Brief Biography of Oscar Wilde

Now famous as much for his personal life as for his literary contributions, Oscar Wilde was born
in 1854 in Dublin to Sir William Wilde and Jane Francesca Elgee, who was herself a poet. Under
her influence, Wilde developed an appreciation for art and won academic scholarships first to
Trinity College and later to Oxford. Wilde moved to London after completing his studies, where
both his wit and his views on "art for art's sake" quickly attracted a following. His literary career
began in 1881 with the publication of a volume of poetry but did not gain traction until the late
1880s; it was during this period that Wilde, drawing in part on the Irish folklore he had learned
from his mother, wrote a collection of fairy tales that included "The Nightingale and the Rose."
Wilde's success peaked in the early 1890s with works like The Picture of Dorian Gray, but
scandal soon overshadowed his writing. He was married to Constance Lloyd in 1884. He died in
Paris in 1900.

Historical Context of The Nightingale and the Rose

The 19th century was a time of rapid change in England. Building off the Enlightenment’s
emphasis on reason and the scientific method, thinkers like Charles Darwin challenged
traditional beliefs about the origins and purpose of human life. Technological progress,
meanwhile, sped up the Industrial Revolution, which in turn transformed societal attitudes
toward wealth and consumption; the ability to mass produce goods, for instance, encouraged a
culture of materialism. By the mid-to-late 1800s, philosophy and art arguably had begun to
mirror these broader social trends. Utilitarianism, for instance, attempted to explain ethical
problems in terms of function. According to thinkers like John Stuart Mill, something is "good"
simply if it has a net positive effect, rather than because it has any inherently good properties.
"The Nightingale and the Rose" (as well as Wilde's broader embrace of Aestheticism) is in some
ways a reaction to all of these changes. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Wilde held out for
the importance of intangible qualities like beauty in an increasingly rational and mechanized
world.

Other Books Related to The Nightingale and the Rose

In style, "The Nightingale and the Rose" draws heavily on European folklore and fairy tales,
including the work of Hans Christian Andersen. Its satirical take on contemporary society,
however, more closely resembles Wilde's later works—particularly comedies like The
Importance of Being Earnest. The story is also a defense of the artistic school of "Aestheticism,"
which asserted that art and beauty are inherently valuable. In England, Wilde was the main
spokesperson for this philosophy, but the movement also influenced writers like Algernon
Swinburne; in his poem "A Ballad of Death," for instance, Swinburne refers to beauty as a "good
deed." Finally, by upending the reader’s expectations of what a fairy tale looks like, "The
Nightingale and the Rose" is a precursor to many 20th-century re-workings of classic tales—for
instance, Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber, which gives traditional stories a feminist twist.

Key Facts about The Nightingale and the Rose

 Full Title: "The Nightingale and the Rose"

 When Written: 1880s

 Where Written: London, England

 When Published: 1888

 Literary Period: Aestheticism

 Genre: Fairy tale, short story, satire

 Setting: A garden in an unspecified time and place

 Climax: The Nightingale dies just as she creates the perfect red rose

 Antagonist: The Student, as well as the larger value systems he embodies

 Point of View: Third-person omniscient

Extra Credit for The Nightingale and the Rose

Cross-cultural Influences. Persian poetry and folklore tells a similar story of a nightingale
staining a rose with its blood, but in this tradition, the rose itself is the object of the nightingale's
love. British fascination with the Middle East and Asia was running high in the 19th century as a
result of imperialism, and writers and artists frequently borrowed from or depicted these regions
in their work (often, unfortunately, in deeply biased ways).

Literary Romance. During a 1982 tour of America, Wilde visited the American poet Walt
Whitman at his home in Camden, New Jersey. Whitman was also rumored to have had
relationships with men, and Wilde afterwards hinted that they had hooked up during his stay.

Summary

While sitting in the branches of the Oak-tree, the Nightingale overhears the Student lamenting
the fact that his sweetheart will not dance with him unless he brings her a red rose. The
Nightingale sees in the young man a real-world example of the romance she sings about, and she
thinks to herself how awe-inspiring and powerful love is. Impressed by the apparent depth of the
Student's emotion, she decides to help him secure the girl's affections.

