The Happy Prince

Happy Prince

A statue of a once-pleasure-loving prince whose lead heart grieves for the suffering in his city. He gives away his jewels and gold to help the poor.

Town Councillor

An unnamed councillor who praises the Prince’s beauty while pretending to value practical usefulness.

Sensible mother

An unnamed mother who points to the Happy Prince as an example to her crying child.

Little boy crying for the moon

An unnamed child whose mother tells him to be like the Happy Prince.

Disappointed man

An unnamed man who sees the Prince’s statue and mutters that he is glad someone is happy.

Charity Children

A group of children who say the statue looks like an angel because they have seen angels in dreams.

Mathematical Master

A teacher who disapproves of children dreaming and challenges the Charity Children’s claim.

Swallow

Also known as little Swallow

A small migratory bird who stays behind after his companions leave for Egypt. He becomes the Prince’s messenger, gives up his chance to migrate, and dies beside him.

Reed

The Swallow’s former beloved, a river reed who is attached to her home and bends gracefully in the wind.

Other Swallows

The Swallow’s companions, who leave for Egypt and mock his attachment to the Reed.

Millers’ sons

Two unnamed boys who threw stones at the Swallow the previous summer.

Seamstress

A poor woman who embroiders a gown for a Queen’s maid-of-honour while caring for her sick son.

Seamstress’s little boy

The seamstress’s feverish son, who is comforted by the Swallow and the ruby the Prince sends.

Queen’s maid-of-honour

An unnamed member of the Queen’s household for whom the seamstress is embroidering a gown.

King in the painted coffin

Also known as great King

A dead king whose embalmed body lies in a tomb in Egypt.

Beautiful girl on the balcony

An unnamed woman who appears with her lover and hopes her dress will be ready for the State-ball.

Lover on the balcony

An unnamed man who praises the stars and the power of love to the girl on the balcony.

Professor of Ornithology

An unnamed professor who observes a swallow in winter and writes about it to the local newspaper.

Sparrows

Birds who chirp at the Swallow and call him a distinguished stranger.

God

A divine figure who asks an Angel to bring the two most precious things in the city and welcomes the Swallow and Prince into Paradise.

Angel

An unnamed angel who brings God the Prince’s lead heart and the dead Swallow.

Nightingale

A bird who sacrifices her life by singing with her breast against a thorn to create a red rose for the Student.

Student

Also known as young Student

A young man who wants a red rose to win a girl’s attention, but rejects love after she refuses him.

Prince at the ball

The unnamed Prince whose ball the Student’s beloved plans to attend.

Little Green Lizard

A lizard who calls the Student’s sorrow over a rose ridiculous.

Butterfly

A butterfly who questions why the Student is weeping.

Daisy

A daisy who asks its neighbour why the Student is weeping.

White Rose-tree

A personified rose tree that bears white roses and directs the Nightingale to its brother by the sun-dial.

Yellow Rose-tree

A personified rose tree by the sun-dial that bears yellow roses and directs the Nightingale to its brother beneath the Student’s window.

Red Rose-tree

A personified rose tree beneath the Student’s window whose roses have been lost to winter. It explains that the Nightingale can make a red rose through her sacrifice.

Oak-tree

Also known as Oak-tree

The tree where the Nightingale nests; fond of her, it asks for one last song before her sacrifice.

Professor

An unnamed professor whose daughter is courted by the Student.

Professor’s daughter

Also known as the girl

A young woman who refuses the Student’s red rose, preferring jewels sent by the Chamberlain’s nephew.

Chamberlain’s nephew

An unnamed man who sends jewels to the Professor’s daughter and is presented as a rival for her attention.

Selfish Giant

A giant who walls children out of his garden, keeping it in perpetual winter. After befriending a mysterious little boy, he welcomes the children and eventually dies beneath a blossoming tree.

Cornish ogre

The Giant’s friend, whom he visits for seven years before returning to his castle.

Children who play in the Giant’s garden

The local children who are excluded from the Giant’s garden, then return after he opens it to them.

Snow

A personified force of winter who covers the Giant’s garden and stays there while Spring is absent.

Frost

A personified force of winter who coats the trees in the Giant’s garden with silver.

North Wind

A personified winter wind invited into the Giant’s garden by Snow and Frost.

Hail

A personified winter force who rattles the roof and races around the Giant’s garden.

Linnet

Also known as Green Linnet

A bird who tells the Water-rat the story of Hans and the Miller.

Water-rat

Also known as old Water-rat

A self-described bachelor who argues that devoted friendship means a friend should be devoted to him. He hears the Linnet’s story and rejects its moral.

