🌹 The Happy Prince — Question & Answers
(By Oscar Wilde)
1️⃣ Why do the courtiers call the prince “The Happy Prince”? Is he really happy? What does he see all around him?
The courtiers called him “The Happy Prince” because when he was alive, he always lived in a grand palace where sorrow was not allowed to enter. He never knew what tears were and lived a life full of joy.
But now, after his death, his statue is placed high above the city. From there, he can see all the misery and ugliness around him. He sees poor and unhappy people everywhere. His heart is made of lead, yet he cannot stop crying because of the sadness he sees.
2️⃣ Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress? What does the swallow do in the seamstress’s house?
The Happy Prince sends the ruby to help a poor seamstress. She was working hard in her small house, stitching a gown for the Queen’s maid, but her little boy was sick with fever and crying for oranges. She had nothing to give him except river water.
The Prince wanted to help her but could not move. So he asked the swallow to take the ruby from his sword hilt and give it to her.
In the seamstress’s house, the swallow:
- Placed the ruby on the table beside her thimble.
- Flew around the boy’s bed and fanned his forehead with his wings, making him feel cool and peaceful.
3️⃣ For whom does the Prince send the sapphires and why?
The Happy Prince gives away his two sapphire eyes to help two poor people:
- A young playwright:
- He lived in an attic and was trying to finish a play.
- He was too cold and hungry to write.
- The Prince sent one sapphire so he could sell it, buy food and firewood, and finish his play.
- A poor matchgirl:
- She had dropped her matches into the gutter and was crying.
- She had no shoes and feared her father would beat her if she came home without money.
- The Prince sent his second sapphire to help her.
4️⃣ What does the swallow see when it flies over the city?
When the swallow flew over the city, it saw:
- Rich people enjoying themselves in their beautiful houses.
- Beggars sitting sadly at their gates.
- Hungry and pale children standing at dark lanes.
- Two little boys lying under a bridge, hugging each other to stay warm. A watchman shouted at them and sent them away into the cold rain.
5️⃣ Why did the swallow not leave the Prince and go to Egypt?
At first, the swallow wanted to go to Egypt, but each time the Prince requested help, the swallow stayed “one night longer.”
When the Prince gave away both his eyes, he became blind. The swallow said lovingly,
“You are blind now, so I will stay with you always.”
As the winter grew colder, the swallow remained with the Prince out of love and loyalty. Finally, the little swallow died of cold at the Prince’s feet.
6️⃣ What are the precious things mentioned in the story? Why are they precious?
At first, the statue of the Prince was decorated with:
- Fine gold leaves
- Two sapphires for eyes
- A ruby on the sword hilt
But in the end, God shows what is truly precious. He asked His Angel to bring Him the two most precious things in the city. The Angel brought:
- The leaden heart of the Happy Prince, and
- The dead swallow.
They are precious because they represent love, kindness, and sacrifice:
- The leaden heart broke with sorrow for others’ suffering and could not melt in the furnace, showing its purity.
- The swallow sacrificed his life to help the poor and stayed with the Prince till the end.
God blessed them both, saying that the Happy Prince would live forever in the City of Gold and the little swallow would sing forever in Paradise.
7️⃣ “It is curious, but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.” — Why did the swallow say this? Have you ever felt like this?
The swallow said this after giving the ruby to the poor seamstress and fanning her sick child. The Prince told him that he felt warm because “you have done a good action.”
Sometimes, when we help others or do something kind, we also feel happy and warm inside — even if the weather is cold. That’s the warmth of kindness and goodness.
🌟 Moral of the Story
True happiness comes not from wealth and beauty, but from love, kindness, and sacrifice for others.