The Nightingale first flies to a White Rose-tree standing in the center of a plot of grass and asks
him for a red rose. He tells her that all his roses are white, but advises her to find his brother,
the Yellow Rose-tree standing next to a sun-dial. The Nightingale flies to him and is again
disappointed. The Yellow Rose-tree in turn suggests that she visit his brother underneath the
Student's window. This Rose-tree confirms that his roses are red, but adds that as it is
wintertime, he cannot provide her with a blossom.

In despair, the Nightingale wonders aloud whether there is any way she can find a single red
rose. Reluctantly, the Rose-tree tells her that her only option is to spend the night singing with
one of his thorns in her heart. Her music will bring the flower into existence, and her blood will
dye its petals red, but the process of impaling herself on the thorn will kill her. Although the
thought of losing life's pleasures saddens the Nightingale, she concludes that the sacrifice will be
worthwhile if done for love.

The Nightingale returns to the Student and attempts to tell him her plan, asking that he repay her
by always being a true lover. The Student cannot understand the Nightingale's words, but the
Oak-tree, saddened, asks her to sing a final song for him. She agrees, and the Student complains
that her song lacks meaning and emotion before going home.
That evening, the Nightingale flies to the Rose-tree and allows the thorn to pierce her. She sings
about love through the night, gradually pressing herself further onto the thorn. As she does so, a
rose takes shape on the Tree, finally turning red when the thorn pierces the Nightingale's heart
and kills her.

Later that day, the Student finds the red rose outside his window, but does not realize where it
came from. Nevertheless, he picks it up and brings it to the girl, who is sitting outside her home
spinning silk. The girl, though, rejects the gift, saying that she prefers the jewels she has received
from a wealthy suitor. Angry, the Student throws the rose into the road and storms off, deciding
that love is not worth the trouble. The story concludes with him opening a book and returning to
his studies.

Summary of The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde

The story “The Nightingale and the Rose” is written by Oscar Wilde. It was published in 1888 in
a collection of children’s story named as The Happy Prince and the Other Tales. It narrates about
a heroic sacrifice of a small bird purely for love and on behalf of a young student who represents
the materialistic values in the society he lived.

The story begins with a young student who is lamenting in his garden because the love of his
life. She will dance with him in the ball only if he brings her a red rose but there is no red rose in
his garden. The Nightingale, living in the oak-tree of his garden, hears the young man crying
over his helplessness and lamenting on the fact that all his learning is useless since it cannot win
him a girl’s love. The nightingale comes to know that the young man is weeping for a red rose.
She feels the pain of that boy and wants to help him.
The bird flies and goes to the various bushes but cannot find a red rose. Finally, she comes to
know about a way of getting a red rose. She performs a sacrificial act while singing with her
heart pierced into the thorn, giving her heart’s blood to a white rose to turn it into a beautiful red
rose. In this process the Nightingale dies.

When the student wakes up, he sees the red rose under his window, plucks it joyously and brings
it to his love. The girl rejects the rose by saying that it will not match her blue dress and
someone else has brought her jewels that worth more than a rose. The boy throws the rose in the
gutter and a cart runs over it. At the end he decides that logic is better than love that is
unrealistic. He goes back to his home and starts reading a book.

Although this is a children’s story, Oscar Wilde raises the most common issues of materialism
and idealism present in the conventional society he lived in.

Themes and Literary Techniques Found in The Nightingale and The Rose

The story “The Nightingale and the Rose” is written by Oscar Wilde. It was published in 1888,
in a collection of children’s stories named as, The Happy Prince and the Other Tales. Although
it is a fairy-tale, the message it carries is universal and grave. Let’s find out some major themes
and techniques found in the text.

Theme of love

The story unveils the unconditional and selfless love of the nightingale who sacrifices her life on
behalf of love. It shows that true love needs sacrifices and commitment. Further, the hollowness
of the conditional/materialistic love is explored through the character of the young student and
his sweetheart.

Reason vs. passion

Reasoning belongs to logic and education where passion goes with strong emotions. Through the
character of the young student, the reader can explore an immature character whose drive to
passion is swift and his analytics about the situation which he was in is rather pessimistic.

