The Happy Prince and Other Tales Lesson Plan

What do you make of the ending of "The Star-Child"? Why do you think Wilde chose to include these last two lines? How is the ending of "The Star-Child" different from that of "The Young King"?

Wilde finishes "The Star-Child" by informing the reader that, although he was a just and fair ruler, the Star-child ultimately dies after three years of his reign because he had endured too much trauma; what’s more, the next king after the Star-child is an unjust ruler. This contrasts with the open-ended finish of "The Young King," which optimistically shows him worshipped by the people of the city as a kind of angel. "The Star-Child" is perhaps a more realistic ending; Wilde shows that...