The Happy Prince – Questions and Answers.

1. He was very much admired. a) Why was the statue admired? b) What did the admires say in
its praise?
Ans: a) The statue of Happy Prince was admired by everyone because it was very beautiful. He
was gilded all over his body with thin leaves of fine gold. And he had two bright blue sapphires
for his eyes and a large red ruby glowed on his sword hilt.
b) One of the Town Councillors admired the statue and said that it was as beautiful as a
weathercock. A mother gave the example of the Happy Prince to her son who was crying and
throwing tantrums, she said that the Happy Prince never cried for anything. A disappointed
man looked at the statue and said that he was glad that there was somebody in the world who
was happy. The Charity Children said that the Happy Prince looked like an angel.
2. ‘Who are you?’ he said. ‘I am Happy Prince.’ ‘Why are you weeping then?’ asked the Swallow,
‘You have quite drenched me.’ a) What reason did the Happy Prince give for weeping? b) Was he
always sad? Pick out examples from the story in support of your answer.
Ans: a) The Happy Prince said that once he had died, people had set him up so high as a statue
so that he could see all the ugliness and all the misery of his city. Even though his heart was
made of lead, he said, he could not help but weep at witnessing the horrors.
b) No, the Happy Prince wasn’t always sad. He lived in the Palace of Sans – Souci, where sorrow
was not allowed to enter. He used to play with his companions in the garden during the day, and
in the evening, he led the dance in the Great Hall. A lofty wall ran around the garden; the
prince had never cared to find out what lay beyond it. The courtiers used to call him the Happy
Prince, and he was indeed happy if pleasure alone could be called happiness.
3. ‘Dear Prince’, said the Swallow, ‘I cannot do that,’ and he began to weep.
a) What did the Prince ask the Swallow to do? Why? b) Why did the Swallow weep? c) Did the
Swallow obey the statue’s instructions? Why?

Ans:a)The Prince asked the Swallow to pluck out the sapphire from one of his eyes and take it
to the poor playwright, who was poor, cold and hungry.

b) The Swallow wept because he felt sad to pluck out the sapphire, as the Happy Prince’s eyes
were made of it.

c) Yes, the Swallow followed the Happy Prince’s instructions. The young man was trying to finish
a play for the Director of Theatre but he was too cold to write any more. There was no fire in
the grate and he was famished. Hence, he agreed to take the sapphire to the young man.

4. ‘As he is no longer beautiful, he is no longer useful.’, said the Art Professor at the University.

a) Why was the Prince no longer beautiful to look at? b) What did they do to the statue?

Ans: a) The Prince was no longer beautiful to look at because the ruby had fallen out of his
sword, his eyes were gone, and he wasn’t golden anymore. Everyone now thought that
the Prince looked like a beggar.

b) The townspeople pulled down the statue. Then they melted the statue in a furnace and the
Mayor held a meeting of the Corporation to decide what was to be done with the metal.
5. Pick out three instances from the story to show that the Swallow and the Prince really cared for
each other.

Ans: Three instances that show that the Swallow and the Prince really cared for each other
are:

1.The Swallow wept because he felt sad to pluck out one of the sapphires, as the Happy
prince’s eyes were made of them. 2. The Swallow decided to stay back another night and
help the boy with fever because he felt bad looking at the sad Happy Prince. 3. When the
Swallow fell down dead at the Happy Prince’s feet, a crack sounded inside the statue, as if
something had broken. The fact was that the Prince’s leaden heart had snapped in two.

7. What does the phrase golden bedroom refer to? Do you think it is an apt description?
Ans: The Swallow took shelter in between the Happy Prince’s feet. It was a fine position
for him and there was plenty of fresh air. Since the statue of the Happy Prince was gilded
all over with thin leaves of fine gold, the Swallow refers to its resting place as a ‘golden
bedroom’. Yes, it was an apt description.

8. It is curious, he remarked, ‘but I feel quite warm now, although it is so cold.’ That is because
you have done a good action,’ said the Prince.
a) What is the good action that is referred to here? b) Do you think the act is good one? Why do
you think so? C) Here the word warm refers to feeling happy and comfortable Do you agree?

Ans: a) The Swallow had flown to the poor house, where a boy was tossing feverishly on
bed and the mother had fallen asleep because she was tired. The bird laid the great ruby
on the table beside the woman’s thimble and then flew gently around the bed, fanning the
boy’s forehead with his wings. This was referred to as the good action.
b) Yes, the act is a good one. The Swallow helped the poor mother, a seamstress, who did
not have anything to give to her son except river water. The boy was tossing in fever and
wanted to eat oranges. Hence, when the Happy Prince asked the Swallow to take the ruby
from his sword hilt and give it to them, the bird followed his instructions faithfully.
c) Yes, the word ‘warm’ means feeling happy and comfortable here.

9. When he hears about the poverty and suffering of the people of the town, what does the
Prince ask the Swallow to do? What does this tell us about the Prince?
Ans: When the Swallow flew over the city and told the Happy Prince what he had seen,
the Prince asked him to take off the gold, which he was made up of, leaf by leaf. Then he
asked the Swallow to give the gold to the poor of the city. This tells us that the Happy
Prince had a kind heart.

10. ‘Bring me the two most precious things in the city.’ said God to one of His Angels; and the
Angel brought Him the leaden heart and the dead bird. ‘You have rightly chosen,’ said God.
a) Why did the angel choose the leaden heart and the dead bird?
b) Do you agree that the Angel had chosen rightly? Give reason.
Ans: a) The laden heart belonged to the Happy Prince and the dead bird was the Swallow.
They both had helped the poor and hungry people of the town. And having done so, they
died. This is why angel chose the leaden heart and the dead bird.