Education

The writer seems critical about the contemporary education which nourished more head than the
heart. It reveals that theoretical education creates an unbalanced individual. It further says the
necessity of aesthetic values to nourish emotional and humanistic values in people.
Human hypocrisy and deceit

Through the character of the young student and the girl he loves, the writer introduces duality
and deceitfulness in people. Though the young man craves a red rose, his necessity is driven by
his passion not by true love. Whereas the girl breaks her promise before materialistic gains
showing her deceitfulness and hypocrisy.

Materialism versus spirituality

Love has different shades and shapes. In the short story The Nightingale and the Rose written
by Oscar Wilde, the depiction is on infatuation between young lovers and the spiritual love
which is beyond the materialistic world. Here the writer unveils how love between men and
women gets its value and on the opposite he brings about an element of nature to tell how love
should be valued as it is the foundation of everything. Further, the story illustrates the defeat of
true love before the force of material world. The story is an everlasting tragedy on the
devaluation of spiritual love in the materialistic world contrasting the noble deed of sacrificing
by nature in order to preserve true love in the world which ends up in failure.

The emptiness of the students in spiritual value is shown using his garden without flowers. His
mind is nourished with only knowledge of the books. He seems to be having lack of emotional
education which is reflected in his behavior. He seems worried about losing his beloved if he
fails to find a red rose. This mentality of achieving and losing is found in the material world. The
little bird, on the contrary, finds love is a thing to be happy and a matter to be sung. She
misunderstands the behavior of the students thinking he suffers because of the genuine love he
bears in his heart.

The value the bird gives to the spiritual love is contrasted with the value the student gives to his
love. The bird keeps love above every valuable thing in the world, above every precious gem in
human world. She believes human love is much valuable than the life of herself. She does not
hesitate to give her life on behalf of it. The student’s reply to his own emotions shows
materialistic love. He does not believe in his love as he worries he would lose his beloved if he
 fails to give her a flower. He does nothing to find this flower but weeps and sleeps. When it
comes to the girl, she rejects the students love as she received some jewellery from Chamberlin’s
nephew. These things prove that the human world considers love as a materialistic gain while
nature believes that love is the root and most valuable thing in the world and sacrifices
everything for it.

Literary Techniques.

Language

The language of the story is very descriptive and full of figures of speech; yet the choice of
words is fairly simple, related to feelings and natural elements. The story is intended for children
to read. Therefore, the overall understanding of the text is not hard. Interestingly, the author has
capitalised common nouns such as: the Student, the Professor, Love, Power, Life, the
Nightingale, the Tree… etc. giving them a fixed identity and personifying objects and animals.
There are no dialog lines, instead writer has used direct speech in quotations.

Personification – Giving human qualities to animals and inanimate things.

Fairy-tale Elements

 Good character and evil characters.

 Royalty vs poverty.

 Magic and enchantments

 Frequent use of personification.

 Use of symbols and motifs.

 Vivid/Colourful and simple narration.

 Symbols

 Nightingale - symbolizes goodness and virtue and sacrifice, and true love

 The Rose - true love and true art.

 The oak tree – wisdom

 The girl - materialism and hypocrisy.

 The student - cynicism as he can’t appreciate beauty. Cynicism - the belief that people are only
interested in themselves and are not sincere.

 Lizard – cynic, a person who sees little or no good in anything

 Butterfly – curiosity

 Daisy – purity

 Cartwheel – materialism

Imagery –visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, gustatory imagery – Create mental images in your
head as you read.

Throughout the story, the reader can visualise the happenings, as the author used comparison as
the major technique, the reason may be the collection of short stories is intended for children’s
readership.

Simile – A direct comparison of two different things using the words, like and as.

He is soft like a puppy.

Metaphor – A direct comparison of two different things without like or as. He is a snake.

ex: “ as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne, and yellower than
the daffodil that blooms in the meadow”
Personification

Giving human qualities to things and animals.

Ex: “the tree shook its head.”

“The white moon heard it,”

Simile

In the story, the most frequently used stylistic device is comparison: using ‘as’ and ‘like’ or
‘than’.

