Student Question
What is the relationship between the Swallow and other characters in "The Happy Prince"?
Quick answer:
The relationships between the Swallow and other characters in “The Happy Prince” range from initially superficial and tenuous to deep and solid. The Swallow shares a seemingly casual friendship with other Swallows and a flirtatious yet incompatible marriage with the Reed. Ultimately, though, the Swallow forges a caring, close, and strong bond with the Happy Prince. Through his loyal relationship with the Happy Prince, the Swallow develops compassion for others.
In Oscar Wilde’s “The Happy Prince,” the Swallow initially shares superficial relationships with other characters; through the course of the short story, however, the bird develops a deeper, more meaningful bond with the Happy Prince.
With his peers—other Swallows—he remains removed and ultimately becomes a bit of an object of their ridicule. Instead of travelling with these friends to Egypt, he stays behind to court a lovely Reed with whom he is smitten. The other Swallows tease him for his romantic nature, twittering that the Reed “is a ridiculous attachment...she has no money, and far too many relations” and is just one of many Reeds. Instead of trying to talk any sense into the Swallow, they all fly away and abandon him.
With the Reed, the Swallow shares a flirtatious and superficial relationship that develops into a short-lived marriage of mis-matched types. Attracted by her beauty and “slender waist,”...
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the Swallow employs lekking behavior—showy displays of courtship—in order to attract and impress her.
He flew round and round her, touching the water with his wings, and making silver ripples.
Soon, however, he is bored and realizes that she is vapid and vain. He admits,
She has no conversation...and I am afraid that she is a coquette, for she is always flirting with the wind.
In fact, she does not like to travel like he does but is content to stay home. The Swallow misses his friends and decides to follow them to Egypt. After leaving her, he concedes that she would not be able to “rough it” in a new city but would complain about something as innocuous as rain:
The Reed used to like the rain, but that was merely her selfishness.
The Swallow’s relationship with the Happy Prince also seems superficial at first. The bird is a bit fussy about and snobby toward the prince. First, he complains that Happy Prince made him wet but then realizes the prince is crying. Second, the bird notices that the prince is not made of solid gold but politely does not say this out loud. Intending to spend only one night with the Happy Prince in order to rest during his journey, the Swallow becomes touched by the sensitive and melancholy prince. The bird wants to help him:
The Happy Prince looked so sad that the little Swallow was sorry.
Gradually and initially reluctantly, the Swallow develops a bond of loyalty and compassion with the Happy Prince. Even though he is en route to meet friends to see pyramids, lions, and other exciting sights in Egypt, the bird finds himself unable to abandon the prince; he feels compelled to carry out the prince’s wishes to help others in need. He agrees to stay a second night, a third night, and then all winter. When the Swallow still thinks he will leave the Happy Prince, he tells him,
I must leave you, but I will never forget you, and next spring I will bring you back two beautiful jewels in place of those you have given away.
Through the Happy Prince, the Swallow learns to develop compassion for others. For example, when the prince asks the bird to take a ruby to a sick boy, the Swallow replies, “I don’t think I like boys” and recalls feeling disrespected by two rude boys who threw stones at him. Nonetheless, the Swallow takes the prince’s ruby to save the boy. The Swallow realizes that he feels “warm” helping others, like the sick boy, a cold starving playwright, and a poor match girl. He ultimately reveals that he has “a good heart.” Most importantly, the Swallow gradually sheds his superficial nature as the Happy Prince requests the bird strip him of his jewels in order to save others from illness, hunger, hypothermia, and violence.
Finally, the Swallow bonds so strongly with the Happy Prince that the bird weeps as he takes the last jewel in the prince’s eye. Dismayed that the prince is now blind, the Swallow vows to stay with him always.
The poor little Swallow grew colder and colder, but he would not leave the Prince, he loved him too well.
At the end of the story, the Swallow and the Happy Prince—as represented by his leaden heart—are together in death.
“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.
They become forever linked in God’s garden of Paradise and city of gold.
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