Detailed summary of The Happy Prince with themes characters and moral lesson
The 5th Chapter in the Class 9 English Supplementary Reader includes particular prose, The Happy Prince. The Happy Prince Summary provided here is going to be helpful for students who want to know more about the chapter and the prose.
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The Happy Prince Summary
The basic summary of the prose describes the story of a Prince’s statue that is loaded with golden leaves and gems. The story also describes a swallow bird who agrees to help all the people who are needy in the kingdom on the instructions of the prince’s statue. Read the entire prose as well as the happy prince summary and analysis to know more. This summary is a guide for the students who want to understand what the chapter means in a moral sense.
The Story of the Happy Prince Summary
The Happy Prince is one of the compositions of Oscar Wilde. The story is about a sculpture of the Happy Prince which was covered with precious gems and golden leaves. This statue, placed at the very top was overlooked the entire city. A swallow flying on top of the statue notices one day that the statue of the Happy Prince is actually not happy and was miserable. Upon asking, the statue revealed that he was once a happy person and he overlooked the miseries of the townspeople. He wasn’t informed about the problems that his people went through during his lifetime. It was only after his death when the statue was made could he look at the people and see how poor and miserable they were. Students can read the full summary from the happy prince summary PDF.
The swallow upon seeing how miserable the prince was, agreed to be his messenger and tried to help people on his instructions. This pleased the Prince as he knew he would be able to help people. First of all, the prince ordered the bird to pluck the red ruby from his sword and take it to the seamstress who was in need of money for her diseased son. The bird followed his command and took the jewel to the seamstress.
After that, the prince told the bird to take a sapphire from one of his eyes so that he could give it to the dramatist who wasn’t able to create a fire in order to complete his work during the winter season. Then the bird again did as it was told. Then the prince ordered the bird to take another sapphire from his eyes and give it to the match girl who lost all her matches when they fell into the canal. Despite knowing that he would be visually impaired, the bird decided to do as the price willed. All of the details are mentioned in Oscar Wilde the happy prince summary.
Even after losing his sight, the prince still wanted to help more and more people. The bird decided to not leave his side since he couldn’t see. After some time, he ordered the bird, again and again, to take the leaves from his statue and give it to those who were in need. During the winter season, as the bird did the prince’s bidding, he became weaker and weaker. Eventually, the bird fell completely ill and died.
When that happened, the prince’s statue cracked symbolizing something breaking. It was the leaden heart that the prince had. By that point, the prince’s statue had actually lost all its glamour. When the Town Counsellors and the Mayor saw the state of the prince’s sculpture, they took it down and decided to melt it. They threw the statue into a furnace. However, the leaden heart of the prince which was broken did not melt. The people decided to throw the heart in the same place that the bird had died. The happy prince summary tells the students about the acts of the bird and the prince who wanted to help the people of the town.
As the story progresses, God made a request to his angels so that they could bring him the most valuable things from the city. Then the angels brought the body of the bird and the leaden heart of the prince to God who cherished the charming creations he had created.
The moral of the story discussed in the happy prince summary and analysis is that showing compassion towards those who are needful will bring you happiness in life.
Conclusion
The following article provides the happy prince summary in short. Students will learn the moral aspects of the chapter and get to know more about how helping others can be one of the kindest acts of all time. This article will also aid them in creating essays about the prose and preparing well for their upcoming examinations.
FAQs on Happy Prince Summary and Complete Story Overview
1. What is the summary of The Happy Prince?
The Happy Prince summary tells the story of a golden statue and a swallow who sacrifice themselves to help the poor and suffering people of a city. The statue of the Happy Prince, covered in gold and jewels, sees the misery around him and asks a swallow to distribute his riches to the needy.
- The Prince gives away his ruby, sapphires, and gold leaf.
- The swallow delivers these treasures to a poor seamstress, a playwright, and a match girl.
- Both the Prince and the swallow die in the end.
- God rewards them for their kindness and selflessness.
2. Who wrote The Happy Prince?
The Happy Prince was written by Oscar Wilde, an Irish poet, playwright, and author. It was first published in 1888 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children.
- Oscar Wilde is known for his wit and literary style.
- The story combines fairy tale elements with social criticism.
- It remains one of Wilde’s most famous short stories.
3. What are the main characters in The Happy Prince?
The main characters in The Happy Prince are the Happy Prince and the Swallow. These two characters drive the plot and express the central themes.
- The Happy Prince – A statue covered in gold and jewels who feels sorrow for the poor.
- The Swallow – A bird who delays his migration to help the Prince.
- Minor characters include the seamstress, the playwright, the match girl, and city officials.
4. What is the moral of The Happy Prince?
The moral of The Happy Prince is that true happiness comes from selfless love and sacrifice. The Prince and the swallow give up everything they have to help others.
- Material wealth is less important than kindness.
- Helping others brings spiritual reward.
- External beauty fades, but inner goodness lasts forever.
5. Why does the Happy Prince ask the swallow for help?
The Happy Prince asks the swallow for help because he cannot move from his pedestal and wants to help the poor people he sees. From his high position, he observes suffering throughout the city.
- He gives his ruby to a poor seamstress.
- He gives his sapphires to a playwright and a match girl.
- He asks the swallow to strip off his gold leaf.
6. Why does the swallow not go to Egypt?
The swallow does not go to Egypt because he chooses to stay and help the Happy Prince in his mission of charity. Although he initially plans to migrate, he is moved by the Prince’s sorrow.
- He delays his journey repeatedly.
- He delivers jewels and gold to the poor.
- He eventually dies due to the cold winter.
7. How does The Happy Prince end?
The Happy Prince ends with the death of the swallow and the breaking of the Prince’s lead heart. After giving away all his riches, the statue looks dull and ugly.
- The swallow dies at the Prince’s feet.
- The Prince’s lead heart breaks in sorrow.
- The city officials melt the statue but discard the heart.
- God declares the Prince and the swallow the most precious things in the city.
8. What are the themes in The Happy Prince?
The major themes in The Happy Prince include charity, sacrifice, love, poverty, and social inequality. Oscar Wilde uses a fairy tale structure to explore serious social issues.
- Compassion – Helping those in need.
- Sacrifice – Giving up personal comfort for others.
- Social injustice – Contrast between wealth and poverty.
- True happiness – Found in generosity, not luxury.
9. What literary devices are used in The Happy Prince?
The Happy Prince uses literary devices such as allegory, symbolism, personification, and irony. These devices deepen the meaning of the story.
- Symbolism – The statue represents superficial beauty and hidden sorrow.
- Personification – The statue and bird speak and feel emotions.
- Irony – The “Happy” Prince was unaware of suffering during his lifetime.
- Allegory – The story reflects moral and spiritual lessons.
10. Why is The Happy Prince called a fairy tale?
The Happy Prince is called a fairy tale because it contains magical elements, moral lessons, and personified characters. The talking swallow and the emotional statue are typical fairy tale features.
- It teaches a clear moral about kindness.
- It includes supernatural elements and divine judgment.
- It is written in a simple narrative style suitable for children.