Ex: “Passion has made his face like pale ivory”

“as white as the foam of the sea”

“It is more precious than emeralds,”

Hyperbole – unbelievable exaggeration

Purposeful exaggeration of something to emphasize something.

Ex: “She will dance so lightly that her feet will not touch the floor”

“Here is the reddest rose in all the world.”

Inversion

Order of the words reversed to achieve a particular effect.

 Ex: She passed through the grove like a shadow and like a shadow she sailed across the
garden.”

Foreshadow

Alliteration

Repetition of the first consonant sound to create a weak or smooth sound effect.

Vowel

Consonant

Ex: red rose – it emphasizes the red rose which the nightingale sacrificed her life for. True
love/Conditional love

Although the story is intended for children, Wilde has crafted the story loaded with underlying
meanings. Whenever you read the story, you may find new shapes and shades under his
wonderful lines. The text is loaded with figurative language enriching his motto: ‘art is for art’s
sake’ – that means his creations are artifacts which engraved with the beautiful gems of art.

Character of Young Student in The Nightingale and the Rose

The story “The Nightingale and the Rose” is written by Oscar Wilde. It was published in 1888 in
a collection of children’s story named as The Happy Prince and the Other Tales. The theme of
materialism vs love is explored by the human characters where the young student plays a vital
role.
Let’s explore what the lines of the short story tells about his character: When you write answers
for academic purposes, please do not follow this structure; this way is used to explain the
character better.
“but in all my garden there is no red rose.”
The writer may compare the garden to his life where no flowers grow. It suggests the lack of
emotional capacity in the student. He deceives himself about love introducing love depends on
material things like a rose.
“Ah, on what little things does happiness depend! I have read all that the wise men have
written, and all the secrets of philosophy are mine, yet for want of a red rose is my life made
wretched.”

He claims that all he had learnt is not enough to win the heart of his beloved. He sighs
proclaiming that happiness depends on little things - not by the education and knowledge. This
statement questions his emotional capacity and the system of education which cannot give an
answer to a problem related to sentimental thing like love. Further, this statement shows that he
is an easy giver up. He has already lost the battle of winning the heart of his beloved.

“If I bring her a red rose, I shall hold her in my arms, and she will lean her head upon my
shoulder, and her hand will be clasped in mine.”

The explanation clearly states the estimate of love on the side of the young student. He has
misunderstood the infatuation (the attraction) to love. He worries of failing to fulfill his
emotional desires. Further, he is much worried about what he is going to miss if he cannot bring
a red rose. This transactional nature is commonly seen in the material world. (It is like you give
some money to get something.)

“The Student looked up from the grass, and listened, but he could not understand what the
Nightingale was saying to him, for he only knew the things that are written down in books.”

Failing to understand the voice of the nature raises the issue of insensitivity and mechanical
thinking. The writer is critical about the education of his time which had no space for spiritual
values. This further shows the impractical nature of the young student who has only learnt things
in the books.
“She has form… but has she got feeling? I am afraid not… She is like most artists; she is all
style without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice herself for others.”

The thinking of the young man reveals that he is judgmental about elements of nature. (it might
be because of his education) He seems to be learning much philosophical subjects rather than
aesthetical subjects. He criticizes nature and arts as a ‘style without any sincerity’. Readers can
see that his judgements are all wrong about the Nightingale who sacrifices her emotions and
blood for what she believes in; as well as, she utilizes her art (singing) as a medium to impart
emotions to the rose. The statement further shows the hollow space in the heart of the young man
which belongs to emotions.

“Well, upon my word, you are very ungrateful,’ said the Student angrily; and he threw the
rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cart-wheel went over it.”

His behavior writes an epilogue to what we have discussed earlier. His sense of materialism
disappoints him as he lost the bargain. (He expected her to come when he produced the flower)
Next, he throws the true symbol of love not knowing the humble sacrifice of the little bird behind
it. That, in a way shows his nature of easy-giving up and ill-judgement of love.

