The Happy Prince

Gilded weeping statue

"The Happy Prince" is a short story by Oscar Wilde, published in 1888, about a gilded statue who enlists a swallow to distribute his jewels and gold leaf to the poor.

The tale is often read as a parable about compassion, sacrifice, and the blindness of those in power to suffering.

By extension, a Happy Prince is someone who gives away their advantages to help others: She played Happy Prince with her inheritance, giving it all to charity.

Related

fairy taleMagical children's narrative
children's storySimple narrative for youth
swallowSend down the throat
statueThree-dimensional sculpted likeness
gilded statueSculpture coated in gold

Oscar Wilde · gold · jewels · precious stones · tears · poverty · selfless · selfless love · sacrifice · beauty · sorrow · gilt · lead · heart · winter · winter cold · migration · charity

Opposites

emotional state vs. title

The Happy PrinceThe Merry Widow

Lehár's celebrated stage work

narrative irony (appearance vs. reality)

The Happy PrinceJob

Biblical patience exemplar

King Midas · Pollyanna · Pagliacci

moral stance (selflessness vs. selfishness)

The Happy PrinceScrooge

Miserly, cold-hearted person

King Midas · Midas · misers · hoarders · robber barons

Family

happy, happily, happiness, unhappy, unhappiness, happier, happiest, prince, princes

Familiarity: Top 500,000
Profile: Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Positive · Everyday, not technical · Rated G