The Happy Prince Flashcards
by Oscar Wilde — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: The Happy Prince
Where does the Happy Prince statue stand, and what is it made of?
He stands on a tall column high above the city, gilded with gold leaf, with sapphire eyes and a ruby on his sword-hilt.
Why has the Swallow stayed behind while his friends flew to Egypt?
He was in love with a Reed by the river, but eventually tires of her because she has no conversation and is too attached to her home.
What is the first thing the Swallow notices when he lands at the statue's feet?
Large drops of water fall on him -- they are the Prince's tears, which the Swallow initially mistakes for rain.
Who is the first person the Happy Prince asks the Swallow to help, and what does he give?
A seamstress whose sick boy is asking for oranges. The Prince gives her the ruby from his sword-hilt.
What does the Prince give to the young playwright in the garret?
One of his sapphire eyes, so the young man can sell it to buy food and firewood to finish his play.
Who receives the Prince's second sapphire eye?
A little match-girl whose matches have fallen in the gutter. She calls the sapphire "a lovely bit of glass" and runs home laughing.
What does the Swallow do after the Prince becomes blind?
He decides to stay with the Prince forever instead of flying to Egypt, and strips the gold leaf from the statue piece by piece to give to the poor.
How does the Swallow die?
He freezes to death in the winter cold. He kisses the Prince on the lips, then falls dead at his feet, causing the Prince's leaden heart to crack in two.
What happens to the Happy Prince statue after the Swallow dies?
The Mayor and Town Councillors declare him shabby and no longer useful, pull him down, and melt the statue in a furnace -- but the leaden heart will not melt.
What does God ask the Angel to bring Him at the end of the story?
The two most precious things in the city. The Angel brings the leaden heart and the dead Swallow, and God declares the choice right.
Why did the Prince never know sorrow when he was alive?
He lived in the Palace of Sans-Souci ("without care"), where a high wall shut out all suffering and his courtiers kept him entertained.
How does the Happy Prince's perspective change after death?
Set high on a column, he can now see all the ugliness and misery of his city that the palace walls had hidden from him in life.
What motivates the Swallow to keep delaying his journey to Egypt?
Compassion awakened by the Prince's sadness and the suffering people he helps. Each act of charity makes the Swallow feel warm despite the cold.
How do the Mayor and Town Councillors react to the stripped statue?
They judge it purely on appearance, declaring "As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful," and the Mayor plans to replace it with a statue of himself.
What does the Reed represent in the Swallow's backstory?
A shallow, self-centered attachment -- she is domestic but unresponsive. The Swallow's love for the Reed contrasts with the selfless love he develops for the Prince.
How does the story illustrate that true worth differs from outward appearance?
The Prince is most morally beautiful when he is dull and blind, and the town discards him for being ugly -- while God recognizes his stripped heart as the city's most precious thing.
How does Wilde portray the gap between rich and poor in the city?
The rich make merry in beautiful houses while starving children huddle under bridges. The seamstress embroiders gowns for the Queen's court but cannot afford oranges for her sick son.
What does the story suggest about self-sacrifice and its rewards?
Both the Prince and the Swallow sacrifice everything and die, but they are rewarded in Paradise -- suggesting that earthly loss for others' sake has divine value.
How does the Swallow's relationship with the Prince illustrate the theme of love and devotion?
The Swallow gives up his dream of Egypt and ultimately his life to stay with the blind Prince, choosing loyalty and compassion over self-preservation.
What is ironic about the title "The Happy Prince"?
The Prince weeps constantly because he now sees the city's suffering. His "happiness" was only ignorance, sheltered behind palace walls from the real world.
What does the leaden heart symbolize?
The Prince's deep compassion. Though made of base metal, it is the most precious thing in the city, and it will not melt even in a furnace -- love endures beyond destruction.
How does Wilde use the fairy tale form to deliver social criticism?
The talking statue and helpful bird follow fairy tale conventions, but the story satirizes civic leaders, wealth inequality, and the hollow values of the town's authorities.
What role does contrast play in the story's structure?
Wilde repeatedly juxtaposes wealth and poverty (court balls vs. starving children), beauty and ugliness (gold statue vs. grey ruin), and earthly judgment vs. divine judgment.
What does the name "Sans-Souci" mean, and why is it significant?
It means "without care" in French. The name underscores how the Prince's former happiness was built on willful ignorance of suffering.
What is a coquette, as the Swallow uses the word to describe the Reed?
A flirt. The Swallow accuses the Reed of being a coquette because she is always bowing and curtsying to the wind.
What does "gilded" mean in the context of the Happy Prince statue?
Covered with a thin layer of gold. The Prince is gilded with fine gold leaf, which the Swallow later strips off to give to the poor.
What is the significance of the Prince's line: "There is no Mystery so great as Misery"?
It encapsulates the story's central message: human suffering is the deepest truth, more profound than any wonder the Swallow describes from his travels.
What do the Town Councillors mean when they say, "As he is no longer beautiful he is no longer useful"?
They reveal the city's shallow values -- worth is measured by appearance, not character. The Art Professor echoes society's equation of beauty with utility.
What is the Swallow's final words to the Prince, and why are they significant?
He says he is going not to Egypt but to "the House of Death," asking if Death is the brother of Sleep. It transforms his recurring dream of Egypt into acceptance of his sacrifice.