“What a silly thing Love is,’ said the Student as he walked away. ‘It is not half as useful as
Logic, for it does not prove anything… In fact, it is quite unpractical, and, as in this age to be
practical is everything,”

The student contrasts love to his education. He sees love is void of logic and practicality. He
does not understand that spiritual things like: true love cannot be measured. This further shows
his materialistic nature and the cause behind his mindset (his education of course!) This further
suggests his callow and immature nature about human emotions which easily undergo changes.
“So he returned to his room and pulled out a great dusty book, and began to read.”

His return to his former way of life suggest that he is a stagnant character who is not going to be
changed. Further, it raises the universal theme of materialism vs spiritual love which continues
through generations.

The Character of Nightingale in The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde.

The Nightingale is the protagonist of the story, The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde.
She is romantic by nature and is inspired by the student’s love. She sings about love all the time
and waits to see it. When she sees the student crying for a red rose, she decides to sacrifice her
life to help him out. She gives her heart’s blood to a white flower to color its petals and fulfill
the need of student and in this process she dies. The whole story revolves around her sacrifice
and selfless nature which is not appreciated throughout the story.

“Here at last is a true lover,” said the Nightingale.

Nightingale sees a young student lamenting over his failure to company his beloved to the ball as
he cannot find a rose in his garden; The bird believes that she has found a true lover. Although he
is quite different from the idol she sings on, she believes him to be the true lover. His tears melt
her heart; that shows about the sensitive nature of the bird. However, at the end of the story,
readers find that all her effort to give him a rose turned into dust as he is not truly a worthy lover.

Surely love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine
opals… It may not be purchased of the merchants, nor can it be weighed out in the balance
for gold.
She believes love to be more precious than any valuable material considered in the human world.
She preaches that love has no price or quantity to be purchased nor weighed. Her representation
for love confirms the existence of true love in the world which is more precious than any gem.
The writer through the character of the nightingale nudges the reader to behold nature to find true
love which is submerged by the materialistic values in contemporary world.
“Death is a great price to pay for a red rose,” cried the Nightingale…Yet Love is better than
Life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?”

The Nightingale sacrifices her life for the sake of love. She thinks that it is worthy to sacrifice
her life on behalf of true love. She compares her heart as less valuable to a human heart.
However, at the end the reader can find that the bird has a purer and more valuable heart than the
human representatives in the story. Her selfless sacrifice for the love of the young student shows
that she lived and died on one principle. (for the true love: what she has been singing on) This
sacrifice shows that true love does exist but at the end no one appreciates it.

So the Nightingale sang to the Oak-tree, and her voice was like water bubbling from a silver
jar.

Oak tree, her guardian understands her and request her to sing her last song to him. So, she sings
to the tree in her enchanting tune. That shows her concern and gratitude towards others. The kind
of courtesy shown by the little bird affirms her benevolent self by nature. Further, the simile
shows the beauty of her voice inspired by her loving heart inside.

The thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang of pain shot through her. Bitter bitter was the
pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song… “Look, look!” cried the Tree, “the rose is
finished now;” but the Nightingale made no answer, for she was lying dead in the long
grass, with the thorn in her heart.

Oscar Wilde uses his fairy-tale narration to illustrate the pain the little nightingale underwent.
The intensified and repeated adjectives generate images in the reader’s mind similar to watching
a movie; making the reader understand about the severe pain when the thorn pierce through the
heart of the bird. This shows the power of her determination and commitment on behalf of the
policy she lived on. She gave her living blood to color a symbol of love in the human world.
However, her sacrifice was unknown and unsung; showing the nature of true love: which always
does sacrifices expecting nothing in return.
At the end of the story, her sacrifice is ignored and wasted by everyone when the red rose,
stained by her heart’s blood, is rejected and destroyed. Her selfless nature and unshakeable
believe in true love shows that true love does exist but people make it selfish.

The NightingaleCharacter Analysis

Although she dies before the story's conclusion, the Nightingale is the protagonist of "The
Nightingale and the Rose." A romantic by nature, she has spent much of her life singing about
love, waiting for the day she will encounter it in real life. When she overhears the
Student lamenting his lovelorn state, she resolves to bring him the red rose he needs to
secure the girl's affection, sacrificing her life to stain its petals red with her blood. The other
characters fail to recognize this sacrifice, but the story as a whole vindicates the Nightingale's
actions. In particular, her selfless nature and beautiful voice link her to two of the story's themes:
the selfless nature of true love, and the intrinsic value of art. The Nightingale, in other words, is
not only a character but also a symbol of the ideal lover and the ideal artist, both of whom give
without expecting anything in return.

