1. Chapter Introduction
Welcome students! Today we are looking at one of the most beautiful and emotional stories in your Class 9 English Moments book: “The Happy Prince” by the legendary writer Oscar Wilde. This story is a touching tale about a magnificent statue and a little bird (a swallow) who together make immense sacrifices to bring happiness to the poor and needy. The chapter highlights a profound moral: true beauty does not lie in gold and jewels, but in a compassionate, pure heart that feels for others’ pain.
2. Characters Detail
- The Happy Prince: Originally a human prince who never saw sorrow. After his death, his soul is placed in a beautiful statue covered in gold and jewels. He weeps seeing the misery of his city and gives away all his wealth to help the poor.
- The Little Swallow: A kind-hearted bird who delays his migration to Egypt to act as the messenger for the Happy Prince. He eventually sacrifices his own life for the sake of the Prince.
- The Mayor & Town Councillors: Hypocritical and vain officials who care only about outward appearances and power. They melt the statue when it loses its jewels and gold.
3. Full Summary: The Happy Prince Class 9
The Beautiful Statue
High above the city stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was beautifully decorated: covered all over with thin leaves of fine gold, he had two bright sapphires for eyes, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword hilt. When the Prince was alive, he lived in a palace where sorrow was not allowed to enter. He was happy, but he knew nothing of the world outside. Now, set high on a tall column, he could see all the ugliness and misery of his city, and his leaden heart made him weep.
The Arrival of the Little Swallow
One night, a little swallow flew over the city. His friends had already flown away to Egypt for the winter, but he had stayed behind. Looking for a place to sleep, he decided to rest between the feet of the Happy Prince. As he prepared to sleep, drops of water fell on him. He looked up and saw that the statue was crying. The Prince shared his grief with the swallow and requested him to be his messenger for one night.
The Prince’s Sacrifices
The Prince first asked the swallow to take the great ruby from his sword hilt and give it to a poor seamstress whose little boy was sick with fever. The swallow agreed, dropped the ruby on her table, and fanned the boy’s forehead with his wings.
Next, the Prince asked the swallow to pluck out one of his sapphire eyes for a starving young playwright who was too cold to finish his play. The swallow reluctantly did so. The next day, the Prince gave his other sapphire eye to a little matchgirl whose matches had fallen in the gutter, saving her from her father’s beating. Now, the Prince was completely blind.
The Swallow’s Devotion
Because the Prince was now blind, the swallow decided to stay with him forever instead of flying to warm Egypt. He would fly over the city, see the suffering of the poor, and tell the Prince. The Prince ordered the swallow to pick off the leaves of fine gold covering his body and distribute them among the poor and starving children. Slowly, the statue became dull and grey, but the children’s faces grew rosy with joy.
Death and Eternal Reward
Winter set in, and the harsh cold became too much for the little swallow. Knowing he was about to die, he kissed the Happy Prince and fell dead at his feet. At that exact moment, the Prince’s leaden heart snapped right in two. The next morning, the Mayor saw the dull, ugly statue and ordered it to be melted down. However, the broken lead heart would not melt in the furnace, so they threw it on a dust heap where the dead swallow lay.
Up in heaven, God asked one of His angels to bring Him the two most precious things in the city. The angel brought the leaden heart and the dead bird. God praised the angel’s choice, declaring that the little bird would sing forever in His garden of Paradise, and the Happy Prince would praise Him in His city of gold.
4. Multiple Choice Questions (10 MCQs)
Q1. Who is the author of the story “The Happy Prince”?
(a) Ruskin Bond | (b) Oscar Wilde | (c) Isaac Asimov | (d) R.K. Laxman
Answer: (b) Oscar Wilde
Q2. Where were the swallow’s friends flying to?
(a) South Africa | (b) India | (c) Egypt | (d) America
Answer: (c) Egypt
Q3. What was the Happy Prince’s heart made of?
(a) Gold | (b) Silver | (c) Lead | (d) Stone
Answer: (c) Lead
Q4. What did the Prince have in his sword hilt?
(a) A diamond | (b) A ruby | (c) A sapphire | (d) An emerald
Answer: (b) A ruby
Q5. To whom did the Prince give his first sapphire eye?
(a) The matchgirl | (b) The seamstress | (c) The young playwright | (d) The Mayor
Answer: (c) The young playwright
Q6. Why did the swallow decide to stay with the Prince forever?
