead swallow do not melt and are thrown away together. In Heaven, God’s angel takes the heart and the swallow to Paradise, where they are welcomed with great honor. God praises the selfless acts of the Prince and the swallow, considering them the most valuable treasures.

The Happy Prince teaches the lesson that true happiness lies in selfless acts of kindness and helping those in need, even at the cost of one’s own well-being.