The StudentCharacter Analysis

Initially a sympathetic character, the Student ultimately emerges as the antagonist of "The
Nightingale and the Rose." By claiming to be deeply in love with the girl, the Student
inspires the Nightingale to sacrifice her own life in a quest to bring him a red rose. When the
girl rejects the flower, however, the Student carelessly tosses it into the road, concluding that
love is a waste of time. This dishonors the one request the Nightingale has made of him—to be a
true lover—but it is in keeping with his personality. Throughout the story, the Student reveals
himself to be excessively preoccupied with rationality and practicality, to the point that he is
literally unable to understand the Nightingale's emotional words to him. The Student, then,
illustrates the pitfalls of extreme intellectualism; his need to understand everything in terms of
rules and results blinds him to "useless" qualities like selflessness or beauty.

The Rose-treeCharacter Analysis

There are three rose-trees in "The Nightingale and the Rose," but only the one standing
outside the Student's window plays a major role in the story. This is the tree that tells the
Nightingale he can produce a red rose, but only at the cost of her own life. The Nightingale
agrees, and spends the night singing with her breast pressed against one of the Rose-tree's thorns,
slowly bringing life to a rose and dyeing it red with her blood. Despite his role in killing the
Nightingale, the Rose-tree remains sympathetic, in part because he is one of the only characters
who recognizes the Nightingale's sacrifice for what it is, speaking tenderly to her as she slowly
impales herself on the thorn.

The girlCharacter Analysis

The girl appears only briefly in "The Nightingale and the Rose," but she is vital to the story’s
plot and themes. The daughter of the Professor, she embodies unfeeling materialism. Having
told the Student that she will dance with him if he brings her a red rose, she later goes back on
her word because a wealthier suitor has provided her with jewels. The girl's surroundings further
underscore her shallow nature, since the silk she is spinning and the toy dog she owns are both
luxury commodities.

The LizardCharacter Analysis

Like the Nightingale, the Lizard overhears the Student lamenting his unrequited love for the
girl. The Lizard, however, is "a cynic," so he scoffs when he learns the Student is crying over
a red rose. This foreshadows the ending of the story, when both the Student and the girl prove
incapable of seeing the value of the rose as a symbol of sacrificial love.

Symbols

The Red RoseSymbol Analysis

Red roses are traditionally associated with romance, so it is not surprising that Wilde uses one to
symbolize true love in "The Nightingale and the Rose." Its significance, however, shifts over the
context of the story. At first, the rose appears to represent the Student's love for the girl, since
her refusal to dance with him unless he brings her the flower makes the flower into a piece of
evidence that his feelings are genuine. By sacrificing her life to bring the Student a rose, the
Nightingale further underscores this idea that the flower is an expression of true love; in fact, the
Rose quite literally comes from the Nightingale's heart, because she uses her blood to stain it red.
In the end, however, neither the Student nor the girl is able to appreciate the rose's symbolic
significance. The girl, for instance, compares the rose unfavorably to the jewels she has received
from another suitor, while the Student reacts angrily when the girl goes back on her promise to
dance with him. This suggests that neither character ever truly saw the rose as a symbol of love,
but rather as a kind of currency to buy someone's affection.

SilkSymbol Analysis

The blue silk the girl is winding is a symbol of her shallowness and materialism. Silk is a luxury
fabric, so its appearance foreshadows the girl's rejection of the rose in favor of more monetarily
valuable jewels. The color of the fabric is significant as well, because European artists have
traditionally depicted the Virgin Mary draped in blue silk. In this case, however, the use of the
color is ironic; Mary's blue robes typically signify her heavenly nature, but the girl in "The
Nightingale and the Rose" is entirely worldly.

