Briefly analyse the characters in ‘The Happy Prince’.

The most interesting observation about the two main characters in the happy Prince is that both the characters are non human yet display the most humane qualities.

The swallow is one who devotes his life serving others. He is different from other swallows. He knows that he will die in the cold yet he persists. He stays with the Happy Prince and performs the tasks entrusted to him. The swallow perishes but lives with God.

The Prince too is no living being. He is a statue decorated with gold leaves and precious stones. He is called Happy because

there is smile on his life. This smile soon transforms into tearful eyes because the Happy Prince cannot bear the plight of the poor. He decides to help them. The swallow acts as his messenger
or agent. The swallow’s death breaks the prince’s heart.

The mayor and the other kinsmen represent the materialistic nature of human being in Society. The Mayor and Town councilors are exploiters of the poor. They are hypocrites. The Mayor wants his own statue erected and even orders tat birds should not be allowed to die near the statue.