Oscar Wilde’s short children’s tale The Happy Prince was published in 1888. I’ve briefly touched on the short story and my love for the message in the past; a swallow decides to refrain from following his flock to Egypt and fills out the final requests of the titular character, a statue who wishes to help the townspeople living in poverty. Wilde’s prose and dialogue are persistently poetic and thought-provoking and the unlying message regarding selflessness and love is easy to infer.
In Art and Christhood: The Aesthetics of Oscar Wilde, Guy Willoughby regards the titular character as having completed ‘Christlike sacrifices, in the interests of a new wholeness’ thereby forming the 'central theme’ to the plot, implying that the Happy Prince serves as a symbol of compassion towards society’s hardships in a similar way to Christ. After reading the short story for the first time, I agree with Willougby. Wilde likens the Prince to ‘an angel,’ a divine being that frequents the Bible and works as a messenger and accomplice of God before any sacrifices are completed.
The sacrifices Willoughby writes of include the Prince’s donation of his fine gold, which he is ‘covered’ with, and he comments that ‘the living always think that gold can make them happy’. The gold Wilde writes of is symbolic of wealth, and thanks to his giving, the ‘children’s faces grew rosier’ as they exclaim, ‘we have bread now!’. The sacrifice, which leaves the Prince ‘dull and grey,’ Wilde’s adjectives conveying a loss of beauty that juxtaposes the Prince’s earlier assertion as ‘beautiful as weathercock,’ holds similarities to Christ’s reasoning in the gospel of Luke. Christ tells his disciples ‘take, eat, this is my body, which I have given up for you.’ This supports Willoughby’s claim that the Prince makes ‘Christlike’ surrenders, for the Prince too gave up his body for the townsfolk, thereby supporting the concept that Wilde wrote this with Christian morals in tow.
Furthermore, Willoughby also writes that the Prince’s ‘charitable gestures may be useless’ as the children will continue to live in poverty after his disposal, however, ‘in individual terms, the terms in which Christ realises himself fully, such sacrifices are vital.’ When the Prince gives up his assets for the poor, Wilde’s hyperbolically personifies him as ‘little better than a beggar’ through the Mayor’s dialogue. Whilst this emphasises his loss of grandeur and the devastation the sacrifice has on him, Christ’s stance on the poor, which Wilde mentions in De Profundis, can be brought into the discussion. Wilde recalled Christ’s ‘pity for the rich and hard Hedonists,’ claiming they ‘lived for others.’ The Prince's recognition of his magnificence and subsequent sacrifice, which results in Wilde’s simile likening him to a vagrant, conveys Christ’s teaching. Wilde simultaneously illustrates the importance of charity and not seeking pleasure, both of which are Christian morals, through The Happy Prince.
In addition to using Christian teachings surrounding welfare, Wilde conveys his Christian background at the ending of The Happy Prince when the titular character and Swallow ascend to the afterlife. The Prince’s ‘broken lead heart will not melt in the furnace,’ Wilde’s use of adjectives initially connotes defeat in the statue that is rebounded by its inability to burn. The Prince’s heart not melting suggests a degree of strength and goodness, marking its place as one of the ‘most precious things in the city’ according to God and the Angel. Their assertion juxtaposes the opinions of the Town Councillors and Mayor, who declare the Prince ‘no longer useful’ after losing his beauty, conveying Christ’s pity for the rich who spend their lives pleasing others. Instead, God regards The Prince’s heart and the Swallow as cherished, allowing the latter’s entry to the ‘garden of Paradise,’ a metaphorical reference to the ultimate utopia of Adam and Eve prior to their sin and the ‘city of gold’. Wilde mentions the afterlife in De Profundis, writing that ‘far off, like a perfect pearl, one can see the city of God’. Wilde’s simile emphasises the utopia that Heaven is promised to be and confirms his belief in the kingdom, however, his mention of it being out of reach emphasises his disbelief in ascending after death. This authenticates that Wilde is aware of the morals that allow one to reach the promised land, hence, as Willoughby describes, the Prince is written as a ‘compelling ethical model for central characters.’
The Happy Prince is one of my all-time favourite stories. It's a gorgeous story that brings me comfort everytime I come back to it - I'm so glad I've finally published a blog post on it!
Hi everyone - thank you so much for reading! I'm so, so excited for Easter. The upcoming holiday is always my favourite weekend of the year.
Hang in there everyone - an extra long weekend awaits!
Love, Karisma
xxx