The Nightingale and the Rose by Oscar Wilde

Having been written when Oscar Wilde’s literary career was blossoming, The Nightingale and the Rose is one of his most well-known works. This tale reflects the author’s glorification of natural beauty, artificial beauty and also the beauty of devoted love. Beauty and art were the measure of all things. He admired unselfishness, kindness and generosity. In this tale, the true love is the main theme and the appearance of other characters is to show their attitudes towards the true love, which are very different.
The Nightingale and the Rose was published in 1888. In the story, a Student fell in love with a Professor’s daughter who wouldn’t want to dance with him in the prince’s ball, unless he can find a red rose for her to wear. Because of cold weather, it is hard for the Student to find a red rose for the girl, “the need of a red rose made his life wretched”. When the Nightingale hears of his sorrow, he is moved by the girl’s passion and “true love”. The bird decides to sacrifice himself just for exchanging a red rose. Tragically, the red rose ends up under the wheel of a cart, because what the Professor’s daughter really wants is ascendancy and wealth.
In this tale, there are 3 outstanding character sets: the Nightingale, the Student and the Lizard, the Butterfly and the Daisy. These characters have very different attitudes towards the true love, which are clearly expressed in this tale.
The first character of this tale is the Student. He has a crush on the Professor’s daughter. He cries because “She said that she would dance with me if I brought her red roses, but in all my garden there is no red rose”. The author portrays him as a romantic and passionate one, illustrated by “The Prince gives a ball to-morrow night,' murmured the young Student, 'and my love will be of the company. If I bring her a red rose she will dance with me till dawn. 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