The Dusty BookSymbol Analysis

At the end of "The Nightingale and the Rose," the Student rejects loves and returns to studying
metaphysics. The book he opens is dusty, which suggests that no one has read it in a long time.
This undercuts the Student's claim that in studying philosophy, he will be engaging directly with
practical, real-world matters (in fact, it is the Nightingale who, in praising the joys of life,
reveals herself to be deeply immersed in the world around her). The book thus symbolizes the
hollowness of the intellectualism the Student espouses.

Literary Devices

Allusions
Explanation and Analysis—Christianity:

An allusion is a reference to a (usually well-known) event, person, artistic work, etc. For
example, the Nightingale’s sacrifice and impalement on the rose thorn recall the biblical
sacrifice of Jesus Christ, who wore a crown of thorns and allowed himself to be pierced with
nails to the cross for the sake of humanity. Her song of “the Love that is perfected by Death
[…] [and] that dies not in the tomb” also recalls Jesus’s sacrifice (65), undying love for
humanity, and rising from the dead, as discovered by the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalen
when they open his tomb. This allusion develops the story’s exploration of The Nature of
Love and Sacrificing Oneself for Love by lending the Nightingale’s sacrifice an air of
holiness.

Like many of Wilde's fairy tales, "The Nightingale and the Rose" contains strong allusions to
Christianity. For example, the idealist, natural setting of the story immediately references
Christianity with its allusion to the Garden of Eden. The garden's associations with both beauty
and darkness refer back to the classic battle between virtue and vice detailed in the story of
Adam and Eve. In the same way that Eve plucks the forbidden fruit and thus signals the fall of
man in the Bible, the Student in "The Nightingale and the Rose" "lean[s] down and pluck[s]" the
red rose. Though the rose is not forbidden to the Student, his plucking of it represents a certain
carelessness that ultimately spotlights his shallow and flawed worldview.

Explanation and Analysis—Hans Christian Andersen:

"The Nightingale and the Rose" has clear allusions to Hans Christian Anderson's fairy tale "The
Nightingale." Published in 1843, Andersen's "The Nightingale" became one of his most famous
fairy tales, all of which were widely read in Victorian England and Ireland and would have been
known to Wilde. The tone of "The Nightingale and the Rose" is heavily influenced by Andersen,
especially since its fusion of fantasy and social commentary is very similar to what readers might
find in Andersen's fairy tales.

Explanation and Analysis—Helios and Echo:

The "Nightingale and the Rose" contains allusions to classical myths, creating a sense of
timelessness and grandeur that elevates the story’s focus on love and sacrifice. When considering
her sacrifice and musing on the beauty of life, the Nightingale talks about how pleasant life is,
saying:

"Life is very dear to all. It is pleasant to sit in the green wood, and to watch the Sun in his chariot
of gold, and the Moon in her chariot of pearl."

Anthropomorphism

As in many fairy tales, the animals, plants, and other natural features (such as the moon) in
“The Nightingale and the Rose” are anthropomorphic representations of animals, humanlike in
their ability to speak and sympathize with others. They all have traits typically associated with
humans: the Nightingale is portrayed as thoughtful, the Lizard as skeptical, and the Oak-tree
as sympathetic.

Explanation and Analysis—Talking Plants:

Wilde uses anthropomorphism throughout the story to create a fairy-tale landscape in which
animals and elements of the natural world speak and act like humans—something that invites
readers to suspend their disbelief and revisit their assumptions about the differences between
humans and nature.
Dramatic Irony – The Nightingale and the Rose
Dramatic Irony is when the audience knows something that the characters don’t know.

“… and he threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cartwheel went over
it.”
The rose that the nightingale watered with blood was tossed and thrown away in such an ease.
This shows that sometimes what a person cherish the most the other might not even bother to
look at.

