Chapter 5

The Happy Prince

1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy?
What does he see all around him?
Answer: He was a prince when he was alive. Being a prince, he never knew
sorrow and suffering. So, the courtiers called him ‘the happy prince’. But he
was not happy in the real sense as his heart could feel the misery of needy
people. He saw the miserable conditions of the people around him.

2. . What does the swallow see when it was flying over the city?
Answer: The swallow saw all categories of people. He found the rich
making merry in their beautiful houses and beggars begging and sitting at
the gates. He also saw a group of wandering children who were poverty-
stricken.
 3. In the story “The Happy Prince” what are the two most precious things?
What makes them so precious?
Answer: The two most precious things were the leaden heart of the Happy
Prince and the dead swallow. The former wept for the poor and helped them
by giving sapphires, gold leaves and ruby. While the latter helped the prince
in his noble cause and sacrificed her life while staying with him.

4. 12. Comment on the title of the story. Was the prince really happy?
Answer: The title is an ironic one, as it suggests that the story is about a
Prince who is happy. However, the readers soon realise that the prince is not
a human, but a statue. The prince had been called a Happy Prince when he
had been alive. At that time, he lived a sheltered and privileged life, with no
inkling of the suffering faced by the common people. After his death, his
statue was placed on a high column overlooking the city. Since the statue
was placed at a high point, he could see all the misery and sadness in the
city, which made him sad.

5. How do the councillors and Mayor react on seeing the broken statue?
Answer: The councillors and Mayor called the statue shabby because all the
gold and precious stones no longer decorated it. They felt that without these
embellishments, the statue looked like that of a beggar. Moreover, they felt
that the dead swallow at its feet added to the shabby condition of the statue.
Thus, since the statue was no longer beautiful or useful, it should be pulled
down and melted in the furnace. However, its lead heart did not melt, and it
was finally thrown onto the garbage heap with the dead swallow’s body.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Extra questions

1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy?
What does he see all around him?
Answer: He was a prince when he was alive. Being a prince, he never knew sorrow
and suffering. So, the courtiers called him ‘the happy prince’. But he was not
happy in a real sense as his heart could feel the misery of needy people. He saw the
miserable conditions of the people around him.

2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby to the seamstress? What does the
swallow do in the seamstress’ house?
Answer: The seamstress was tired due to overwork. She was so poor that she could
not buy oranges for her little sick son. Her son was thirsty. The Happy Prince saw
the poor lady and her son. He felt pity for them. So, he sent a ruby for her. The
swallow came to the poor woman’s house and laid the ruby on the table beside her.
The bird fanned the boy’s forehead with wings and flew back to the Happy Prince.

3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Answer: The playwright was very poor. He was incapable of buying food and
firewood. The prince sent the sapphires for the playwright so that he could finish a
play for the director of the theatre in time. The prince sent his second sapphire to a
poor match girl. Her matches had fallen into the gutter. She was afraid that her
father would beat her for this loss. So, she was helped by the prince by sending her
the second sapphire.

4. What does the swallow see when it was flying over the city?
Answer: The swallow saw all categories of people. He found the rich making
merry in their beautiful houses and beggars begging and sitting at the gates. He
also saw a group of wandering children who were poverty-stricken.

5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?
Answer: At first, the swallow was willing to go to Egypt just after discharging his
duty properly. But when he saw Prince’s activities of charity and kindness he got
impressed. On the other hand, now the Happy Prince had become totally blind due
to the deeds of charity. In this condition, he could not leave the prince helpless. He
left the idea of going to Egypt and decided to serve the prince.

7. Where was the swallow going? Why did he decide not to go there?
Answer: The little swallow was going to Egypt to join his friends. The Happy
Prince looked so sad that the swallow decided to stay back and be his messenger.
The swallow died helping the happy Prince in the service of poor people.

8. How did the Happy Prince help the poor children in the city?
Answer: As per the orders of the Happy Prince, the gold leaves and the jewels on
his boy were taken out by the swallow and distributed among the poor. Thus, the
Happy Prince was able to help the poor children in the city.

9. In the story “The Happy Prince” what are the two most precious things? What
makes them so precious?
Answer: The two most precious things were the leaden heart of the Happy Prince
and the dead swallow. The former wept for the poor and helped them by giving
sapphires, gold leaves and ruby. While the latter helped the prince in his noble
cause and sacrificed her life while staying with him.

10. How did the little swallow carry out the wishes of the Happy Prince

Answer: The swallow wanted to go to Egypt just like his friends who had already
gone there. He had rested at the base of the statue of the Happy Prince for just a
night. He postponed his trip as he had to carry a ruby to the needy playwright and
another to the seamstress. When the Happy Prince gave the sapphire from his eye
to the match girl, he became blind. So, the swallow decided to stay there and help
the needy just like the prince. The swallow died carrying out the wishes of the
Happy Prince in the service of the needy.

11. What made the sick boy fall into a deep, restful sleep?
Answer: When the bird delivered the ruby, he flew gently around the bed of the
sick boy, fanning the boy’s forehead with his wings. This soothed the boy and he
fell into a deep, restful sleep.

12. Comment on the title of the story. Was the prince really happy?
Answer: The title is an ironic one, as it suggests that the story is about a Prince
who is happy. However, the readers soon realise that the prince is not a human, but
a statue. The prince had been called a Happy Prince when he had been alive. At
that time, he lived a sheltered and privileged life, with no inkling of the suffering
faced by the common people. After his death, his statue was placed on a high
column overlooking the city. Since the statue was placed at a high point, he could
see all the misery and sadness in the city, which made him sad.

13. How do the councillors and Mayor react to seeing the broken statue?
Answer: The councillors and Mayor called the statue shabby because all the gold
and precious stones no longer decorated it. They felt that without these
embellishments, the statue looked like that of a beggar. Moreover, they felt that the
dead swallow at its feet added to the shabby condition of the statue. Thus, since the
statue was no longer beautiful or useful, it should be pulled down and melted in the
furnace. However, its lead heart did not melt, and it was finally thrown onto the
garbage heap with the dead swallow’s body.