“The Happy Prince Summary: Oscar Wilde’s Timeless Tale of Selflessness and Sacrifice”

INTRODUCTION

“The Happy Prince” is a short story written by Oscar Wilde, which was first published in 1888. It’s a fairy tale that tells the story of a golden statue of a prince, the Happy Prince, and a small swallow.

PLOT SUMMARY

The story is set in a city where a beautiful statue of a prince stands high on a pedestal. The statue is covered in gold leaf and precious jewels and is known as the Happy Prince because it portrays the prince with a smile on his face.

One day, a swallow, on its way to Egypt, takes shelter near the statue. The swallow is tired and decides to rest for the night. As the swallow is about to sleep, it hears the prince’s statue crying. The statue, though beautiful, is crying because it can see the suffering of the poor people in the city from its high vantage point.

The swallow decides to help the prince and the poor people. It plucks the jewels and gold leaf from the statue and takes them to the needy, leaving the prince’s statue looking dull and gray. The swallow continues to help the poor in the city, giving away all the gold and jewels.

When Swallow returns, he falls on the feet of the prince’s statue. He died of cold. This thing shattered Prince’s lead heart.CONTINUE