(a) Because the Prince gave him gold | (b) Because he loved the city | (c) Because the Prince had become blind | (d) Because it was too cold to fly
Answer: (c) Because the Prince had become blind
Q7. What did the Prince do to help the starving children?
(a) Gave them his sword | (b) Gave them all his gold leaves | (c) Asked the Mayor for food | (d) Gave them his leaden heart
Answer: (b) Gave them all his gold leaves
Q8. What happened when the little swallow died?
(a) The statue fell down | (b) The Prince’s lead heart broke into two | (c) It started snowing heavily | (d) The Mayor cried
Answer: (b) The Prince’s lead heart broke into two
Q9. What did the Mayor do to the statue at the end?
(a) Painted it | (b) Moved it to a museum | (c) Melted it in a furnace | (d) Covered it with a cloth
Answer: (c) Melted it in a furnace
Q10. What were the two most precious things brought to God by the angel?
(a) Gold and Ruby | (b) The dead swallow and the leaden heart | (c) The sword and the sapphires | (d) The Mayor and the Town Councillors
Answer: (b) The dead swallow and the leaden heart
5. Short Answer Questions (30-40 Words)
Q1. Why do the courtiers call the prince ‘the Happy Prince’? Is he really happy?
Ans. The courtiers called him the Happy Prince because when he was alive, he lived in a palace where sorrow was not allowed. He never experienced sadness. However, as a statue, he is not happy anymore because he can see the misery and poverty of his people.
Q2. Why does the Happy Prince send a ruby for the seamstress?
Ans. The Prince saw the poor seamstress whose little boy was suffering from a fever and asking for oranges. She had nothing to give him but river water. Deeply moved, the Prince sent his ruby to help them buy food and medicine.
Q3. For whom does the prince send the sapphires and why?
Ans. The Prince sent one sapphire to a starving young playwright so he could buy firewood and finish his play. He sent the second sapphire to a little matchgirl whose matches had fallen into the gutter, saving her from her father’s beating.
Q4. What did the swallow see when it flew over the city?
Ans. When the swallow flew over the city, it saw the rich making merry in their beautiful houses while beggars sat at their gates. It saw starving children with white faces looking out listlessly at the dark streets.
Q5. Why did the swallow not leave the prince and go to Egypt?
Ans. The swallow did not go to Egypt because the Prince had given away both his sapphire eyes and was completely blind. The kind-hearted bird decided to stay and act as the Prince’s eyes, eventually sacrificing his own life.
6. Long Answer Questions (60-80 Words)
Q1. What were the sacrifices made by the Happy Prince for his people?
Ans. The Happy Prince made the ultimate sacrifices for his people. Though he was a beautiful statue adorned with precious jewels, he willingly gave everything away. He gave his ruby to a poor seamstress, his two sapphire eyes to a struggling playwright and a crying matchgirl, and completely blinded himself. Finally, he gave away all his fine gold leaves to feed the starving children. He sacrificed his outward beauty to bring happiness to the poor.
Q2. Give a character sketch of the little swallow.
Ans. The little swallow is a symbol of true friendship, compassion, and devotion. Initially, he was just resting on his way to Egypt, but his heart melted when he saw the Prince crying. He agreed to be the Prince’s messenger, delaying his trip. When the Prince became blind, the swallow showed supreme loyalty by refusing to leave him, even though he knew the harsh winter would kill him. He sacrificed his own life for the love of the Prince.
Q3. What did the Mayor and the Councillors do to the statue? What does this show about them?
Ans. After the swallow died and the statue lost its gold and jewels, the Mayor and Councillors found it dull and ugly. They ordered the statue to be pulled down and melted in a furnace to make a new statue, preferably of the Mayor himself. This shows their hypocrisy, vanity, and shallowness. They only valued outward appearance and material wealth, completely failing to understand the inner beauty and sacrifice of the Prince.
Q4. Why did God consider the leaden heart and the dead bird as the two most precious things in the city?
Ans. God considered the leaden heart and the dead bird as the most precious things because they represented unconditional love, ultimate sacrifice, and true compassion. The Prince sacrificed his eyes, gold, and beauty for the poor, and his heart broke out of love. The swallow sacrificed his life to serve the Prince. In God’s eyes, spiritual beauty, kindness, and selflessness are far more valuable than any worldly gold or jewels.
