UNIT – 3
The Nightingale and the Rose – Oscar Wilde
‘The Nightingale and the Rose’ is a short tragic fantasy story for children by the Irish author Oscar Wilde. It was first published in 1888 in the anthology ‘The Happy Prince’ and ‘Other Tales’. The poem is about an adolescent boy who wants to dance with a young girl in a ball, but she would oblige only if he gives her a red rose. However, there are no red roses in the garden hence the boy is distraught. After much struggle, the boy manages to find a red rose, still the dame scoffs at the boy. The lovelorn boy realizes his folly in dreaming to dance with the girl. The Nightingale which sacrifices its life for the red rose emerges as the real hero of the poem. It pierces its heart with the thorn of the rose plant so that the blood can flow into the rose plant and colour the rose red.
The boy develops an infatuation with a young girl with whom he wants to dance, but she would oblige only if he gives her a red rose. The young boy looks around his garden, but couldn’t find any red rose. He feels dejected and begins to weep in sadness.
A nightingale sits on the branch of an oak tree in the garden. It is deeply moved by the boy’s expression of emotion, believing that the love which he is speaking of, is the same love which she had been singing about her entire life without realizing it. The bird becomes determined to find a red rose for the boy. The bird asks three rose trees in the garden if they can lend one to her. The first tree says that it’s roses are white hence he can’t. The second says that his roses are yellow hence, again he can’t. The third tree says that although his roses are red, it has been damaged by storms and cold weather and is now unable to produce any roses. When the bird insists, the rose tree says that there’s one way that could be arranged for a red rose. The Nightingale would have to pierce her heart on one of the roses and sing all the night by moonlight while the blood flow out of her body and into the rose. The Nightingale does not want to die. However, remembering the love of the boy, she says, “Love is better than Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”
At night, the Nightingale presses her chest against one of the tree’s thorns. She then continues to sing as the thorn goes deeper into her body and her blood flows into the tree. When the rose appears on the tree, it was white at first then it turns into red in colour. The Nightingale dies in the morning and the tree finally gave a red rose. He picks the flower and goes directly to the girl. However, the girl says that now she is neither interested in him nor in the flower. The Chamberlain’s nephew has promised to give her jewels. She will be dancing at the ball with the Chamberlain’s nephew who is more prosperous than the boy. The boy throws the rose away and it is crushed by the wheel of a wagon. He declares love to be silly and, “not half as useful as Logic”. He returns to his studies, beginning to read a “great dusty book”.
Conclusion
The boy loved the girl but she appeared aloof and disinterested. The rose didn’t impress her but Chamberlain’s nephew’s jewels impressed her and she instead decided to dance with the latter. The boy remonstrated but the girl remained unmoved. Crestfallen and defeated, the boy goes back home dejected. He thought how silly and stupid it was to chase a love that never existed. He then decided to forget the matter and to read the book and becomes wise.
Key Takeaways:
1. The boy loves the girl.
2. He wants to dance, but she would oblige only if he gives her a red rose.
3. Nightingale is deeply moved by the boy’s expression of emotion.
4. The bird tries to help him but could not find red rose.
5. The bird presses her chest against one of the tree’s thorns and her blood flows into the tree.
6. The boy picks the flower and goes directly to the girl.
7. Girl rejected, boy dejected.
References:
1. English Charity
2. Fantom