Foreshadowing –
“She passed through the grove like a shadow”

The Nightingale and the Rose: Genre

Explanation and Analysis:

“The Nightingale and the Rose” is written as a fairy tale. Its short length, plot-driven narrative,
and overall whimsical tone are typical of the genre. What's more, its events take place in a world
with no definite time or place, and the story involves elements of the supernatural.
The Nightingale and the Rose: Mood

The mood of "The Nightingale and the Rose" is initially whimsical and romantic but becomes
sadder and more cynical by the end. At the beginning of the story, readers are immersed in a
romantic fairy-tale landscape where birds converse with trees and the biggest sorrows have to do
with broken hearts. The Student, for instance, is a woebegone lover whose happiness depends on
finding a red rose to give to his lover. The Nightingale describes him like this:

"Here at last is a true lover... Night after night have I sung of him, though I knew him not: night
after night have I told his story to the stars, and now I see him. His hair is dark as the hyacinth-
blossom, and his lips are red as the rose of his desire; but passion has made his face like pale
ivory, and sorrow has set her seal upon his brow."

The Nightingale and the Rose: Setting

"The Nightingale and the Rose" is set in a whimsical garden that is characteristic of fairy tales
that take place in universal, ambiguous contexts—that is, contexts that are unbound by a specific
time or place. The lack of details about the garden's precise location ultimately places it beyond
the world of everyday life, thus giving it a mysterious and imaginative quality. The fact that the
animals and plants can speak in this garden further emphasizes its fantastical elements. The
garden setting also provides an idyllic natural backdrop that references to the Garden of Eden.

Dramatic and Situational Irony

The concept of irony is an important recurring element in "The Nightingale and the Rose."
Wilde's appreciation for irony is seen in many of his other works, including his play The
Importance of Being Earnest (1895), in which irony is central to much of the play's humor. Irony
is an old concept in literature and drama and can be difficult to define, but in essence it refers to
the incongruence between intended and actual meanings of words or between expected and
actual situations. The types of irony most utilized in "The Nightingale and the Rose" are
dramatic and situational irony. In dramatic irony, the audience knows something that the
characters do not. In situational irony, something happens that is contrary to what is expected to
happen.
In "The Nightingale and the Rose," these two types of irony figure in a number of ways. The
Student is an ironic figure because he criticizes the Nightingale for what he perceives as her
shallowness. He claims she'd never sacrifice herself for anything, totally unaware she's about to
make the ultimate sacrifice to aid his courtship of the Professor's daughter. This is an example of
Wilde employing dramatic irony: the audience is aware of the Nightingale's plan to sacrifice
herself, but the Student is not. Additionally, the Student claims to only value practical things,
which is why he has disdain for the Nightingale's singing. But this is an example of situational
irony, as his inability to do anything but cry about his misfortune shows him to be impractical
and worthless. The Nightingale, too, is an ironic figure. Early in the story she proclaims that love
is worth more than gold and can't be purchased. However, in the end the Professor's daughter
cares far more about the value of the jewelry she receives from the Chamberlain's nephew than
about the red rose symbolizing the Student's affection for her. This is another instance of
situational irony.

A final example of irony comes when the Professor's daughter rejects the Student. The Student
calls the Professor's daughter "ungrateful" and then throws away the rose the Nightingale died to
create, proving himself the ultimate ingrate. This is yet another example of dramatic irony
because the Student has no idea he is squandering a precious sacrifice.

The Nightingale and the Rose: Style

The style of "The Nightingale and the Rose" is very typical of fairy tales, though it's also unique
to Oscar Wilde and his own narrative tendencies. The plot-driven nature of the story—with
action occurring virtually on every page—is a mainstay of the fairy tale genre, in which stories
center around the structure of a problem, quest, and resolution. The fast pacing and style as a
short story are also typical features of the form. Furthermore, the poetic and whimsical language
throughout is a choice that once again aligns with the kind of stylings normally associated with
fairy tales. When the Nightingale and trees speak, for instance, they use poetic descriptions and
heightened language. Answering the Nightingale's request for a red rose, the Yellow Rose-Tree
shakes its "head" and says:

"My roses are yellow... as yellow as the hair of the mermaiden who sits upon an amber throne,
and yellower than the daffodil that blooms in the meadow before the mower comes with his
scythe."

The Nightingale and the Rose: Tone

"The Nightingale and the Rose" has a descriptive and direct tone. While the story is by no means
devoid of emotion, sentiments are expressed solely through speech and thus assigned to
characters rather than the narrator. The impersonality of the narrator creates a semi-detached tone
that gives the story the timelessness and universality of a fairy tale.