"The Birthday of the Infanta"

     Armed with a sharp sword of irony, the fairytale «The Birthday of the Infanta», written by an outstanding poet and playwright Oscar Wilde, will probably slice into even the most insensitive of hearts.

 

     This moral story deals with beautiful and young princess Infanta, the daughter of the King of Spain. It is the twelfth Infanta’s birthday and the whole of the kingdom and all of the servants are prepared for the young girl’s special day. The only one in the whole kingdom who seems to be in sorrow, even on such a special day is the King. He has been in grieving since the Princess was young. His lovely wife has died after only six months of becoming a mother. On this day he is especially upset as he looks at the girl and he remembers his beloved wife. For once, instead of having to play all on her own because there are no other children of equal rank for her , she has been allowed to invite the other children of the court to a party where they are entertained by puppets, a mock bullfight, a tight-rope walker, gypsy dancing, monkeys and a performing bear and among her presents is an ugly little dwarf for her amusement. The princess gives him a flower which he wrongly interprets as a token of her affection. It is only when, searching the halls of the palace in the hope that he can find her, he sees his own reflection in a mirror that he realises that her laughter was not something they shared but that he was the object of it.

     The Birthday of the Infanta shows how society sets standard of what is beautiful and what is monstrous. Even thought the dwarf contains all the qualities that we would consider to make a good and kind hearted person, he is treated as a freak and is put on exhibition to be laugh at. In the final moments of his life even he asks why he was made so ugly and even goes as far as asking why his own father did not take his life when he saw how ugly he was. In complete contract the ugly hearted and evil spirited princess is seen as the embodiment of beauty and all that is good, while she is really a mean and spoiled creature who only cares about her own satisfaction. Her words at the end show her interest is in solely her own entertainment.

     Oscar Wilde is known for his simple fairy tales that hold so much meaning and real life value. I really appreciated this work and I think The Birthday of the Infanta seems like a great fairytale for people of all ages to read and learn. 

     I also recommend you to read other tales by Oscar Wilde, of which made ​​the greatest impression on me "The Selfish Giant" and "The Fisherman and the Soul".