Oscar Wilde

The Happy Prince By Oscar Wilde Annotated Novel

A swallow who become left behind after his flock flew off to Egypt for the winter meets the statue of the past due "Happy Prince", who in truth has by no means experienced actual sorrow, for he lived in a palace where sorrow became now not allowed to enter. Viewing diverse scenes of humans struggling in poverty from his tall monument, the Happy Prince asks the swallow to take the ruby from his hilt, the sapphires from his eyes, and the gold leaf overlaying his frame to give to the negative. As the winter comes and the Happy Prince is stripped of all of his beauty, his lead heart breaks when the swallow dies because of his selfless deeds and extreme bloodless. The people, ignorant of their excellent deeds, take the statue down from the pillar because of its shabbiness (intending to replace it with one of the Mayor, and the metal melted in a furnace, leaving at the back of the damaged heart and the dead swallow; they're thrown in a dust heap.