Duck

Also known as mother Duck

A mother duck who patiently teaches her ducklings and joins the Water-rat and Linnet’s conversation.

Little ducks

The young ducklings their mother tries to teach to stand on their heads.

Hans

Also known as little Hans

A kind, poor gardener who trusts the Miller’s claims of friendship and repeatedly works for him. Sent into a storm to fetch a doctor, he drowns on the way.

Hugh the Miller

Also known as the Miller · big Hugh the Miller

A rich miller who calls himself Hans’s devoted friend while exploiting Hans’s labour and generosity. After Hans dies, he laments the loss of his promised wheelbarrow.

Miller’s Wife

Also known as Wife

The Miller’s wife, who praises her husband’s talk of friendship and supports his requests of Hans.

Miller’s youngest son

The Miller’s young son, who suggests sharing his porridge and rabbits with Hans when he is in trouble.

Clergyman

A clergyman mentioned by the Miller’s Wife, who lives in a large house and wears a gold ring.

Burgomaster’s daughter

A girl to whom Hans plans to sell his primroses at market.

Doctor

A doctor whom Hans fetches in a storm after the Miller’s son falls from a ladder.

Miller’s son

The Miller’s son who falls from a ladder and is injured, prompting the Miller to send Hans for the Doctor.

Goatherds

People who find Hans’s body in a pool and bring it back to his cottage.

Blacksmith

An unnamed blacksmith who says Hans’s death is a great loss after the funeral.

Remarkable Rocket

Also known as Rocket

A self-important, overly sensitive firework who boasts of his remarkable family and imagined importance. Wet with tears, he fails to go off and is discarded.

King’s son

Also known as Prince

The King’s son, who marries a Russian Princess and is celebrated in the court festivities.

Russian Princess

Also known as little Princess · bride

A Princess from Russia who arrives from Finland by sledge and marries the King’s son.

King

The King, father of the Prince, who orders fireworks for the wedding and insists on playing the flute.

Page

Also known as little Page · young Page

A court page who compares the Princess to a red rose after she blushes; the King repeatedly doubles his nominal salary.

Royal Pyrotechnist

The King’s fireworks expert, ordered to attend the wedding and conduct the display.

Squib

Also known as little Squib

A personified firework who admires the garden and believes travel improves the mind.

Roman Candle

Also known as big Roman Candle

A personified firework who argues with the Rocket and comments on the other fireworks.

Catherine Wheel

Also known as pensive Catherine Wheel

A personified firework who insists romance is dead and recalls being attached to an old deal box.

Cracker

A personified firework with political interests who calls for order and laughs at the Rocket.

Rocket’s mother

A celebrated Catherine Wheel who was renowned for graceful dancing.

Rocket’s father

A French-born Rocket known for a high flight and brilliant descent.

Bengal Light

A personified firework who corrects the Rocket’s pronunciation and later joins in mocking him.

Small Fire-balloon

Also known as Fire-balloon

A personified firework who looks forward to telling the stars about the wedding celebration.

Brown-paper cartridge

A personified firework who tells the Roman Candle the latest court news about the Prince and Princess.

Two beetles

A pair of beetles who are considering setting up house together when the Rocket’s tears nearly drown them.

Royal Pyrotechnist’s six attendants

Six unnamed attendants who carry torches during the fireworks display.

Workmen

Unnamed workers who tidy the garden after the fireworks; one throws the unused Rocket over the wall.

Frog

Also known as little Frog

A cheerful, talkative frog who meets the discarded Rocket in a ditch and boasts of the popularity of his pond’s glee-club.

Farmer’s wife

A woman mentioned by the Frog, who complained to her mother that the pond’s frogs kept her awake.

Farmer’s wife’s mother

An unnamed woman to whom the Farmer’s wife complained about the frogs’ nighttime noise.

Frog’s six daughters

The Frog’s daughters, whom he worries the Pike might catch.

Pike

A fish the Frog fears may prey on his daughters.

Dragon-fly

A dragon-fly who observes that the Rocket has gone away and suggests he lecture on Philosophy.

White Duck

A beautiful, peaceable duck who talks with the Rocket about usefulness, work, and public life before swimming away.

Ox

An animal the White Duck mentions as able to plough fields.

Horse

An animal the White Duck mentions as able to draw a cart.

Collie-dog

A dog the White Duck mentions as able to look after sheep.

Two little boys

Two unnamed boys in white smocks who retrieve the Rocket from a ditch and burn it to boil a kettle; they fall asleep and miss its display.

Goose

A goose walking beside the ditch who is struck by the Rocket’s falling stick and rushes into the water.