Short Story: The Nightingale and Rose by Oscar Wilde

Hello Readers,

Here I'm sharing my favorite Short-story "The Nightingale and Rose" which is written by "Oscar Wilde".

● About the Author :-

Oscar Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist, essayist and poet. He almost wrote all the forms of Literature. He became one of London's most popular playwright in the early 1890s. He use to write what he feels & like and this Short story "The Nightingale and Rose" is one of his masterpieces.

   Here in this story he tries to explain theme of unique feeling of love, selfishness & selflessness. Basically he tries to differentiate love among nature and human.

● The Nightingale and Rose :- 

" Love is more precious than 

Emeralds & dearer than fine opals".

   This Story is narrated by omniscient narrator, who is not present in story as character but he knew everything & so he told us that what actually happened in the story.The narrative technique of this story is quite simple.

   Secondly, if we look at the title of this short-story then we can see a name  of Nightingal so we have get the sense that Nightingale must be plays a vital role in the whole story. Here in this story the Nightingale is main figure so we can say that this title is appropriate for the story.

   In the starting of the story there is a young boy who is crying for a red rose because he is in love with a girl and that girl told him.

" I will dance with you, if you brought me a red Rose."

But there is not a single red rose, in his garden he sets on the earth and cried.

"No red rose in all my garden."

Here a normal person can think that love has no conditions and demands but it is just a pure feeling to do what your beloved told to you and basically love means to fulfill wishes of your beloved. So here we can see that the boy may be deeply in love with that girl, so he wants to give her what she wants. But as he said he has no red Rose but his vocalizing his despair, a Nightingale hears it and said,.....

" Here at last is a true lover." 

Here we can see that the Nightingale can speak. Oscar Wilde puts dialouge in the Nightingale's mouth. Even the Nightingale describes love as more precious than emeralds & dearer than fine opals and pearls can't even buy love, not is it set forth in the market place. But all other insects and birds are commenting for it. All are surprised that why boy is weeping.

● Here author use personification for almost all natural elements, trees, birds together in the story. So we getting the sense that Oscar Wilde personifies natural elements for nature love is must and soul as per Oscar Wilde. It is clearly shown in this short-story.

" Death is a great prize to pay for a Red-Rose."

Nightingale is happy that her life will become useful to a true lover. So Nightingale started singing her most sweetest song for a red rose tree. All night long she sang with her breast against the thorn and the cold crystal leaned down and listened.

She pressed closer & closer against the thron untill the finally touched her heart and she felt a fierce pang of pain. The more the rose got the red color, the fainter the Nightingale's voice became and after beating her wings, she died, the Rose was finished.

" And the marvellous rose became crimson,

  Like the rose of the eastern sky, crimson

  Was the girdle of petals and 

  Crimson as a raby was the heart."

But she could not see it.

The next morning the student saw the wonderful rose under his window. He took it and went to see the girl and offered her red rose as per her wish but she just said....

" I'm afraid this red rose will not go with my dress,

  And besides the chemberline's nephew has sent

  Me some real jewels, and everybody knows that    jewels cost far more than flowers."

The student became angry with this rubbish statement and threw the rose into the street where it fell into the gutter. How dreadful this thing is that a bird gave her life for someone's love, for a single red Rose, but human doesn't care for someone's feelings and emotions. 

◆ Conclusion :-

Its a very symbolic and powerful short-story written by Oscar Wilde on the basis of human nature and tendencies to see at love and how natural elements can sacrifice their lives for love.